Cheyenne record., 1918-08-15
tenant Pat O'Brien

They could not speak English and I
could not speak Flemish, but pointed
to my flying coat and then to the sky
and said ''Fleger'' (hier). which I
thought would tell them what I was.
Whether they understood or were
intimidated by the hard.looking ap-
pearance. I don't know. but certainly
1t would have to be a brave old man
and boy who would start an argument
with such q villainous looking char
acter as stood before them that night !
had not shaved for q month, my
clothes were wet. torn and dirty, my
leggings were gone-they had gotten
SO heavy had to discard them-my
hair was matted and my cheeks were
flushed with fever. In my hand I
carried the rock In my handkerchief
and made no effort to conceal its
presence or its mission.
Anyway. they motioned me indoors.
gave me my first hot meal In more
than a month! True, it consisted only
Of warm potatoes. They had been
previously cooked, but the old woman
warmed them up in milk in one Of the
dirtiest kettles had ever seen. I
asked for bread, but she shook her
head, although I think 1t must have
been for lack Of 1t rather than be-
cause she begrudged 1t to me. For
If ever a man showed he was finished,
I did that night. swallowed those
warm potatoes ravenously and drank
four glasses Of water, one after an
other. It was the best meal had had
since the banquet" in the prison at
Courtrai.
The woman Of the house was prob
ably seventy-f1ve years old and had
evidently worn wooden shoes all her
life, for she had callous spot on the
side Of her foot the size Of half dol
lar and it looked SO hard that doubt
into 1t with hammeri
As I sat there drying myself-for I
was in no hurry to leave the first
human habitation had entered in
four weeksT reflected on my un-
happy lot and the unknown troubles
and dangers that lay ahead Of me.
Here, for more than q month, I had
been leading the life Of a hunted
animal-yes. worse than a hunted
animal. for nature clothes her less
favored creatures more appropriate
ly for the life they lead than was
clothed for mine-and there was not
the slightest reason to hope that con-
ditions would grow any better.
Perhaps the first warm food had
eaten for over a month had released
unused springs of philosophy in me,
as food sometimes does for a man.
I pointed to my torn and water
soaked clothes and conveyed to them
as best could that would be CRATE
full for an old suit, but apparently
they were too poor to have more than
they actually needed themselves, and
I rose to go. had aroused them out
of bed and I knew ought not to keep
them up longer than was absolutely
necessary.
As approached the door got q
glance at myself in a mirror. I was
the awfulest sight had laid eyes on
The glimpse I got Of myself startled
me almost as much as If had seen a
dreaded German helmetl My left eye
was fairly well healed by this time
and I was beginning to regain sight
Of 1t, but my face was SO haggard and
my beard so long and unkempt that I
looked like Santa Claus ON a batl
As they let me out Of the door I
pointed to the opposite direction to
the one intended taking and started
off In the direction I had indicated.
Later changed my course completely
to throw off any possible pursuit.
The next day was 80 worn out from
exposure and exhaustion that I threw
away my coat. thinking that the less
weight had to carry the better 1t
would be for me, but when night came
1 regretted my mistake because the
nights were now getting colder. I
thought at first 1t would be better for
me to retrace my steps and look for
the coat had SO thoughtlessly dis
carded. but I decided to go on with
out 1t.
I then began to discard everything
that had in my pocket, finally throw
ing my wrist watch into a canal. A
wrist-watch does not add much
weight, but when you plod along and
have not eaten for a month 1t finally
becomes rather heavy. The next
thing discarded was a pair of flying
mittens.
These mittens had gotten at Camp
Borden, in Canada, and had become
quite famous, as my friends termed
them "snow Shoes" In fact, they
were a ridiculous pair of mittens, but
the best pair ever had and really
felt worse when I lost those mittens
than anything else. could not think
of anybody else ever using them. so
dug hole in the mud and buried
them and could not help but laugh
at the thought II my friends could see
me burying my mittens, because they