Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-08-09
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which I hoped to ferry across, but I
was equally unsuccessful.
Get across 1 must, and 1 decided
there vas nothing to do but to swim.
1t was then about 3 o'clock in the
morning. / waded in and was Soon
in beyond my depth and had to swim.
After about an hour Of it 1 was very
much exhausted, and / doubted
whether / could make the opposite
bank, although it was not more than
4 thirty or forty feet away. l choked
and gasped, and my arms and legs
were completely tagged out. 1 sank a
little and tried to touch bottom with
my feet, but the water was still be-
yond my depth.
There are times when everyone will
pray, and 1 was no exception. 1
prayed for strength to make those
few wicked yards, and then, with all
the will power 1 could summon, struck
out for dear life. 1t seemed a life
time before l finally felt the welcome
mud of bottom and was able to drag
myself up to the bank, but I got there.
The bank was rather high and 1 was
shaking so violently that when l took
hold of the grass to pull myself up,
the grass shook out of my hands. /
could not retain my grip. 1 was afraid
1 would faint then and there, but I
kept pulling and crawling frantically
up that Internal bank and finally
made it.
Then for the first time in my life l
fainted-fainted from utter exhaus-
ton.
1t was now about 4 o'clock in the
morning and 1 was entirely unpro-
tected from observation. If anyone
had come along 1 would have been
found lying there dead to the world.
Possibly two hours passed before l
regained consciousness, and then, no
doubt, only because the rain was
beating in my face.
1 knew that l had to get away, as
it was broad daylight. Moreover,
there was a tow-path right there and
any minute a boat might come along
and find me. But it was equally
dangerous for me to attempt to travel
very far. Fortunately ] found some
shrubbery neal by and I hid there all
day, without food OF drink.
That night I made a little head
way, but when day broke 1 had a
dreadful fever and was delirious. 1
talked to myself and thereby in
creased my chances Of capture. In
my lucid intervals when l realized that
I had been talking, the thought sent
a chill through me, because in the
silent night even the slightest sound
carries far across the Belgian country.
1 began to fear that another day of
this would about finish me.
/ have a distinct recollection of a
ridiculous conversation 1 carried on
with an imaginary Pat O'Brien-a
sort of duplicate of myself. 1 argued
with him as / marched d~rearily along
and he answered me back in kint
and when we disagreed, 1 called upo
my one constant friend, the North
Star, to stand by me.
"There you are, you old North Star"
I cried aloud. "You want me to get
" AAO4A0L1Ot uOA L JOus DuL lAAo al
O'Brien-this Pat O'Brein who calls
himself a soldier-he's got a yellow
streak-North Star-and he says it
can't be done! He wants me to quit
to lie down here for the Huns to
find me and take me back to Cour-
trai-after all you've done, North
Star? / don't want to follow him-I
just want to follow you-because you
you are taking me away from the
Huns and this Pat O'Brien-this fel.
low who keeps after me all the time
and leans on my neck and wants me
to lie down-thiS yellow Pat O'Brein
wants me to go back to the Huns"
After a spell of foolish chatter Ike
that my senses would come back to
me for a while and 1 would trudge
along without a word until the fever
came on me again.
1 knew that 1 had to have food be-
cause / was about on my last legs. !
was very much tempted to lie down
then and there and call it a beat.
Things seemed TO be getting worse for
me the farther I went, and all the
ILL L hou OClOIO liz LAC opCSllC VI
that electric barrier between Belgium
and Holland, even if I ever reached
there alive. What was the use of
further suffering when / would prob
ably be captured in the end anyway
Before giving up, however, I decided
upon n bold move. l would ap-
proach one of the houses in the vi
cinity and get food there or die in
the effort.
l picked out a small house because
I figured there would be less likeli-
hood of soldiers being billeted there.
Then I wrapped a stone in my khaki
handkerchief as a sort of camouflaged
weapon, determined to kill the occu-
pant Of the house, German or Belgian,
if that step was necessary in order
to get food. / tried the well in the
yard, but it would not work, and then