The Dolores star., 1918-08-23
CHAPTER x-continued.

S6AFbGH %-Continueo.
~
The knack Of making fire with two
pieces Of dry wood had often read
about. but had never put 1t to a test
and for various reasons I concluded
that 1t would be unsafe for me to
build a fire even II I had matches. In
the first place. there was no absolute
need for 1t. I didn't have anything
to cook nor utensils to cook 1t In even
II I had. While the air was getting
to be rather cool at night, I was usu-
ally on the 60 at that time and didn't
notice 1t. In the daytime, when 1
wns resting or sleeping. the sun was
usually out.
To have borrowed matches from a
iIelgian peasant would have been feas-
ible. but when I was willing to take
the chance of approaching anyone, 1t
was just as easy to ask for food es
matches.
1t the second place. n ~oafc nave
been extremely dangerous to have
built fire even IL l had needed it..
You can't build fire in Belgium,
which is the most thickly populated
country In Europe. without everyone
knowing 1t. and was far from anx-
fous 10 advertising my whereabouts.
The villages in that part Of Bel
GUM through which I"wns making my
course were SO close together that
there was hardly ever an hour passed
without my hearing some clock strike.
Every village has Its clock. Many
times I could hear the clocks striking
In two villages at the same time.
But the hour had very little interest
to me. Ny program was to travel as
fast as could from sunset to sunrise
and pay no attention to the hours in
between. and in the daytime I had
only two things to worry about: keep
concealed and get as much sleep as
possible.
The cabbage that I got in Belgium
consisted of the small heads that the
peasants had not cut. All the strength
hac concentrated in these little heads
ana they would be 81 bitter as gall. I
woNd have to be pretty hungry TO-
day before could ever eat cabbage
again and the same observation ap-
Plies to carrots, turnips and sugar
beets-especially sugar beets.
1t 10 rather a remarkable thing that
today even smell OF turnips, raw or
cooked. makes me sick. and yet few
short mouths ago my life, depended
upon them.
Night after night as I searched for
food. I was always In hopes that I
might come upon some tomatoes or
celery-vegetables which 1 really
liked. but with the exception Of once,
when found some celery, was never
SO fortunate. I ate so much of the
celery the night came upon it that
was sick for two days thereafter,
but l carried several punches away
with me and used to chew on 1t as
walked along.
OF course. kept my eyes open all
the time for fruit trees, but apparently
1t vas too late in the year for fruit. as
ell that I ever was able to find were
two pears. which got out of trPe.
That was one Of my red-lctter days,
but I was never able to repeat it.
In the brooks and ponds that
RoScSo l oAtCh AOtANCu AoA VI ulACIcul
kinds. That was either In the early
morning just before I turned in for
the day. or on moonlight nights wher
the water seemed as clear in spots
as In the daytime. 1t occurred to rue
that 1t would be a simple matter to rig
hook and line and catch some fish,
but had no means of cooking them
and 1t was useless to fish for the sake
Of Il.
One night in Belgium my course
took me through desolate stretch of
country which seemed to be absolutely
uncultivated. must have COVERED
twelve miles during the night, without
passing a single farm or cultivated
field. My stock of turnips which
had picked the night before was gone
and l planned. of course, to get enough
to carry me through the following
day. -.
The North Star was shining brightly
that night and there was absolutely
nnthlng to prevent my steering an alb
s9lutely direct course for Holland and
liberty. but my path seemed to lie
through arid pasturea Far to the