Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-02-18
was resting or sleeping, the sun Wal

| the cnance OF approaching anyone, II
was just as easy to ask for food as
| matches.
It the second place, 1t would have
been extremely dangerous to have
built fire even If / had needed 1t.
You can't build fire in Belgium,
which Is the most thickly populated
country in Europe, without everyone
knowing 1t, and I was far from anx-
ious to advertising my whereabouts.
The villages in that part of Bel
GUM through which was 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. My 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 had
only two things to worry about: keep
concealed and get as much sleep as
possible.
The cabbage that got in Belgium
consisted of the small heads that the
peasants had not cut. All the strength
had concentrated in these little heads
and they would be as bitter as gall. /
would have to be pretty hungry to-
day before I could ever eat cabbage
again and the same observation ap-
plies to carrots, turnips and sugar
beets-especially sugar beets.
It is rather q remarkable thing that
today even a smell Of turnips, raw or
cooked, makes me sick, and yet q few
short months 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 really
liked, but with the exception Of once,
when found some celery, l was never
so fortunate. ate so much of the
celery the night / came upon 1t that
I was sick for two days thereafter,
but / carried several punches away
with me and used to chew on 1t as I
walked along.
OF course, kept my eyes open all
the time for fruit trees, but apparently
it was too late In the year for fruit. as
all that I ever was able to find were |
two pears, which got out Of a tree.
That was one Of my red.letter days.
but was never able to repeat 1t.
In the brooks and ponds that I
passed often noticed fish Of different
kinds. That was either In the early
morning just before / turned in for
the day, or on moonlight nights when
the water seemed as clear In spots
as in the daytime. 1t occurred to me
that it would be simple matter to rig
q hook and line and catch some fish,
but had no means Of cooking them
and It was useless to fish for the sake
of 1t.
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 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
nothing to prevent my steering an alb
solutely direct course for Holland and
liberty, but my path seemed to lie
through arid pastures. Far to the
east or to the west I could hear
family the striking Of village bells,
and knew that If changed my
course I, would undoubtedly strike
farms and vegetables, but the North
Star seemed to plead with me to fol-
low 1t and would not turn aside.
When daylight came, the conse-
quence was was empty handed and
had to find a hiding place for the day.
thought I would approach the first
peasant I came to and ask for food,
but that day had misgivings-a
hunch-that I would get into trouble
II + did. and decided to 60 without
food altogether for that day.
II It was foolish thing to do. found,
because / not only suffered greatly
from. hunger oil that day. but it inter
fered with my sleep. would drop OF
to sleep for half on hour, perhaps.
and during that time / would dream
that 1 was free. back home. living q
life Of comparative ease, and then i
would wake up with q start and catch
q glimpse Of the bushes surrounding
me, feel the hard ground beneath me
and the hunger pangs gnawing at my
sides, and then / would realize how
far from home I really was, and /
would lie there and wonder whether
would ever really see my home
again. Then would fall asleep again
and dream this time. perhaps Of the
days I spent in Courtrai, or my leap
from the train window, Of the Bava-
rian pilot whom / sent to eternity In
my last air fight. of my tracer bullets
getting closer and closer to his head,
and then would wake up again with
start and thank the Lord that / was
only dreaming it all again instead OF
living through It'll
That night.I got an early start be-
cause / knew i had to have food, and
decided that rather than look FOL.
vegetables would take chance and
apply to the first Belgian peasant
whom Iicame to.
It was about g o'clock when ] came
to a, small house. ! had picked up q
heavy stone and had bound 1t In my
handkerchief and ] was resolved to use
& as a weapon IL 1t became necessary.
After all,I had gone through. was
resolved to win myzlibertys eventually
at whatever cost.
As 1t happened, I found that night
the first real friend had encountered
In all my travelling. When knocked
tlmidly on the door. It WAS opened by
o Belgian peasant. about fifty years Of