SLOW PROGRESS
We all felt dreadfully tired as well as thirsty. The past two nights had
told on us; and without proper sleep and sufficient food we were not in
the best trim for a third night of mountaineering. After getting back to
the track, we had to climb up the side of the ravine, which was steep
and rocky. Resting every few yards, we eventually reached the top and
turned up-stream. The point where we had descended the gully must have
been in almost the narrowest part of the gorge, and we could see that we
should have to move some way along the crest before we could get down to
the water. We were still ascending, and after continuing a little
further decided to lie down till dawn, and then trust to getting down to
the river and hiding before the country people were about. It was
hopeless to try to get down again in the dark, even had we possessed the
strength. Thirsty as we were, we got off to sleep; and, when we woke,
found it was already beginning to get light. It had got much colder and
our thirst had accordingly diminished. I had lost my cap the night
before shortly before we camped, and now luckily managed to find it on
going back a little way. We pressed on and began to descend again. It
took us at least an hour down a very steep tree-clad slope. The stones
we set rolling seemed to make a dreadful noise, but actually must have
been drowned in the roar of the torrent below. As we neared the river,
we found we were quite close to a farm; but no one was about, and we got
down without trouble. How we drank, and what a relief it was to be
beside water again! After a wash, we set about getting a meal by
preparing our wheat. It took some time to get all the husks off the
grain and longer to boil it; but it was very good and filling. Our
biscuits had numbered originally about thirty-five each, so that as we
had reckoned on a journey of a fortnight to the coast we only allowed
ourselves two and a half per day. We made cocoa, in addition to the
porridge, and went to sleep under the bushes, feeling a great deal
better than we had done for some hours. Our camp was in a most ideal
spot. Below us, the river wound down through the gorge, while the steep
slopes on each side of the valley were covered with magnificent trees.
There were a great many hazel nuts, but these were not yet ripe or we
would have gathered a large number.
Later on, we produced our razor and, one by one, for the first time
since leaving Kastamuni, made ourselves presentable. I got out the
fishing line I had brought, but had no luck, chiefly owing to there
being no worms to be seen in the soil on the river bank. The preserved
meat seemed to have little attraction for the fish, of which there were
plenty, and our biscuits were too precious to be used up in any way as
bait.
We started off once more about 6.30, and after some rough going reached
the wide part of the valley where fields came down to the river. Here we
were soon brought to a stop by seeing people still at work. Retracing
our steps, we crossed the stream and started to ascend the northern side
of the valley, keeping roughly to our easterly direction. After a steep
ascent, we reached a fair track, along which we made good progress. Once
or twice we had to wait and hide owing to farm people being about; but
after it had got quite dark we got on again without interruption. On one
occasion we passed close to a farm. There was a resin-wood torch
burning in the yard, and just as we appeared a woman opened a window and
looked out; we expected her to see us, but possibly the glare from the
torch was too strong, for she took no notice. By midnight, we had
reached some high downland, where there seemed to be a large number of
farms. After lying down for a couple of hours, we started off again; but
soon lost all sign of our track. Continuing in our direction with the
help of the stars or compass, we suddenly found ourselves within range
of some village dogs. These brutes devoted their attention to us long
and loudly, and there was nothing for it but to get away across the
fields as fast as we could. After a little time, we found a track which
presently led into a pine wood. We trudged on through the trees for two
hours, the track keeping on the crest of the hill and bending round
gradually towards the north. This wood promised good cover for the next
day, and as we seemed to have reached its edge we decided to stop here
all day. We lay down until it grew light and then moved to the best spot
we could find. This day was Sunday, August 12th, and we can only have
achieved about 30 miles as the crow flies, although at the time we put
it at 40.
Having picked no corn the night before, we had to be content with our
small biscuit and meat ration which we carried, helped out with a
fragment of Horlick and chocolate. Tip had not been feeling well all
night and was now in considerable pain. He said porridge always laid him
out, and our brew, which was not very well boiled, had proved no
exception. As far as we could tell, it seemed to be appendicitis or
something very like it. We discussed gloomy possibilities of giving
ourselves up in the event of his not getting better; but he remained
determined to push on if he possibly could.
We reconnoitred our route for the coming night and set off again an hour
before dusk. From the hill on which we had camped we could see a road
leading in the direction we wanted, down a wide valley, and we
determined to keep to this for some distance at all events. After
forcing our way through brushwood to the foot of the hill, we were held
up by hearing carts approaching and had to hide until they had gone
past. We used this opportunity for a wash and to fill up our
water-bottles from a small stream; and then set off again, following the
carts down the road. After marching for an hour we reached some corn
stacks and collected more wheat. It took longer than when gathering it
in an open field, but in half an hour we had accumulated enough, and
again took the road. We had noticed that, further on, there seemed to be
a good number of houses in the valley on our right which we should have
to cross. Our direction now led down towards the river and the track
passed through a stack yard. We were going quietly forward, when
suddenly we were surprised by a number of dogs, which burst out upon us
in full chorus from behind a stack. An old man appeared immediately
afterwards and quieted the dogs, but luckily made no attempt to question
us, and we passed on in silence. At night we always wore fezes and hoped
thus to pass as Turks or Greeks.
A short distance further on, we crossed the stream and then were
delighted to discover a maize-field, where we gathered a few of the
biggest cobs we could find. A moment later some one discovered that
beans and marrows were growing on the ground beneath the maize, so we
helped ourselves to these also. The beans were of a dwarf French
variety, which seems to be the most popular kind throughout the
district. Thus provisioned, we set off up a wide valley leading up in
front of us.
Poor Tip was having a hard time, and as we had to cross several ploughed
fields before discovering any path, matters for him became much worse.
He could manage to get along all right on a smooth path, but rough going
gave him great pain. Fortunately, the road we now struck had quite a
fair surface and we made a good pace for the next two hours, assisted by
the moon. Finally, about 4 a.m., we lay down for an hour, until dawn,
near the side of the road. We found we had overslept ourselves on
waking, as it was broad daylight; so we had to hurry off up a small hill
and hide in the bushes. The country round seemed more deserted in this
part of the valley and we had got away from cultivated land. As we were
all now very done up, we decided to move down to the centre of the
valley, which looked as if it must possess a stream. There we intended
to hide for the rest of that day and the next. This we thought might
give Tip a chance to get right again. After resting two or three hours
on the hill, we scrambled down and eventually emerged in the main
valley. Just before we reached it we as nearly as possible walked into
two gendarmes, who were going up the valley road and crossed our path
about a hundred yards ahead of us. However, they did not see us and all
was still well. After crossing the main valley and stream, we found a
small gully on the further side which seemed to offer us good cover, as
well as having a small supply of water. As we crossed the river bed to
reach it we came in view of a man and two boys working on an irrigation
dam a little higher up. Luckily, they had their backs towards us and did
not notice anything. A little way up the gully, we found a sheltered
spot to camp in and prepared a meal, chiefly from the vegetables we had
gathered the night before. We made Tip as comfortable as possible, and
with the aid of hot compresses succeeded in making him feel easier.
Nothing occurred during the day, and, after another stew had been
consumed in the evening, we set about making ourselves comfortable for
the night. With the aid of fir branches we made a tolerably soft couch.
Tip, K. and I for purposes of additional warmth slept side by side under
the most substantial part of the sail, while Sweet, who preferred to be
on his own, rolled himself up in the lighter piece. We would have much
enjoyed a little more warmth at nights and, in spite of putting on the
few spare garments we each carried, we were always much too cold before
morning.
Our plan now was to follow the road up to the head of the valley and
then steer as straight as possible for the Geuk Irmak valley, along
which we knew ran the main road to Sinope. It was clear that we could
not make fast enough progress at the present rate ever to reach Baffra
before our provisions gave out; our boots, also, were getting badly worn
and much work was done in repairs at our various halts. Walking across
rough country at night had damaged them much more severely than we had
ever imagined could be the case.
The following day we spent in resting, cooking, and also shaving and
washing. As one or two people had passed along the road in the
afternoon, we did not like to make an early start and so waited until it
was growing dark. For the first mile the track remained fairly good;
then it forked, and we chose the left-hand branch as leading in the
direction we wanted most. It was now quite dark and the sky cloudy; but
what was much worse, the track got more and more indistinct as we slowly
emerged into open country and fields at the head of the valley. Several
times we had to halt and spread out to find the path; and then, at last,
when we did reach a cart track we almost walked right into a big farm.
After pausing to reconnoitre, we decided to try to skirt it on the
left, and had got half way round when a sheep-dog heard us and started
off at full blast. There was a shepherd sitting with a torch in one of
the farm buildings, but he took no notice. Shortly afterwards we found a
field of beans to which we helped ourselves, and then had to make a
diversion to avoid another house. This led us into a pinewood and we
were soon forced to give it up until morning, as we could see no way
through in the darkness. We lay down close together and got a few hours'
sleep before the first sign of daylight roused us to continue our
journey. We had to pass closer than we liked to a farm; but no one was
about yet and we got away on to a high ridge covered with brushwood.
After making our way for a short time along this, we halted and made
cocoa, which with a biscuit formed our breakfast. By this time our
biscuits had broken up into small fragments, so that we had to estimate
how many bits were equal to a whole biscuit. Our experiences of the
night before forced us to the conclusion that it was hopeless trying to
do a good march by night unless on a good track; and we, therefore,
decided to cut across a low cultivated stretch of land to the forest
covering the opposite ridge and continue by daylight until reaching the
Geuk Irmak. It was now about nine o'clock and the peasants were at work
in the fields almost all round us. There was no safe way of reaching the
woods opposite without exposing ourselves to view, and the only thing
was to do the best we could and use all the cover available. On getting
down to a stream from a steep hill, we found we were close to some women
and children. The latter saw us, but the women were too busy to notice
us and we reached cover in a nullah on the further side without any
alarm being raised. Our next encounter was with an old Turk. He saw us
just before we saw him and was off to ground in some cover before one
could say knife. Evidently, he was very much more startled at seeing us
than we were at seeing him. After this we were not seen by any other
people, and after skirting a harvest field got well into the forest. At
two o'clock we halted, and having slept for two hours made another stew
and prepared to go on till dark. We were in a big forest chiefly of huge
pines which were being cut in places for resin. Our direction was now
nearly due north, and every rise we topped would, we hoped, bring us in
view of the Geuk Irmak valley. As is generally the case, the longed-for
view was very slow in making its appearance, and we had to bivouac for
the night without reaching our goal. We had passed a small flour mill,
driven by a water wheel. Sweet had investigated it for flour, but it was
swept and garnished and absolutely empty.