Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

truck, the only means of transportation we had, was arranged to seat four persons and the trip was undertaken. The driver, and the guide and interpreter sat in the front seat, while Bro. Krehbiel and I took the seat back of them in a favorable position to look back over the road where we had traveled. Under our seat there was sufficient room for the supplies for the trip, which consisted of several large loaves of bread, some boiled eggs, a pound of butter, and some rice. This latter taken along in the anticipation that some convenient home would be found where it could be prepared. Leaving Alexandrowsk we encountered the large and beautiful Dnieper river, which at that season of the year was from one to two miles wide. The American designed and German built bridge at Kitchkas (Einlage) was the only suitable place of crossing. Even though by supreme order, the American representatives were exempt from paying toll, nevertheless the petty guards stationed at either end of the bridge regularly attempted to extort some money. Being refused this satisfaction they usually delayed crossing for some ten or twenty minutes. But since the driver was well acquainted with their demands and also with the ways of satisfying them, we paid very little attention to their quibbles, which usually ended soon, so that we were permitted to pass on. VIZUALIZING FAMINE CONDITIONS 241 EXPERIENCES AT NIKOPOL—THE SOVIET OFFICIAL After crossing this bridge we traveled through Chor- titza and several other neighboring villages on the way to Nikopol, a relatively large city some thirty miles down the river. This city was entered over a cobble-stone pave- ment, leading past a large cathedral situated on a rela- tively high hill. While moving down the hill we met a number of women pushing a cart. From a distance we could hardly see what they had, but upon nearer approach we noticed that this was a funeral procession. ‘The re- mains of two departed loved ones were being taken to the cathedral, where the dead were deposited in a shed in the cemetery until quite a number had been collected, when they were placed in a common grave. The famine was very grievous here, so that thousands died for want of food. Repeated cases of cannibalism were reported, about which we interviewed the “ruler of the city” later, in order to be able to distinguish between fact and hearsay. Comrade Titov, the ruler of the town, verified these reports and even showed us official photo- graphs of two children picking the meat from the head of their dead mother; and another where the members of the family, father, mother and several children, were satisfying their insane appetite on the cooked remains of one of the members of the family. Matters were so serious here that children were never left unguarded on the streets else they might disappear never to be seen again. Even at Nikopol, we were pleasantly relieved of our serious thoughts for a s