Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

dly a wonder that the emotions of a man should be somewhat wrought up under such conditions. VIZUALIZING FAMINE CONDITIONS 245 A little later, we passed a number of villages, which appeared among the most destitute. According to reports a large percentage of the inhabitants had already starved. The mud huts, with their whitewashed walls and their thatched roofs presented quite a sight to a passing traveler who was conscious of the fact that many of them were now empty, and perhaps there were very few from which one or more members of the family had not been carried out, a victim of the heartless famine. When told that these were the villages that furnished the bulk of that inhuman band of blood-thirsty followers of Machnow, the man under the black flag who committed the worst and most of the atrocities among the Mennonites, then we could not but see the hand of God in the fact that these outlaws should have been among the first to fall victims to the huge specter, starvation, which their greed had called forth upon the people of Russia. Towards noon it began to rain, and we felt some- what concerned about the remainder of the distance, especially since the Dnieper was now overflowing its banks and flooding the low-lands of the district through which our road led. But whatever concern we had was dispelled by our courageous chaffeur and guide, who seemed un- dismayed, and certain that all would be well, until our Ford began to behave rather queerly. The engine seemed to hang lower than usual. We investigated, and found that the front spring was broken. Here we were in the rain some 100 miles or more from the American base; and even at that place there were no repair parts, such as we needed at this moment. Right before us, as we could see through the falling rain, lay a large Russian village, with its familiar massive church and tower lording it over the hundreds of meaner dwellings, which were entirely out of proportion to the church. Our guide called the 246 FEEDING THE HUNGRY village Apostolowa, and said that it harbored some thirty thousand people. Very slowly we moved onward toward the village, with the front end of our car resting on the axle. On entering the village we inquired for a blacksmith in the hope of his being able to devise some means that would enable us to continue our journey. To expect Ford repairs here, as is the case in every American town was out of the question, because cars had never been common in Russia, and the few that the people had possessed had all been commandeered by the government at the outbreak of the war. We asked every one we met, whether he knew a blacksmith in the village who might repair a broken spring, but all shook their heads in ignorance and fright at the sight of the foreigners and their truck. Finally we saw a place that had the appearance of a blacksmith shop, but upon calling we found the place de- serted. Even at the risk of displ