JOURNEYS Mennonite Stories of Faith and Survival in Stalins Russia, John B. Toews, 1998

the eleventh day we drove without stopping in the hope of finding a good night camp. The men picked up enough firewood en route to ensure a large bonfire at night.... By evening we covered one hundred kilometers, but still no road signs were visible. Finally at 11 P.M. we arrived at a brightly lit camp with its MEMOIRS OF ARON WARKENTIN 207 barracks, watchrowers and high fence .... We stopped and I asked to use the telephone to contact my commandant. I ex¬ plained our situation to him, especially the fact that we were un¬ able to locate any night camp .... I explained to him that we could not go any further since the men and the horses were com¬ pletely exhausted. I further explained that I had decided to make camp here .... We made a large fire and the men began to prepare supper .... Meanwhile I walked back to inspect our lengthy transport column .... After we had watered and fed the horses I allowed a double ration of food for the men, who were exhausted from the arduous ten-day journey .... We were more than ready for a good night’s sleep in the barracks .... A German doctor in the camp was my host and did everything he could to make me comfortable. We shared our joys and sorrows with one another .... Next morning, well rested, we started on our way and reached a town. The lights, the sound of a railway locomotive — here was freedom. During the years of our captivity we had become accus¬ tomed to monotony and here stood two-storey houses built of brick .... We traversed the city without difficulty .... On the thirteenth day we arrived at a collective specializing in land cultivation and cattle. We were well received. There was ample food for both animals and humans. We stayed an extra day, not because we were so exhausted, but because no one knew the route we had to take. The only road which led to prison camp (and our destination) was impassable. No sign of the trail was visible anywhere .... Meanwhile repeated telegrams arrived tell¬ ing us to complete our trek .... We were on our own. In this critical moment a twenty-year- old girl, native to the region, offered to show us the way and walked ahead on snowshoes. We already knew what it meant to travel upon frozen roads in April, but now we had no choice but to follow the courageous girl. I ordered several of the strongest lads to accompany her .... We hitched our best horses to the front sleigh in order to break the trail. Some ninety sleighs followed .... Unfortunately she soon lost the old trail and we began to wan¬ der. Soon we were out of the forest and traversing an area of steep hills and valleys. The horses fell frequently and had to be hitched and unhitched. We still had some thirty to thirty-five kilometers to go ... . Someone suggested we let a white mare with a long mane lead the way . . . and we followed the mans advice .... 208 JOURNEYS Though we lost sight of the horse once or twice ... it eventually led us b