Day Twenty-Six

While we were all eating lunch today it occurred to me that I had never been served any wild food since I had joined up with these "cave" people. I asked them about it. One of the men reminded me that they were all farmers. Each year they would grow one or two cash crops to sell, but they also had a vegetable garden that produced everything they needed for an entire year. During the summer and early fall, they ate mostly fresh vegetables. And during the winter and early spring, they ate what they had canned from the previous season. They had always been very fortunate and food had not been a problem for them.

I said that none of us knew how long the war was going to last and if they were interested I would tell them which wild foods I had been surviving on for the past few months. That got everyone's attention. Every the small children stopped talking and started listening to me.

I walked over to the nearest evergreen tree and picked a small handful of thin green needles. I returned to the group and I asked everyone to take one. When everyone had a fresh green pine needle, I took mine and put it in my mouth and chewed it up and swallowed it. Everyone followed my example. I was fortunate in my selection because these particular pine needles had a neutral taste. Depending on the time of year and the type of evergreen tree, the needles sometimes taste a little bitter. I explained that the needles were extremely low in calories but they were the best source of fresh vitamin C in nature. The needles could be eaten raw as we had just done, or diced and added to a stew, or diced and boiled in some water to make a herbal tea. Any type of thin evergreen needle is edible.

Then I walked a short ways into the woods and returned with a pine cone. I asked everyone to get close enough so they could see better. They all crowded around me. Then I started breaking the scales off the pine cone and I showed them the two small winged seeds that were at the base of each scale. I explained that the seeds could be eaten raw or they could be roasted. I stressed the fact that this was a very important food source because of its availability and extremely high nutritional value.

Then I walked a short distance to an oak tree and picked a green acorn off the ground. They had just started to fall from the tree and they hadn't turned brown yet. I returned to the camp and told everyone we were very lucky. White oak trees produce acorns every year and a heavy crop every three years. All acorns contain tannic acid and they will make you sick if you try to eat them raw. To determine what type of acorn you have, crack the outer shell of one acorn, and then split the inner nutmeat in half. If the inner nutmeat is white, then you probably have a white oak acorn which is the most common oak tree in the United States. White oak acorns also have a very low tannic acid level and a sweet nutlike taste.

You begin by removing and discarding the cap of the acorn. Then dry the acorns for two or three days in direct sunlight. Then store the acorns in their shell until you are ready to eat them. If you crack the outer shell of the acorn, the inner nutmeat kernel will begin to dry out very fast.

When you are ready to eat your acorns, crack the thin outer shell and remove the inner nutmeat kernel. Start two pots of water boiling. When the water in the first pot begins to boil, drop your acorn nutmeats into the pot and immediately remove the pot from the heat. Wait 30 minutes. Pour out the dark water and then transfer the wet nutmeats to the second pot of fresh boiling water. Immediately remove the second pot from the heat. Put fresh water in the first pot and start the first pot boiling again. Wait 30 minutes. Pour the dark water out of the second pot. Taste one of the nutmeats. If there is no bitter taste, you may stop boiling. However, if the nutmeats still contain some bitterness, then boil them a third time in some fresh water. If necessary, boil them a fourth time. When you are finished boiling, spread your damp nutmeats onto a tray or board and allow them to dry in the sun. While they are drying you will need to put some screen wire over them or the squirrels will steal them. After they are dry you can eat them the same way you do nuts, or you can grind them into meal and use them in stews, or in bread recipes in place of 1/4 the flour. One handful of dried acorns has the nutritional value of approximately one pound of hamburger. Before the war began I learned everything I know about acorns from one of my visits to Grandpappy's Information Web Site at:

http://www.grandpappy.info/racorns.htm

I paused and thought for a minute. Several days ago I had seen a dandelion plant not too far from where we were camped. When I saw it I had been surprised that no one in the group had harvested it. When I am traveling I always stay on the alert for these small plants but, like most things, when you are searching for them you rarely see them. But when you aren't looking for them, they appear to be everywhere.

I went and dug up the entire dandelion plant and brought it back to the camp. I picked off each of the small yellow flowers with its stem. I explained that the flowers and stems could be eaten raw or they could be cooked. Next I removed the leaves. I remarked that, in my opinion, they were too bitter to be eaten raw so I always removed the tough center vein from each leaf and then boiled them. The only thing left was the roots. After they have been washed you can prepare them in one of two ways. You can boil them and eat them. They have a pleasant taste that way. Or you can dry them in the sun like meat jerky. After they are dry you can crush them and use them as a coffee substitute.

Finally, all four of the major parts of the dandelion plant contain vitamins and they help to improve the blood circulation throughout your entire body. One of the ladies interrupted me at this point and said she was thrilled to be learning everything I was sharing with them but she was having trouble keeping it all straight in her head. Then she asked if I would be kind enough to write everything down for them when I finished. I agreed.

I hadn't seen any clover when I had gone hunting in the vicinity of their camp so I couldn't do a proper show and tell. All I could do was tell. The leaves of the clover plant can be eaten raw or boiled. The tiny white flowers can be boiled to make a herbal tea. Finally, the roots can be scraped, washed, and then boiled and eaten.

When you first begin to add wild plants to your meals, you need to start small and give your digestive system a chance to become acquainted with the new foods. You can then gradually increase the amount of wild plants you consume each day. But if you overdo it at first, you will probably get sick and not be able to digest that particular food for a long time. It is also better to eat a variety of wild foods instead of too much of one single plant.

Then I looked right at the three small children and I asked them if they had seen the Disney cartoon "The Lion King?" They all giggled and said yes and one of the boys said he had it on video tape at home. Then I asked them if they remembered how Timon and Pumbaa had taught the young lion cub their "philosophy" on how to survive on delectable forest bugs? They all giggled again and said yes. Well, it is also possible for people to eat bugs but you will probably have the same initial reaction the lion cub did. Yuck!

Then I told the group that ants, earthworms, grubs, and slugs were all edible. After you killed them you could eat them raw but they were much easier to swallow if you diced them up and added them to a stew. The one insect that requires special attention is the grasshopper. After you kill it, remove all its legs. The legs have tiny barbs that can catch in your throat if you try to swallow them. And you should never eat a grasshopper raw. They frequently contain tiny parasites. Boil the grasshoppers in water and then they will be safe to eat. Finally, never, never, never eat ticks, flies, mosquitoes, spiders, or centipedes.

And that was the end of my "show and tell" for the day. One of the ladies handed me a note pad and a pencil and I wrote down everything I had just told them so they could keep it for future reference.

Day Twenty-Eight

During supper I told the group I felt it was time for me to be moving on. I still had several hundred miles to cover before I reached home. And if I stayed any longer, I might not make it home before the really bad winter weather arrived. I told them I would be saying good-bye shortly after sunrise in the morning.

Day Twenty-Nine

When I woke up this morning I packed my stuff in my backpack, I put on my equipment belt and pistol, and I stopped outside the cave because everyone was waiting to say good-bye to me. The teenage boy and the three men shook my hand and the two ladies gave me a hug. The three small children each gave me a kiss.

Then one of the ladies said the group had a small parting gift for me. One of the men handed me my old duffel bag. But it was no longer empty. He said it contained enough food for a few weeks on the road. I objected but they assured me they still had enough food to last them through the winter. And with the deer jerky they had been making, they would even have meat to eat. I asked them how that was possible. And they reminded me that they were just simple farmers. They always had at least eighteen months of food stored up for hard times. When the war disrupted their lives, they had just transferred all their food to several different "stashes" in the woods nearby.

The mother of the teenage boy then gave me an eight-ounce bottle of Colloidal Silver. She said they had about three gallons made and stored in the dark inside the cave. She had considered giving me a larger bottle, but she knew how much water weighed and she thought eight-ounces wouldn't be too much to carry on an extended hike. She was right and I sincerely thanked her.

And then one of the men handed me a winter coat. He said it was his extra coat. And he showed me his "best" coat so I would believe him and accept the gift. When the weather started getting really cold in a few weeks, that coat could save my life. I accepted the coat and offered to leave my Beck unit in return. He said no, the coat wasn't for sell. It was a gift. Just a little something for me to remember them by.

I said good-bye to everyone and continued my journey towards the southeast. As I was walking I thought about all the nice parting gifts those people had given me. And I realized that once again I had visible evidence that "What goes around comes around."

Day Thirty-One

I was traveling southeast along a dirt road through a heavily wooded area. I was alert and carefully scanning the road ahead for any potential dangers. I was carrying my hunting rifle in my hand for protection.

Without any advance warning, I heard a harsh masculine voice say, "Freeze." I did.

Then a masculine voice from the woods on the other side of the road said, "Drop your rifle or die." I instantly dropped my rifle to the road.

Then the first voice said, "Drop your duffel bag, too." I let it go.

Then the second voice said, "Remove your pistol with your left hand and drop it on the road." I obeyed.

Then the first voice said, "Take six steps straight ahead and then knell down on your knees." I did as I was told.

I heard movement behind me and I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to throw up but I forced myself not to. All my instincts told me I was going to die. I didn't want to die. Lord, I didn't want to die. I tried to think of some plan of escape but nothing occurred to me. I was terrified and I couldn't think clearly. The only thought that kept running through my mind was that I didn't want to die.

One of the men told me to remove my backpack and put it on the road. I obeyed. Then I was told to remove my equipment belt and I did. Then one of the men told me to put my hands on my head. I did.

Then one of the men started laughing. The other man began laughing too. Tears were beginning to form in my eyes. I knew I was going to die. I didn't want to die.

Then I heard a shot. It sounded as if it came from a long ways off. I heard a heavy "thud" on the ground behind me about the same time that I heard a second shot. Another heavy "thud." Instinct took over and I rolled as quickly as I could to the side of the road and then I made a quick dash for the safety of the woods. I ran a short ways and hid so I could see what would happen back on the road so I could plan my next move accordingly. I could see both men lying face down in the road. Neither man was moving but I didn't know if they were dead or only faking it.

I waited about 15 minutes but no one appeared on the road and the two men didn't move. I wanted my possessions back. My chances of surviving without them were extremely slim. I looked around and found a short, thick branch on the ground. It wasn't much of a weapon but it was better than my fists. Then I crept as quietly as I could back to the side of the road but a little ahead of where the two men were lying face down in the dirt. I peeked down the road in the direction I had heard the shots come from but I saw no movement of any kind. I waited another 10 minutes and then I made a decision. If the unknown person or persons had wanted me dead, they could have waited for those two thugs to shoot me and then they could have shot the two men. But they didn't do that. For some reason, they had spared my life.

I was desperate to get my stuff back so I made a rash decision. I decided a quick death was better than a slow painful death without my stuff. I stepped boldly into the road and made my way towards the two bodies. I held my stick over my head so I could strike either man if he moved. Neither did. I knew my weapons were loaded and in good condition so I bent down and picked up my 45 pistol. I loaded a bullet into the chamber of my 45 and then I carefully approached the nearest body. A small hole was in the upper part of his back behind his heart. The amount of blood in the dirt surrounding his body told me this man had almost no chance of being alive. I then focused on the second body. The bullet had hit him in the center of his back. The small size of the entry hole was nothing in comparison to the amount of blood on the ground. He wasn't breathing as far as I could tell. I took a chance and kicked him in the ribs. He didn't move. I kicked him again just to be sure. He still didn't move. I didn't want to make any unnecessary noise so I resisted my very strong desire to shoot each man. Instead I transferred my pistol to my left hand and I hit each man in the head as hard as I could with my stick. Neither man moved. I then rolled each man over onto his back. The size of the bullet exit wound on the front of each man finally convinced me they were dead.

I went through their pockets but found nothing of value. One of the men was carrying a semi-automatic 22 rifle. The other man was carrying a fully-automatic military rifle in 7.62 caliber. He had a full clip of 20 bullets. But that was all the bullets he had. They probably had more stuff back at their camp but I wasn't going to hang around and search for it. I decided to take the military rifle. I dragged the two bodies about 50-feet into the woods and covered them with some branches and leaves. Then I kicked some dirt over the blood stains in the road. I figured these two men probably operated alone, but I didn't know for sure. If these men had been part of a larger gang then I didn't want to make it too easy for their friends to find them.

I picked up my stuff and moved off into the woods. I'd had enough road travel for one day. I traveled about two miles into the woods and then I made camp. It was around mid-day but I was physically and mentally exhausted and I couldn't go any further. I ate lunch and promptly fell asleep. I woke up but it was dark, so I went back to sleep again.

Day Thirty-Two

I woke up starving. I rarely eat breakfast but today I made an exception. Then I continued my journey towards the southeast.

Day Thirty-Three

I was traveling southeast when I heard a woman scream in the distance behind me. I quickly turned around and I saw some motion in the woods about 200 yards in the direction I had just come from.

Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to investigate. I carefully circled around so I could approach from the west. I chose that direction because there was a nice hill to the west. I wanted to approach by coming down that hill so I could have the best possible field of view and use whatever tactical advantage the higher ground might give me.

When I got close enough I saw a woman lying on the ground. I couldn't see her face but I recognized her clothes. It was Lisa.

I threw caution to the wind and I ran to where she was. I fell to my knees beside her and she looked up at me. I think she recognized me but I wasn't sure. All she said was, "Bitten by a spider. Can't stay awake." She lifted her left hand and said, "It hurts so bad." And then her hand fell to the ground and she passed out.

I don't how it is possible but I could feel her pain. I gently picked up her left hand and examined it. There was a red swollen area on the back of her hand. It was puffy and ugly looking. I wasn't sure what I should do and I was afraid if I did the wrong thing it would make matters worse. So I yanked off my backpack and quickly removed my first aid book. It contained emergency first aid instructions and I read what it said about spider bites. As I was reading, Lisa started having trouble breathing and she began sweating heavily.

I examined the bite again. I didn't see any kind of stinger in the bite. I didn't have an ice pack to put on the bite so I treated her for shock. I removed her backpack so she could lie flat on the ground. I removed her equipment belt and put it with her backpack. I then removed my blanket from my backpack and folded it in half and put it beside her. I then rolled her onto my blanket so she wouldn't be in direct contact with the earth.

I needed another blanket to cover her with. I opened her backpack and found one on top of all her stuff. I covered her with her blanket.

And then I remembered that research report I had read. In one of the appendixes it had listed some research done by other people and it had mentioned something about neutralizing snake venom. I knew snake venom and spider bites weren't the same thing but in my little first aid book they were listed together so I decided they might be similar in some way. I couldn't remember if the reference in the appendix of that research report was referring to the Beck unit or the Colloidal Silver. So I decided to experiment with both of them.

I got my Beck unit from my pack. I had trouble finding her pulse. It was very weak. But I was finally able to locate both her wrist arteries and I marked them with my black pen. Then I poured a little water into my cup, added a little salt, stirred it up, and dipped the cloth covered electrodes into the solution. Then I put the electrodes on my own wrist and experimented with the dial. Ouch. I tried again more slowly. I could turn it almost all the way before it became painful. I didn't know how it would feel to her but I put it on her wrist anyway. Then I very slowly rotated the dial. As the dial came close to its end I saw her thumb quiver and I knew I had gone too far. I backed the dial up a little and left it there. Then I got my eight-ounce bottle of Colloidal Silver and poured a little into my spoon. I opened her mouth and let a little trickle onto her tongue. I wanted the C.S. to be absorbed into her blood stream through her mouth. Therefore I was careful not to put very much into her mouth so she wouldn't feel the need to swallow right away. It took me about 15 minutes but I eventually got about two tablespoons of C.S. into her. I waited another 15 minutes and then I removed the Beck unit from her wrist.

She didn't wake up. And she was still having trouble breathing. And her hand still looked really bad. I felt like a failure.

And the sky was starting to get dark with rain clouds. Just what I needed at a time like this.

I looked around and saw a level spot between several pine trees that were only a few feet apart. I got my tarp and my rope and I made a lean-to shelter between the trees. I fixed it so it would slope to the rear and a little to one side. Later when it started raining I would wait a few minutes for the rain to clear the air and then I would put my six-quart pot where most of the rain was running off the tarp so I could catch the rain water. Then I moved Lisa under the tarp shelter. I quickly gathered some dead branches that had fallen out of the trees but had been caught in the shrubbery. I knew they would be extremely dry and would burn well. I put everything in place to build a fire but I didn't light it yet.

I waited. Lisa's face began to look paler to me. I didn't know if it was the gradual darkening of the sky, or my imagination, or if she was really getting sicker. I know I felt sicker just looking at her. I felt so helpless.

Then she vomited. I turned her onto her side as quickly as I could but it was too late. Her blanket was covered with it. Why does everything always have to go wrong at the same time?

I made sure her mouth was clean and I rinsed it out the best I could with some water from her canteen. Then I wiped off her face. And I wiped off the small amount of vomit that was on her clothes. Fortunately, most of it was on her blanket. And then the rain started.

Oh well, I thought. At least I can use the rain to rinse this mess off her blanket. I used the edge of my knife blade to scrape as much of the stuff off her blanket as I could. Then I secured her blanket between the trees so the rain would wash it down good.

Lisa was shivering when I got back under the tarp shelter. You remember what I said about my not objecting to a cuss word every now and then when the circumstances are just right. Well, in my opinion, the circumstances were just right.

I untied my winter coat from the side of my backpack and covered her with it.

Every three hours I very slowly gave her two more tablespoons of C.S. And every six hours I strapped the Beck machine to her wrist for 30 minutes. The rest of the time I held her head in my lap and kept a damp cloth on her forehead to help reduce her fever. The rain stopped sometime during the night.

Day Thirty-Four

Lisa is still asleep. I got a little sleep during the night but not very much. I'm still not sure what I should do.

I made a decision. She might have something among her belongings that could save her life. I felt like a jerk for going through her stuff without her permission, but I kept telling myself that it was for a good cause. I went through her waist pack first and found nothing unusual.

Then I examined her backpack. She had a nice selection of camping gear inside her pack. And she had a few things I didn't have. She had a small makeup case that contained a little makeup and a small mirror. She had a tube of lipstick. They didn't weigh much but I couldn't understand why you would carry something like that for hundreds of miles on your back. At that instant it dawned on me that I would never truly understand women.

She also had a wallet with a few family pictures. In one picture she was standing between an older couple. Her Mom and Dad. And in one picture she was beside a slightly taller lady and a man. Her married older sister and her husband. A tear began rolling down my cheek. I envied her. She had pictures of her family. When I lived at home before the war began I had access to hundreds of family pictures that I could have picked from. All I had to do was ask. But I never asked for any family pictures. Now I deeply regret not having pictures of my parents and my two older brothers. Pictures are so small and they don't weigh anything. And they can remind you of who you really are and that there are people in the world who truly love you. My face was covered with tears. This would never do. I put her wallet away and continued looking through her stuff.

My future wife was rich. I can call her that now because I found her stash of silver coins. She still had five old silver dollars, twenty silver half-dollars, and sixteen silver quarters. I would like to know how she had the foresight to accumulate real money before the war began. No one will accept paper money anymore. It's just paper. Everyone realizes that nowadays. And our coins have been made out of scrap metal since 1964. Shortly after the war began, the only money people would accept had to contain either silver or gold.

I continued my search. I found a nice tarp in the bottom of her pack and I used it to make a floor in our shelter. The tarp was long enough so I could also use its two ends to close up two of the sides of our shelter so the wind wouldn't blow directly on her. Now only the front of our shelter was open to the great outdoors.

I also found a small Gideon's Bible. Not a complete Bible. Just the New Testament. And I found a sheet of paper that contained a few Christian Hymns and another page with scripture verses printed on it. I put those items back into the ziplock bag in which I had found them.

Then it occurred to me that she might be wearing some type of "medication" bracelet or necklace. So I looked carefully at her neck but she had no jewelry around her neck. Then I looked at both her wrists but all she wore was a wrist watch. I also looked at her ankles but she wasn't wearing any type of bracelet there either. Then it occurred to me to go through her pockets. All I found was a butane lighter and a Swiss army knife. The Swiss army knife was very compact and it was much nicer than the multi-tool I had inherited in the backpack I had found. I put both items inside her waist pack so she would be more comfortable as she slept.

I was afraid she would start to dehydrate so I slowly poured a cup of water into her mouth one teaspoon at a time. About two hours later, I gave her some more water. And then I smelled that smell. You know what I mean. Lisa had wet her pants.

My next decision took me about 30 minutes to make. I knew I would feel very uncomfortable if I changed her jeans and underwear while she was asleep. And yet I was really very excited about the prospect. I trying to be honest about how I felt. My greatest fear was that she would wake up while I was pulling her pants off. I can't explain to you why, but that was not the first thing I wanted her to see when she woke up. And I was scared she would wake up at precisely that moment. Just my luck.

I finally realized I had no choice but to remove her wet clothing. She might get too cold down there and end up a lot sicker than she already was.

The first thing I did was put her extra pair of jeans and a clean pair of her underwear where I could reach them quickly so she would be undressed for the shortest amount of time.

Then I began by unlacing her boots. I pulled them off her feet. She was wearing gray socks. They might have been white when they were new but they were gray now. They looked clean. They were just gray.

Then I removed her waist belt. And then I unzipped the front of her jeans. If you are a man then you know what was happening to me at that moment and there was nothing I could do about it.

I had planned to remove her jeans and then her underwear. But it didn't work out that way. Everything was wet and it all stuck together and everything came off at the same time. I reached for her dry underwear and then I realized she smelled like urine. Why didn't I think of that ahead of time? I removed the damp cloth from her forehead and I wiped her down as best as I could.

Then I put her underwear on. I reached for her jeans but then it occurred to me that she might not wake up right away. If she continued to sleep she would probably have another accident at least once or twice a day. She didn't have enough clean jeans for that. She had six pair of clean underwear and I could rinse those out and hang them in the sun to dry so she would always have clean underwear. So I put her clean jeans back on top of her backpack.

Then I retrieved her blanket from the trees. The rain had rinsed most of the foul smell out of it and the sun had dried it very nicely. I covered her with her blanket. I made sure the unpleasant end of the blanket was at her feet. When she eventually woke up I would have to explain why she wasn't wearing her jeans and I prayed she would believe me.

The day passed. I crushed one of my aspirin tablets and dissolved it in a cup of water. Each time I gave her a cup of drinking water it contained one of my aspirins. I administered C.S. and I attached the Beck unit to her wrists at regular intervals. I alternated wrists just like it said to do in the instructions. I also kept a damp cloth on her forehead to help reduce her fever. Her breathing became more regular but nothing else changed. The swelling on her hand was going down just a little bit. At least I think it was. It may just be wishful thinking on my part.