February 11: Slept in bed with Art, Wong (the interpreter), his friend, woman and five kids. Slept twelve hours but no rest - not enough room to roll over. Off at nine and climbed highest mountain so far. Art, Doug, Carnicelli, Morrison and Osterhouse have to ride donkeys due to various injuries and sickness. Last part of journey was all down and level and made good time. Lots of good news - no more high mountains, safe, good food ahead, can make Yenan in a month (four outright lies). Everyone’s spirits picked up. Art has not eaten for three days - cannot hold food down. Saw a Jap bomber, a Betty. Arrived nice village. Good beds, but the same type. Ate big meal of good food at last - first in about four days. Hear that the Russians are now twenty miles from Berlin. Ate nuts - no fruit yet.

February 12: Lincoln’s birthday. Good rest - blanket. Up at 7 and ate with the magistrate at ten. Everyone ate like horses and the food was good. Are staying over today for rest. Morrison took shot in arm for bad ankle and Art is improving. Washed both pair of socks, feet, hanks and towel. Tomorrow is Chinese New Year so we may have to stay another day. Would rather keep moving. Often wonder what home and Bette know and how much they are worrying. Anxious to reach home base before squadron moves to base on Saipan. Interpreter Wong tells us that he was a Jap soldier, on guard duty in China and one night he escaped to Communists. Doctor who treated Morrison was boxing champ in Japan. He walked out of Muckden (Jap steel mills and iron mines in Manchuria). Gave my stale cigar to Chinese and about six of them tried to smoke it and almost choked. They changed plans and we left about 6:15 PM on nine donkeys. No wind, thank God, but bitter cold. Crossed two mountains - not too bad but awfully steep coming down. Crossed big river after stopping for Chinese New Years Eve at midnight. Messed around two villages looking for place to stay before we finally stopped at 5 AM after eleven hours on the road. No food, no blankets, no fire, no hot water, no nothing. Everyone miserable and freezing - worst spirits yet (my lowest point of entire journey). Left Wong and Korean volunteers behind and this interpreter speaks very little English. We have only small force of soldiers and it is very dangerous because Japs raised hell here last New Years. We see many burned out villages, Jap barracks, etc. Slept in Japs barracks last night. Have been praying a lot on journeys to forget my misery. Keep day-dreaming of wonderful American food, candy, etc. If I ever get to the States I will treat myself royally always. Thoughts of home and Bette ever on my mind. Also wonder about the squadron. Can picture the joy for all when we turn up safe. Cold worse - bowels OK - beard growing - losing weight.

February 13: Wide awake at 8 and only dozed for hour because we were freezing. Manhole covers and gristly meat for breakfast. Interpreter mentioned air field so we have hopes for earlier return because we were told something about it once before at our base. (The airport myth starts.) Traded knife yesterday to chief for Jap hat. Never got that Jap flag I was promised. Had a pretty fair lunch yesterday with the town magistrate. Long to lie on the beach and soak in the sunshine for I don’t think I’ll ever get all the cold out of my bones. Left at 12:15 - walked hour - picked up donkeys and walked and rode until 7 PM. Cold but not windy - dead tired - slept till 10 PM and then had stuffed manhole covers, very good. Went to sleep but there were six on the bed and only a half blanket and we could not roll over. Not cold. Found out that I have lice. (They would haunt us for the whole trip.)

February 14: St. Valentine’s Day. Up at 8 - manhole covers and gristly meat for breakfast. Country very poor - we are very hungry. Off at 11 AM and arrived at a town at 4 PM. Met an American fighter pilot who was shot down near Peiping on Feb. 6th. His name is Wells. Got a good interpreter at last (John Fong). Cigarettes and a wonderful meal - we ate like horses for we were starved. Got blankets - not crowded - three rooms. Good wash and to bed at 8 PM. We think there is an airport two weeks walk from here.

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“Lt. Wells had been downed on the 6th of February after his engine was hit by 20 mm ground fire in the vicinity of Nan-yuan, about ten miles immediately south of Peiping. Following briefing instructions, he headed for the mountains to the west of Peiping and bailed out about fifty miles from the city. The first person he saw on landing was a farmer, who he siezed and showed the flag sewed inside his jacket. The farmer led him to a guerilla leader who arranged his trip to Lin-nan-t'ai, about four days’ walk. There he met the Humby crew.”