March 26: Up at 8 - breakfast - shaved for first time since bailing out but left mustache on. Fine sun day. Lip is blistering on right side from cold. Washed underwear, socks and hanks yesterday. Message - they will send ship to drop supplies. too late now. Bull session in sun all day and ate at four. Sweated out second party till 8 but no dice. Got lot of dope on China from Domke and will get book list from him later. Keep wondering where I’ll be sent when I get back and what I’ll choose if given a choice. Bette, Dad and Sis are always on my mind. They brought in fifty puppet converts today. They captured a Block house up ahead and we may see it. Bed at 9:30.

March 27: Up at 8 - breakfast - loafed - haircut and they wet hair to cut it in China. Some of the boys have gotten scalped but he had no clippers today so I did OK. Lip still blistered and back of right foot still hurts. Fellows slept this afternoon but I didn’t because I was afraid I would not sleep tonight. Another Spring day.

Orderlies assigned to us during our stay at Fouping

Barber shaves forehead, ears, etc. Second party arrived at 4 PM. The deal is all messed up. Morrison still can’t travel so he, Double and Mr. Lee will stay here (3 days from Fouping). He can move in about a week. Fellows are real sore because they held us up. Carnicelli, Osterhouse and Kelsey will go on with us. Double did not send our departure message so we will send one from here through Fouping. Bed at 9.

March 28: Up at 8 - 55 days since we bailed out. Off at 9:30 and saw lots of block houses and one destroyed Jap block house. Saw Great Wall of China all day. Had not seen it since back near Peiping two months ago. Saw wounded Jap prisoner on road - he was taken with Block house the other day. It and the Japs are ten miles from where we are staying tonight. Walked better than half of the 65 Li today. It rained twice but not for long. Easy trip. Four bunks - plenty of room but it is solid concrete. It looks as though we are really on the move now. Taped right foot and it was OK. Slight cold - lip healing OK. Took pictures of the Great Wall and Block Houses. Left Shorty, our favorite orderly, behind. Ate at 7. Chinese captured Jap airfield near here and now suggest we try for plane again but we refused. After supper Chinese heard that Japs reinforced Block House ahead by 100 Japs so we will leave again at midnight for 70 more Li to throw them off. Slept from 8:30 till 11:30.

March 29: Off at 12:15 midnight after three bowls of millet. Full moon - moved fast - mostly all level - easy travelling. Saw flares and heard explosions but that is all we know. Crossed Wooto River with two others on mule with me - soldiers waded across. Passed five Li (1-1/2 miles) from the Japs. Got very cold and we could not ride more than a half hour at a time or we would freeze. Had 400 - 500 soldiers with us - dangerous country. Just at dawn saw full moon and full son in sky at same time. Stopped once for land-mine scare. Could smoke only near the end of the journey. Arrived 7:30 AM - very tired. Dozed from 8:30 to 10:30 AM then ate. Country here is like Wyoming and Arizona. Can’t unpack blankets - Japs seven miles away. Off at 12:15 noon - slow travel over mountains and did 35 Li by 5:30 PM. Everyone dead tired. Hit sack immediately. Up at 9:30 for chow and then back to bed. For first time the people raised hell about us taking their house. With the Jap danger, poor food and rough terrain, some think we should have stayed at Fouping and sweated out a plane.

March 30: Up at 7:30 - ate - off at 9. Cold and very, very windy. Did 35 Li along mountain tops - troops and us very tired. Stopped at 1:30 after 35 Li all in mountains - crossed two of them. Five in bunks - won’t get much sleep - had coffee but it is almost gone. Making good tracks but taking a beating. Ate, including oatmeal.

On the trail.

Washed feet, socks and hanks. General gave us outline of route and enemy positions. To bed and slept pretty well. Others did not sleep because of hot Kong (bed).

March 31: Up at 6:30 - bowels loose and sick to my stomach. Ate one bowl of rice and few spuds. Off at 7:30 - movement twice before start and three times on trip. Dry heaves three or four times. Rode all but fifteen minutes and we moved till 4:30 (9 hours). Covered 70 Li all in mountains. Weather cold and windy but picked up later. Packed straw on cement Kong for bunk. Ate a little chicken for supper. Took two sulphur pills and one vitamin pill. To bed at 8:30. Feeling very low.