It meant going almost round
the world. But we were determined and soon we had gained the support of
the French Government and the permission of the Bolshevik leaders, who
were glad enough to get us out of the country. They feared we would
start a counter-revolution. But here we are in Siberia and the hardest
part of our journey is over. Two weeks more should find us in
Vladivostok and from there we can go very quickly to France, where
thousands of our fellows are already fighting for the cause of liberty."
[Sidenote: The men are classified by occupation.]
Captain H---- was in Omsk. Behind him, as I talked with him, was a card
index file showing the occupation and residence of forty thousand Czech
artisans resident in Siberia. Typewriters clicked in the bright office
and outside a Czech wagon arrived with a ton of meat en route to the
cold storage cellar which he had built in the outskirts of Omsk.
[Sidenote: Food is obtained at high prices.]
"I arrived here alone and with only a few rubles," said Captain H----.
"But I heard that some day my fellows would come through on their way to
France. So I began organizing our resources. Many of our men have made
much money as prisoners in Russia. They were generous. Men began to
flock in and we took off their Austrian uniforms and put them into
Russian uniforms--the uniform of our expeditionary force. Fighting men
were listed and trained. Artisans we merely listed, and there are forty
thousand names classified by occupation and residence in those files.
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