After a week I was again startled by a commotion and voices outside our quarters one early morning. I got up and saw trucks to be boarded by the Grass Detail.
I waited until they started boarding, when I boarded one of the trucks together with the other POWs. We were headed for the railroad station in Capas, Tarlac. There I saw Mrs. Sarte waiting for me, waving branches of guava and “duhat” leaves. I was not listed to go on grass detail!
Together with the other soldiers, I went down from the truck to meet her. She said that she saw Pat and brought something for me. She also said that she brought sulfathiazole tablets for her husband, who was sick of dysentery.
Like her first visit, she brought food for me and gifts for our guard. I had a fill of the adobo, fried chicken, balut, yellow rice, red eggs, and rice cake.
Our guard also ate some good food given him with a good wine and cigarettes. He was feeling good. Mrs. Sarte with motions of her hand made him understand that the bag of clothes was for me. The guard willingly took it inside the truck and sat on it as we rolled back to the C.C.C. At the camp gate, where we were required to go down to be inspected by the guards, my bundle of clothes was safely guarded inside the cargo truck by our Jap guard. Praise the Lord!
We were inspected one by one and searched individually as we showed the Gate Guards our branches of duhat and guava leaves.
Once inside the C.C., my bundle was safe, and when we alighted from the truck, the Jap guard handed it to me as I said ARIGATO.
That night I was the only one with a mosquito net, pajamas, and blanket not made of jute sacks sewed together.
SAVED BY SULPHATHIAZOLE
Upon arrival from the Capas rendezvous with Mrs. Sarte, I went to give the sulpha tablets to Capt. Sarte, just in time to save his life from dying of dysentery. He was very happy when I related my encounter with his wife. (Miracles!)
Not long thereafter, I suddenly had loose bowel movements and then had mucous discharge with streaks of blood. I had developed dystentery, too.
Before I became very weak, I went to tell Mr. Sarte my problem. He shared with me three tablets of his sulpha, which enabled me to arrest my sickness and I got well. Praise the Lord!
When I went to visit Mr. Sarte, he was already strong enough to stand up and walk.
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