Page 139 - LEIBY

Chapter 17 139

Dovid and Pesach looked at him in wide-eyed astonishment,
but his self-assured speech and confident manner set their
minds at rest.

After some effort, Leiby found himself an empty windowsill.
He lay down on it, covered his eyes with his hat and fell asleep.
He slept soundly, totally exhausted after all his recent travails.

In the middle of the night, Alexander shook him, hard.

“Leiby, get up, we’re going on our way.”

Leiby groaned and rolled over away from Alexander, but
Alexander didn’t give up. He pulled at his shirt and forced him
to stand up.

“Alexander, I’m tired,” Leiby yawned.

“You have a military command to get up right now,” Alexander
shouted.

“A military command?” The words were enough to have Leiby
jumping up and putting on his shoes. Within a few seconds he
was energized and ready to roll.

Outside, the breichniks organized the refugees, distributed
cups of warm milk and bread, and equipped the group with
American cans of tinned food. A long line of refugees, their
packages on their backs, snaked its way out of the gate.

“The route that we are about to embark on is not easy,” Dovid
and Pesach announced. “Anyone who feels that he won’t be able
to handle it should stay on the farm, and we’ll arrange for him
to cross the border another time.” But their words fell on deaf
ears, for not one of the refugees believed them. All of them,
even the weakest among them, feared that they were in Poland
on borrowed time, and it was just a matter of time until some
Polish thugs would get their hands on them and massacre them
all before they had a chance to taste real, secure freedom. The
entire group of battle-weary Jews had just one wish – to leave
blood-soaked Poland, where Jewish blood continued to spill