Page:Albert Beaumont - Heroic Story of the Czecho-Slovak Legions - 1919.djvu/66

 have preferred us to take, and there were frequent discussions about it in the months of November and December. But the Allies did not realise as we did all the difficulties. The line north of Moscow was not only exposed to the danger of the Bolsheviks, but it led for a distance of more than 1,000 kilometres through regions without any food or possibility of obtaining provisions. To spend the whole winter in the frozen north would have simply meant the death of our army, as the Bolsheviks could easily have cut us off and left us to starve. In Siberia, on the contrary, we were sure of finding provisions in abundance everywhere, as our officers and men had had ample opportunity of seeing when they were in the various prisoners’ camps, and the whole Siberian population, we also knew, would be friendly to us.

The echelons that started north in December got through after many adventures. They had to use their authority on many an occasion, and several times when they reached a station the Bolshevik Soviet simply took to flight, frightened by the very name of the Czecho-Slovaks. They knew that not only were we ready to fight our way, if nesessary, but also that the inhabitants everywhere were favourable to us and sided with us the moment we appeared. Our columns remained for months waiting before they could embark, and had to defend themselves against several attacks from Bolshevik troops sent purposely north to try and annihilate them. Two steamers finally came to their rescue at the end of March, and they were safely taken to England, and landed at Newcastle in the month of April, 1918. They met with an enthusiastic reception from the English public, which gave them an ovation as they marched to the railway station from the steamer, and many of my comrades to this day recall with gratitude the cordial reception given them by the people of Newcastle. It was a relief to them, after years of exile and the danger of being frozen or starved to death in the Artic Circle, to get such a warm welcome in England.