between me and my family about moving on. We argued until we heard the
first shots.
It was half past midnight. My horse got sick on me, so I decided to go on
foot. I, my wife and children were joined by another man and his three sons.
The peasants in that area know me. Everyone took a pack on their back. Like
gypsies, we set off for the village of Strzałków.¹¹⁸² The going was hard, through
sands and groves, without food. The children got terribly tired. We went to
a peasant I knew, who took us in like a brother. I realised I could walk no further
with my wife and children and decided to get some sleep. I was the only
one to say I wouldn’t stay for any money. At midnight on Saturday I spotted
a fire in the distance. The peasants said it was Turek[?]¹¹⁸³ I shouldered my
bag and left without anyone’s consent. My wife and children ran after me and
said they wanted to come along. I said goodbye to them for the second time
and, broken-hearted, I set off by myself through forests and fields. I decided
to head for the kresy, to a shtetl right by the border. I thought it would be
safer there. After walking for about an hour, I heard someone calling me. It
was my uncle’s three sons, who couldn’t bear to let me go alone. All night we
had light from the burning fire. The path ran through sands. We arrived in
Dobra,¹¹⁸⁴ about 30 km from Koźminek. The turmoil there was even greater
than in Kalisz. Everyone was packing and getting ready to leave. I had some
acquaintances there and asked them where they were going. They replied: to
Poddębice,¹¹⁸⁵ Łęczyca, Uniejów.¹¹⁸⁶ We took the road leading to Łódź. The road
from Dobra to Uniejów goes through a wood. We flew like birds, holding on to
each other so as not to get lost. It’s impossible to imagine our mood as we fled.
[3] I was the leading the way. I was 40 years old at the time, and my companions
were 23, 25 and 30. They shouted, “You murderer, you’re killing us,
we’re about to collapse.” I said, “Soon, soon,” and kept moving. We came out of
the forest and up onto the road, and our hearts sank. All around us lay dead
horses, cows, people. Thousands upon thousands of troops were on the move.
I heard someone call me by name. I saw one of my brother’s sons among the
1182 Strzałków (Kalisz County).
1183 Turek is a town about 30 km north of Strzałków.
1184 Dobra (Turek County).
1185 Poddębice (Łęczyca County).
1186 Uniejów (Turek County).
