A Thousand-Mile Walk 
afternoon, the fever broke on me like a storm, 
and before I had staggered halfway to the mill 
T fell down unconscious on the narrow trail 
among dwarf palmettos. 
When I awoke from the hot fever sleep, the 
stars were shining, and I was at a loss to know 
which end of the trail to take, but fortunately, 
as it afterwards proved, I guessed right. Sub- 
sequently, as I fell again and again after walk- 
ing only a hundred yards or so, I was careful 
to lie with my head in the direction in which 
I thought the mill was. I rose, staggered, and 
fell, I know not how many times, in delirious 
bewilderment, gasping and throbbing with only 
moments of consciousness. Thus passed the 
hours till after midnight, when I reached the 
mill lodging-house. 
The watchman on his rounds found me lying 
on a heap of sawdust at the foot of the stairs. 
I asked him to assist me up the steps to bed, 
but he thought my difficulty was only intoxica- 
tion and refused to help me. The mill hands, 
especially on Saturday nights, often returned 
[ 128 ] 
