large/6547/birdseye_views_far_lands_1111_librivox_64kb_mp3/birdseyeviews_06_nichols_64kb_49
large/6547/birdseye_views_far_lands_1111_librivox_64kb_mp3/birdseyeviews_06_nichols_64kb
English
6547
In the heat of summer the dust nearly suffocated them and in the late autumn and early spring (they stopped in winter quarters in the coldest months), they often floundered along through mud nearly knee deep. Often the mud was frozen in the morning and their feet would break through. IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER THE DUST NEARLY SUFFOCATED THEM AND IN THE LATE AUTUMN AND EARLY SPRING THEY STOPPED IN WINTER QUARTERS IN THE COLDEST MONTHS THEY OFTEN FLOUNDERED ALONG THROUGH MUD NEARLY KNEE DEEP OFTEN THE MUD WAS FROZEN IN THE MORNING AND THEIR FEET WOULD BREAK THROUGH
 the convicts wore chains on their ankles that weighed five pounds and chains on their wrists that weighed two pounds. Sometimes these chains wore the flesh from the bones and the pain, as they trudged along their way, was simply terrible. Men and women were herded in droves like cattle. They had to make so many miles each day through storm or sunshine. Often it was midnight before they reached the sheds in which were the sleeping benches. Here they had to lie down on bare planks without any covering. There was no ventilation in these sheds except a bare window or two in the gable. In summer they sweltered and in winter they nearly froze to death. As these unfortunate people slowly trudged along, the heartless guards on horseback whipped them and often prodded them with bayonets. Sometimes both men and women fell fainting and dying along the wayside. As two were nearly always chained together, the living was unlocked from the dead, the body kicked out of the way and even left unburied. WO YEARS MOST OF THE CONVICTS WORE CHAINS ON THEIR ANKLES THAT WEIGHED FIVE POUNDS AND CHAINS ON THEIR WRISTS THAT WEIGHED TWO POUNDS SOMETIMES THESE CHAINS WORE THE FLESH FROM THE BONES AND THE PAIN AS THEY TRUDGED ALONG THEIR WAY WAS SIMPLY TERRIBLE MEN AND WOMEN WERE HERDED IN DROVES LIKE CATTLE THEY HAD TO MAKE SO MANY MILES EACH DAY THROUGH STORM OR SUNSHINE OFTEN IT WAS MIDNIGHT BEFORE THEY REACHED THE SHEDS IN WHICH WERE THE SLEEPING BENCHES HERE THEY HAD TO LIE DOWN ON BARE PLANKS WITHOUT ANY COVERING THERE WAS NO VENTILATION IN THESE SHEDS EXCEPT A BARE WINDOW OR TWO IN THE GABLE IN SUMMER THEY SWELTERED AND IN WINTER THEY NEARLY FROZE TO DEATH AS THESE UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE SLOWLY TRUDGED ALONG THE HEARTLESS GUARDS ON HORSEBACK WHIPPED THEM AND OFTEN PRODDED THEM WITH BAYONETS SOMETIMES BOTH MEN AND WOMEN FELL FAINTING AND DYING ALONG THE WAYSIDE AS TWO WERE NEARLY ALWAYS CHAINED TOGETHER THE LIVING WAS UNLOCKED FROM THE DEAD THE BODY KICKED OUT OF THE WAY AND EVEN LEFT UNBURIED
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