The Long Walk Chapter 14

The eight prisoners went along their journey. As they got closer to the Mongolian Border they raided a potato farm and took potatoes with them. They crossed the border from Russia into Mongolia and Zaro had made a joke about it. Once they all had crossed they were all happy and joyfully prancing but soon remembered it wasn't safe around there being so close to the border. They traveled through some mountains where they endured a lightning storm. The mountains where rough for them although they found much food in the little rivers they crossed while going through the mountains. On an occasion where they spotted a large river where they decided to rest and bake the potatoes and eat there was the first of many Chinese men in strange boats that they were to see along the rivers in Mongolia. They also came across some Mongols who were traveling on foot and had camels and donkeys. One of the men from the traveling Mongols attempted to talk to the group but realized they could not understand him. Then Slave tried to talk to him in Russian, they called for the eldest man who knew a bit of Russian and they had a long conversation of about an hour about where they were going and how long it would take, "many turns of the sun" the man told them. He also questioned Kristina who was fully tanned and hair bleached by the sun with blue eyes. Upon departure the man offered Slav a smoke. Then he showed Slav a watch he was given some time ago from a refugee Russian as a trade for whatever the elderly man had given them. Slav had nothing to offer but the man was still giving and gave them all the newspaper and Tobacco to smoke later, they parted and Slave reserved the newspaper to read later. They read it while at a river bank and there wasn't much news about their countries that interested them. While at the river they helped a boater when he got stuck and when they did Slav and Anastazi felt something between their legs which was a fish which they caught and ate that night. They were no longer fearful of where they might be if the locals would report them to the Russians or if there would be Russian soldiers around to catch them.