| Len's cousin
Herding Pigs
M: Oh, sure. They used to all kinds of monkey business in there. You see, the farmers, they used to bring cattle, and they used to have their own. Every native had their own, like, goat or sheep. And they used to bring [?] a terrific sheep. They used to weigh it in. You see, they went by the weight, for the farmers. They had to deliver, let's say, 500 or 1000 pounds meat. So, they used to bring a terrific sheep, a really beautiful sheep. Before the boss used to come around and see it... You see, we used to mark them, all the cattle. We used to have an iron, and we used to mark the ear. We used to put on a number on them. Not a number, actually, it was the name of the organization, it was called in Russian, you know.
Sonia: [inaudible]
M: They used to change it, the same as we used to do on the road when we used to drive the cattle. They used to go and take out the small, little new born goat or sheep and take a good sheep and kill it in the meantime, and have meat. Before, they used to do it that I shouldn't see it. Now, they used to do it in the open. They didn't worry about it. They invited me for supper, even.
Len: You were going to tell me about that cattle drive. You drove the cattle over the hill... The pigs. Tell that one again.
M: Well, when I was working with the organization where we collected cattle, they used to force the farmers to produce, to raise pigs. And, of course, being Moslem, you know, so they tried to stay away from them as much as they could. And as a matter of fact, in every village where they had these pigs, while we were there, this is exactly when they introduced it to them, during the War. For our times, where they introduced the pigs — this area, you know. So, most of the time, they used to pick from our people, like Poles or Jews, to take care of the pigs. And they didn't realize, of course, that Jewish people are not supposed to have anything to do with pigs, just as much as they did.
So, while they were bringing the pigs to our base, I was told by my boss the same thing. Since I am not a Moslem, that I will be so kind as to take care of the pigs. So, I used to take care of them, and then when it came to driving them to down, I was also in charge of it. And one night, it was sort of a stormy night, and we were supposed to depart for our cattle drive. And the boss came around and told me that I'll be in charge, and that I should go out tonight to start up the drive.
And I pleaded with him, and I told him that the pigs, when they'll come to the top of the hill, and when the wind will blow into their face, there is no way that on foot that anybody could stop them. I would not be able to control them, and I would be better off, really, to leave tomorrow morning instead of leaving tonight. He got mad, and he said, look, he's the boss, and if he wants me to go tonight, you go tonight and no questions asked. And I said, "That's fine."
And it's exactly what it happened. We started up in the evening, and no sooner we came to the top of the hill, we had no pigs. Some of them came back to the base, because this was the closest shelter for them, and some of them just disappeared. The next day, the whle day, they sent out people on horses, and looked for them. They disappeared with no trace at all. Only, about 6 - 8 months afterwards the whole steppes there were infested with piglets, and the natives didn't know what to do with themselves. They didn't know where they came from. They couldn't figure out what happened. The old sows, they would see them, because they all had these earmarks on them. But mostly they were the young ones, and they were roaming around. It came to a point where the natives were afraid to go in the steppes, you know, because they had too many pigs in there. And they couldn't stomach it at all. They really had a hatred of it was the Jews [?] really to them. A pig is really one of the worst things there is.
But anyway, the next morning, I was sleeping yet in our hut. The manager came in and told me that the boss wants me. And I sent a message to him back that I am still sleepy. I'll come to him later. But he sent him back and said, no, he wants to see me right away.
So, I came and, of course he started to scold me why, where are the pigs, and that I am responsible for the pigs, and he'll make me do this, he'll make me do that. So, I told him, "Look, I you in the front of the whole group, don't send out the pigs tonight, because they won't stamp it us [sic]. You didn't listen. You told me to go. Now it's your responsiblity. Now, you go and tell the government what you did with all the pigs, because it's your responsiblity."
So, anyway, he tried to retaliate. He came in and told me a story that I was drafted into the army, and, actually the reason I worked there is because we were safe, like, you know, being taken into the workers' battalions. And we resisted going into the workers' battalions because we wanted to go to the army, actually.
L: Oh, he told you you were drafted into the workers' battalions
M: Oh, no, no, no. In the army they couldn't draft us. But it was, you see the same organization that was in charge of the army draft was in charge of the worker [word inaudible]. Because that was a military operation, you see. And [if]they drafted you in the workers' army, you were called like a military man. You were under the supervisions of the, what you would call the defense department. You were under there. So it was the same department. You used to get the same notice. It didn't make any difference.
But, he came in with a story that I was called into the defense department, and I said, "That's fine with me." And the next morning, he gave me a horse to drive to the city to go to the defense department.
L: He gave you a horse to take to his brother.
M: To his brother, yes. I took it to his brother, and instead of going to the defense department, I went into the... There was an organization, called the Spatriots [phonetic] and I went into the chairman of the Shpatriots, and I asked him what is doing. Is there anything new, or is something happening here in town that they are mobilizing peope, or that our people are involved. And he told me that nothing is happening, that it's quiet and please go on with your daily life.
And I told him what happened to me. And he said, "Forget about it. Go somewhere and stay for a week and then come back." So, I went into another village that I have known a lot of people there, because we lived there for a while, actually. And I was there for a week, and I really don't know how the fellow knew that I am coming back, because he was literally waiting for me. He was waiting for me at the entranct to this base — we had to cross a little creek, a river.
And he was waiting for me outside, and when I came, oh, he said "Hello. How are you." And then he said, if I'll be a good boy, he says, you could mount on a horse, and you'll take my car [?] to the river.
And I said, "No, it's warm outside. I could cross it without the horse."
"Oh," he said, "jump up anyway on the horse." I got up on the horse. I got on the horse. Later, when he was driving with me along the creek, and then he says, "What the defense department official tell you?"
I said, "He told me to come tomorrow with my clothes and to bring..." You see, when you are inducted into the army or into the labor force, you have to bring a spoon, a fork, and a cup." That was official, you know. See, the trouble is, if you don't bring it from home, you got nowhere to buy it. You have to bring it. And if you haven't got it, you are out of luck. When they feed you, you don't get anything to eat if you don't have your own dish.
So, I told him they told me to bring a spoon, a fork, and a cup, and that I should get from you a discharge from the office, and get fully paid. And right off the bat he says, "You're a liar!"
"Oh, oh no, I'm not a liar. You're a liar."
He says, "What do you mean?"
I said, "I never got a summons to go there. It was your invention. You wanted to deliver the horse to your brother. And I was doing nothing that day, so you sent me. But you rubbed it to say that I got a summons. So, I took a week holiday, and now I am going to get myself in the army anyway, because I don't want to work for you any more."
Anyway, he pleaded with me, "Please stay." Because he really needed me. You see, he also thought that having a Russian, a white man, in the community there, that they would be more honest, you see. Apparently, he was figuring it right. But he didn't know that I got around with the natives, and I was one of them, all of a sudden that I wasn't a "Russian" anymore. But anyway, he was pleading with me to stay, so I told him that I got a home, like it was another village, that would be about 15 kilometers from that base where my father and the kids lived.
And I told him the only way you could keep me, if you let down two rations for two of my sisters as my dependents. If you could do it, then I'll stay. If not, I'm going away.
He caved in and he gave it to me. So, in other words, I had double rations, you see. I had for me, and then I had two half-rations, because for a dependent you used to get half a ration. So for my two sisters, they were on the books, I used to get half-rations for them. And that was the end of my induction into the labor force, there.
Len: As I understand it, because you had volunteered for the Polish army [and was refused] you were exempt from draft into the Russian army. |
