ductos-—safe conducts.

At most of these points, however, on hearing the two let’ ters “I. B.’’, (International Brigade), we were permitted to pass Without any further delay. All along the highway, on either. side stretching for miles, were acres of grape vines laden with, fruit. There were large orchards of olive trees, pale green in the bright sunlight and bearing the second crop of green olives.

We arrived in the city of Madrid on August 9th about noon. It was a hot day. Everything was quiet in the daily siesta hours. Many of the stores were closed. Here and there were barricades built across the streets and in front of some of the hotels and main buildings.

In front of several of the larger blocks, sand bags were piled for protection. From a high vantage point friends point» ed out to us the lines of the fascist troops. I was informed that in the course of a year up to July 31st, 1937 there have been some 6,000 shells hurled into the city. Nineteen hundv red people have been killed and 5,700 wounded.

The government has urged and advised the civil popula« tion to evacuate but they will not do so. “The fascists will never take Madrid” was what they said to me on the several occasions when I asked why they didn’t leave.

Bob and I visited the blood transfusion unit established by Dr. Bethune. We met Hazen Sise and Allan May who have been associated with the Institution from the beginning of the work. They explained to us that the Institution was now under complete charge of the government, with Spanish medical doctors in supervision. The high standard of work was be’ ing maintained and our Canadian Committee was still’ under’ taking to contribute to the upkeep.

In the early evening we motored out to the Auto Park passing through the village of Fuencarral. The fascist lines are visible from the road and the area over which a severe bat»

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