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diff --git a/old/60364-0.txt b/old/60364-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 29ab017..0000000 --- a/old/60364-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7619 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The German Fury in Belgium, by L. Mokveld - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: The German Fury in Belgium - Experiences of a Netherland Journalist during four months - with the German Army in Belgium - -Author: L. Mokveld - -Translator: C. Thieme - -Release Date: September 26, 2019 [EBook #60364] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GERMAN FURY IN BELGIUM *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, Eleni Christofaki and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Note. - -A list of the changes made can be found at the end of the book. - - Mark-up: - _italic_ - =bold= - +underline+ - - - - -THE GERMAN FURY IN BELGIUM - - - - -THE GERMAN FURY IN BELGIUM - -EXPERIENCES OF A NETHERLAND JOURNALIST DURING FOUR MONTHS WITH THE -GERMAN ARMY IN BELGIUM - - BY L. MOKVELD - _War-Correspondent of "De Tijd"_ - - TRANSLATED BY - C. THIEME - _London Correspondent of "De Nieuwe Courant"_ - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO - MCMXVII - - - - -_Printed in Great Britain by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and -Aylesbury._ - - - - -PREFACE - - -AMONG the many books published on the behaviour of the German Army in -Belgium, this account by a distinguished Dutch journalist must occupy -a unique place. It is written by a neutral, who held, at the start, no -brief for either side. It is written by an eye-witness, who chronicles -not what he heard, but what he saw. It is written also by one who -mingled with the German troops and was present at the inception of the -whole campaign of outrage. Mr. Mokveld took his life in his hands when, -with great courage and devotion, he visited Visé and Liège and Louvain -at the most critical moments. His character of neutral journalist was -only a flimsy protection among the drunken and excited German troops. -But his boldness was justified, for after many adventures he came -safely through, and he was enabled in those early weeks to see the -whole of Belgium from Liège to the Yser and from Antwerp to Dinant. -The result is an admirable piece of war-correspondence, which bears on -every page the proofs of shrewd observation and a sincere love of truth -and honest dealing. - -There is much in Mr. Mokveld's narrative to interest the historian. -For example, he gives a fuller account than we have yet had of that -obscure period when Liège had fallen, but its northern forts were -still holding out. But it is less a history of the campaign than a -chronicle of those lesser incidents of war which reveal the character -of the combatants. No more crushing indictment of German methods has -been issued, the more crushing since it is so fair and reasonable. The -author has very readily set down on the credit side any act of German -humanity or courtesy which he witnessed or heard of. But the credit -side is meagre and the black list of crimes portentous. Episodes like -the burning of Visé and the treatment of British prisoners in the train -at Landen would be hard to match in history for squalid horror. - -Two facts are made clear by Mr. Mokveld's book, if, indeed, the world -has ever doubted them. The first is that the German authorities, -believing their victory to be beyond question, deliberately sanctioned -a campaign of frightfulness. They did not imagine that they would -ever be held to account. They wished to terrorise their opponents by -showing them what resistance involved. The atrocities were not the -blunders of drink-sodden reservists, but the result of the theories of -half-witted military pedants. The second is that the invading armies -were as nervous as a hysterical woman. Those would-be conquerors -of the world were frightened by their own shadows. A shot fired by -accident from a German rifle led to tales of attacks by Belgian -_francs-tireurs_ and then to indiscriminate murder by way of revenge. -Mr. Mokveld examined the legends of treacherous Belgian assaults and -the mutilation of the German wounded, and found them in every case -wholly baseless. No German had ever seen these things happen, but had -only heard of them. When definite details were given, Mr. Mokveld -tracked them down and found them false. The Belgian atrocities lacked -even that slender justification which belongs to reprisals. They were -the work of a drunken and "rattled" soldiery--for fear is apt to make -men brutal--deliberately encouraged by the authorities, who for this -purpose relaxed the bonds of military discipline. When the battle of -the Marne changed the complexion of affairs, these authorities grew -scared and repudiated the policy, but Belgium remains a witness of what -Germany's triumph means for her victims. - - JOHN BUCHAN. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - INTRODUCTION 13 - - CHAPTER I - ON THE WAY TO LIÈGE 15 - - CHAPTER II - IN LIÈGE AND BACK TO MAASTRICHT 40 - - CHAPTER III - ROUND ABOUT LIÈGE 56 - - CHAPTER IV - VISÉ DESTROYED: A PREMEDITATED CRIME 72 - - CHAPTER V - FRANCS-TIREURS? 87 - - CHAPTER VI - WITH THE FLEMINGS 95 - - CHAPTER VII - LIÈGE AFTER THE OCCUPATION 108 - - CHAPTER VIII - LOUVAIN DESTROYED 113 - - CHAPTER IX - LOUVAIN UNDER THE MAILED FIST 132 - - CHAPTER X - ALONG THE MEUSE TO HUY, ANDENNE, AND NAMUR 147 - - CHAPTER XI - FROM MAASTRICHT TO THE FRENCH FRONTIER: THE DESTRUCTION OF DINANT 156 - - CHAPTER XII - ON THE BATTLE-FIELDS 169 - - CHAPTER XIII - ROUND ABOUT BILSEN 175 - - CHAPTER XIV - DURING THE SIEGE OF ANTWERP 195 - - CHAPTER XV - THE ILL-TREATMENT OF BRITISH WOUNDED 217 - - CHAPTER XVI - ON THE YSER 232 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -A FEW words by way of introduction. - -I had wished to publish this book a long time ago, because I think -it my duty to submit to the opinion of the public the things which I -witnessed in the unfortunate land of the Belgians, and where I was -present at such important events as an impartial spectator. I call -myself an impartial spectator, for if this book be anti-German, it -should not be forgotten that the facts give it that tendency. - -That the book was not published sooner is because I could not foresee -more than others how terribly long the war would last; and I should -have preferred to wait till the end in order to insert several reports -which I know are being kept in the occupied part, in order to acquaint -the whole world with the full truth about the behaviour of the -Germans. As long as the Germans keep the upper hand in Belgium, such a -publication cannot take place without danger to several persons. - -But because the German libels go on accusing the Belgian people of -horrible francs-tireurs acts, I have thought that I ought not to wait -any longer before giving my evidence to the public. - -This book does not attempt to give more than evidence of the truth. It -does not claim to have literary distinction; I have not even tried to -give it that stamp. By relating various events successively witnessed, -which have no mutual connection, this would be very difficult. - -My stories are not exaggerated or touched up, but are true to reality. -That is the reason why the German authorities have driven me away from -Belgium, and tried to get hold of me to punish me. On that side they -are afraid that the truth be known. - -A long time after I had left Belgium I got hold of the Black List, in -which I am mentioned twice over among eighty-seven other persons; once -as Hokveld-Journalist and again as Mokveld-Correspondent. The list was -published by me in _De Tijd_ of June 2nd, 1915. - -That I was "wanted" is proved by the fact that two persons have -had the greatest trouble because they were mistaken for the -Mokveld-Correspondent of _De Tijd_. My colleague Kemper passed a -fortnight in prison in Brussels, accused of having written various -articles in _De Tijd_, which were written by me, and I relate, in -the chapter "Round about Bilsen," what Mr. Van Wersch, another -Netherlander, suffered for the same reason. - -But although the Germans are afraid to let the truth be known, there is -no reason why I should withhold my evidence. On the contrary, I will -try to do everything I can to make public opinion do justice to the -unfortunate Belgians, trodden down and insulted, falsely and vilely -libelled by their oppressors, and accused of offences of which they -never were guilty. - - - - -THE GERMAN FURY IN BELGIUM - - -CHAPTER I - -ON THE WAY TO LIÈGE - - -WHEN _De Tijd_ sent me to Belgium as its correspondent, I had not the -faintest notion practically how to perform my duties, for the simple -reason that I could not apprehend at all how a modern war might be -conducted. But I was destined to receive my first impressions when -still on Netherland[1] territory and after my arrival at Maastricht. - -On the hot afternoon of August 7th, 1914, the much-delayed train -rumbled into the station at Maastricht. A dense mass stood in front of -the building. Men, women, and children were crowded there and pushed -each other weeping, shouting, and questioning. Families and friends -tried to find each other, and many of the folk of Maastricht assisted -the poor creatures, who, nervously excited, wept and wailed for a -father, for wife and children lost in the crowd. It was painful, -pitiful, this sight of hundreds of fugitives, who, although now safe, -constantly feared that death was near, and anxiously clutched small -parcels, which for the most part contained worthless trifles hurriedly -snatched up when they fled. - -And over these nervous and terrified thousands at Maastricht rolled -from afar the dull roar of the guns, thunder-like bursts from which had -frightened them so terribly. - -The streets leading to the bridge over the Meuse and into the town -were also densely thronged with refugees. Here and there large groups -listened to the stories told, with profusion of tears, of sufferings -inflicted, depicted in far harsher colours than could have been -possible. But the wretched creatures exaggerated unconsciously; in -their affrighted state they had seen things that had never occurred. - -Suddenly every one in the Vrijthof ran in the same direction. I waited -calmly, and saw pass by a tragically long train of hooded carts and -other peasants' conveyances. The drivers walked by the side of the -horses, the Red Cross flag flew from the carriages, fresh clean straw -covered their floor, on which wounded soldiers writhed in excruciating -pain. The crowd did not press nearer, but, standing silently in long -rows, let the sad procession pass by. Such were the first impressions -of the war got in these days; nobody uttered a sound, but many -stealthily brushed a tear away. - -Thus it went on all day long: motors and other conveyances travelled -to and fro between the battle-fields and hospitals at Maastricht; -fugitives moved about in streets and squares, upsetting each other more -and more by fantastic stories. - -As dusk came on nearly the whole population of Maastricht, with all -their temporary guests, formed an endless procession and went to invoke -God's mercy by the Virgin Mary's intercession. They went to Our Lady's -Church, in which stands the miraculous statue of Sancta Maria Stella -Maris. The procession filled all the principal streets and squares of -the town. I took my stand at the corner of the Vrijthof, where all -marched past me, men, women, and children, all praying aloud, with loud -voices beseeching: "Our Lady, Star of the Sea, pray for us ... pray for -us ... pray for us ...!" - -At the same time bells rang ... and guns roared. - -Group after group went by, and I heard French and Netherland, the -Maastricht vernacular and sweet Flemish spoken, all sorts of tongues -and modes of utterance. The men were bare-headed, and each let his -rosary slip through his fingers. Soon after the head of the procession -reached Our Lady Square the huge church was packed, and those who could -not find room inside stood in the square, which also very soon was full -with these thousands of people in a dense mass, like so many blades of -grass in a meadow. - -However large the crowd, it was silent as death when the priest Jacobs -addressed them. He spoke words of encouragement, hope, and confidence, -and urged them to send up their prayers to God Almighty--prayers for -peace. When he had ended, these thousands sang the "Hymn to Mary," -in such perfect order as if only one superhuman body sent forth an -immensely powerful sound from earth to Heaven. - -As I was listening to that hymn the storms in my heart subsided--storms -raised by so many scenes witnessed during the day; but as soon as the -sonorous voices were still, I heard again the dull boom ... boom ... -boom ... of the guns. That dire reality!... - - * * * * * - -The next morning I got up early, having been unable to sleep. I -realised already that my task was difficult, dangerous, and full of -responsibility, for I had to find out and communicate to the public -the truth about events, which would be related as beautiful or horrid, -according to the interests of my informants. It was dangerous, because -I might meet with the same fate that seemed to have been inflicted on -so many civilians already. - -Dressed in my sporting attire, and carrying some necessaries in a -knapsack, I started early, going towards Visé along the canal. As I -came to the Netherland boundary-stone and noticed that of Belgium, I -had a moment of doubt, but it lasted for a second only. In order to -divert my thoughts I walked somewhat more briskly, but was stopped -suddenly on Belgian ground by a custom-house officer. I was astonished -to see that official there still, for the Germans must be quite near -and--as I had been told--small patrols had advanced frequently to this -point. My papers were found to be in order, and the man seemed very -happy to meet a journalist. - -"It is a pity, sir, that you did not arrive a day sooner, then you -might have witnessed great barbarity of the Germans. If you walk on -a little farther along the canal, you will see three persons hanging -from a tree near Haccourt; one of these is a boy of fourteen. Nobody -was allowed on the road, and as a patrol met these three persons, they -concluded immediately that they were francs-tireurs, strung them up -on the tree, without a trial of any sort, and in addition shot each -a bullet through the head. To-day another patrol arrived and had the -effrontery to tell the members of the Maastricht Red Cross that the boy -had murdered a captain. And we are not allowed to remove the corpses. -Horrible!... horrible!" - -"Yes," I reply, "it is bad, very bad, but is it really all true?" - -"True? True, sir? You go and look for yourself! And let me tell you one -thing--there are no francs-tireurs here! We know quite well what we -may do and what not, and only a moment ago I received a message from -the Minister of the Interior, saying that non-combatants who shoot at -the enemy expose themselves to danger and their fellow-citizens to -retaliations." - -I asked him how things were farther on along the Meuse, but he knew -nothing. He was stationed here, he said, and was going to stay as long -as possible. As soon as the Germans arrived, most people fled, and -those who had stayed on were no longer allowed to leave. So he lacked -all information, and only understood that fierce fighting was going on, -as was confirmed by the incessant thunder of the guns. Fort Pontisse -was, moreover, not so very far away, and frequently we could distinctly -tell, by their whistling sound, in which direction the shells flew. - -After a few encouraging words I walked on along the solitary, deserted -road, leaving the canal on the right, until a by-way took me to the -bank of the Meuse, opposite the Netherland frontier village Eysden. I -entered a deserted inn. After shouting for a long time, the inn-keeper -appeared, looked shyly at me, remaining constantly close by the -door of his room. His attitude showed that he was prepared to fly -at the slightest suspicious movement on my part; but as soon as I -had convinced him that I was a Netherland journalist, he became more -friendly, and called his wife and daughters, so that I might tell them -all I knew. They were very desirous to know how the war went ... in the -Netherlands, and whether we were fighting the Germans or the English? -It was very difficult to make them understand that they were under a -misapprehension, but when I had at last succeeded in this, I started in -my turn to ask them what they thought of my intention to go farther. - -"Go farther, sir? But ... but ... sir, don't do that! The Germans shoot -every civilian whom they set eyes on." - -"Oh, go on!" I answered. "I don't think that I need fear anything of -the kind. I am in any case a Netherlander!" - -"Netherlander or not, it does not matter. Whosoever one be, every -civilian is shot down by them." - -"Are they at a great distance from here?" - -"Not at all! If you step outside, you can see them standing, ten -minutes from here. Near Lixhe they threw a bridge across the Meuse. -It is the third already which they put down, for each time they are -smashed from the fort. Oh, it is horrible; there must surely fall a -number of dead, and here we have seen corpses in the Meuse already.... -But I do not understand how you ventured to come here...." - -Well, I did not quite fancy the prospect of being shot like a dog, and -as I had not yet come into touch with the Germans, it was difficult -to say whether these people exaggerated or not. But just opposite was -Eysden, and I made up my mind to go there for further information. - -Netherland soldiers and inhabitants of the village bustled about along -the opposite river-bank. I shouted as loudly as possible; and when at -last I succeeded in drawing their attention, I made them understand -that I wanted to be pulled across in the little boat, which in ordinary -times served as a ferry. A short consultation took place now on the -opposite side, after which a soldier, who clearly possessed a strong -voice, came as near as possible to the waterside and, making a trumpet -of his two hands, roared: - -"Not allowed!" - -"Why not?" - -"We are neutrals!" - -"So am I; I am a Netherlander!" - -"Possibly! Not allowed!" - -And at the same moment he turned round and joined the others. - -So I was left there. The Netherlanders refused to pull me across in -consequence of an exaggerated fear of violating their neutrality; the -Germans in front of me intended, it was said, to shoot me down as soon -as I ventured to get near. But to retrace my steps ... that is a thing -I had never done yet. For a few moments I stood there undecided, but -then made up my mind to see what was going to happen, and went on, in -spite of the warnings of the kind-hearted innkeeper and his family, who -called out to me to return. - -The terrible thunder of the guns, of both besiegers and besieged, -vibrated through the air. In the distance I noticed a couple of men, -probably German soldiers, but a pontoon-bridge was nowhere to be seen. -After a few minutes, however, I reached a spot where the Meuse makes -a short curve, and had scarcely walked round it, when I saw, only a -couple of hundred yards away, the bridge in question, across which a -long train of vehicles was passing, loaded with victuals, hay, straw, -etc. - -On this side hundreds of soldiers were standing; they had taken off -their uniforms in the fierce heat, and were busy loading and unloading -and changing horses. From time to time the entire scene was hidden by -the smoke from numerous burning houses at Lixhe, quite near the river. -I walked in the most casual way, in an unconcerned attitude, looked -calmly at some of the houses I passed, and which were for the greater -part destroyed. The walls were pierced by bullets, the rooms generally -burnt out; in the front gardens lay all sorts of furniture, dragged out -of the house and then smashed to pieces. - -The road was all strewn with straw. I approached the bridge past -burning farms and villas. There the pieces of broken furniture were -even lying in the road, and I had to go warily so that I should not -stumble. The soldiers looked at me as if they were amused, but I went -up to them in the same unconcerned manner and asked them to take me to -their commanding officer. - -"What do you want with him?" - -"I am a Netherland journalist, and want to ask the commander's -permission to go to Liège." - -"Oh, you are a Netherlander; then come along." - -They took me to two officers who stood near the bridge, and told them -that I "pretended" to be a Netherland journalist. Having proved this by -my papers, the officers gave me an escort of three men, who conducted -me to the bridge-commander, on the other side of the Meuse. - -I had to walk along the very edge of the unstable bridge in order -to avoid the wheels of the passing carriages, which shook the whole -bridge and made the rather loose boards clatter. In the meantime, at -no considerable distance, some shells fell in the Meuse, fired at the -bridge from Fort Pontisse. Yet, I did not mind it at all, as all these -new experiences stunned me, so to speak; the incessant hellish noises -of the batteries, the burning houses, the smoke swooping down, the -excited soldiers.... - -As we crossed the bridge, I asked my escort why these houses were -set on fire. I heard then, for the first time, that "they had been -shooting," and they told me of cowardly civilians, who shot from the -windows at unsuspicious soldiers, or stabbed them treacherously. But -of course they had experienced nothing of the kind; it had happened -to troops who were now moving ahead. They had, however, taken part in -the revenge, and told of it with glittering eyes: how they fired the -houses of francs-tireurs and then shot the people who, nearly stifled, -appeared at the windows; how in "holy" anger, in order to avenge -their comrades, they subsequently entered the houses and destroyed -everything. I did not answer, did not know what to think of it, but -shuddered, because it was so gruesome. - -They told this, while we were waiting on a couple of protruding boards -of the pontoon-bridge, so as to allow some extremely wide carts to -pass. Once again shells exploded, a couple of hundred yards behind us, -and one made a hole in the bank quite near. - -"Horrible!" I sighed. "Have they not yet hit the bridge?" - -"Oh yes, it has been destroyed already a couple of times, but we shall -teach them a lesson! Why did not the Belgians allow us to pass through -their country? What can their little army do against us? As soon as a -sufficient number have crossed we shall go for these forts, then on to -Brussels, and within a fortnight we shall be in Paris. Liège we have -taken already." - -"It will cost a great many men!" - -"We have plenty of them; but many of us fall by the treacherous -shooting of the civilians; they are swine, swine! And these Belgian -women ... they are the dirtiest bitches ... beastly swine...." - -The man got more and more excited, but then he was more than "half-seas -over." The smoke made him cough and he stuck in the middle of his -"swine." He made me shudder, and I hastened to pull out a packet of -cigarettes, some of which I gave to him and his mates. In consequence -the two others became more communicative, and in touching harmony -assured me that: - -"Oh yes, the Netherlanders are our friends; they remain neutral. And -that is the best, for otherwise the whole lot would be smashed up, -exactly as here in Belgium." - -They did not understand, of course, that poor Belgium would have liked -nothing better than to remain neutral also. - -Those wide carts had passed us now, and we could proceed slowly. The -bridge led to a farmhouse with tall trees and underwood. They took me -to the right, to a densely overgrown spot, where a clearing had been -made amidst some smaller shrubs. In the centre stood a table covered -with a shining white cloth, and a goodly number of wine-bottles and -glasses. Half a dozen officers in fine uniforms, gilt collars and -epaulettes, were seated around it. - -The sight of that small group, hidden among the green foliage, was -as brilliant as it was surprising. One of the officers, clearly the -highest in rank, summoned us to come nearer, and asked the soldiers -for an explanation. Standing smartly at attention, they gave it, as -a school-child might haltingly recite a lesson learned by heart. -The officer whom I thought it convenient to call "Captain" looked -searchingly at me and then began: - -"Have you got papers?" - -"Yes, captain." - -I pulled them out: birth certificate, certificate of good conduct, -foreign passport, and press-card, which were examined the one after the -other. - -"Are they genuine?" - -"Of course, captain; everything is properly signed, stamped, and -legalised." - -"And what do you want to write about?" - -"I don't know yet. The things I see ... and ... of course that cannot -do harm to the German army." - -"Hm! Hm! All right. So you intend to write friendly about us?" - -"Certainly, certainly, sir! Exactly because we hear so many lies from -foreign countries about the Germans, I want to try and find out the -truth for myself." - -"Is that so? Well, the Netherlanders are our friends, and have so much -in common with our people." - -"Certainly, captain; as a matter of fact we are of the same race." - -But here he looked at me in a curious manner, scrutinising my face, -as if he asked himself: "Is he pulling my leg, or not?" But not a -muscle in my face moved, so that the "Captain" nodded approvingly ... -and wrote out a pass for me to go to Visé! I was not allowed to go to -Liège, for, as he said, he did not yet know himself how matters stood -there. The other officers overwhelmed me with questions: how matters -stood in The Netherlands, and whether Great Britain had already -declared war against us? I think that at that question I looked utterly -perplexed, for in the same breath they told me all they knew about -the danger of war for The Netherlands: Great Britain first sent an -ultimatum to The Netherlands, to force her into joining the Allies -against Germany, and as she had refused, the British Fleet was now -on its way to Flushing. I explained to them in detail that they were -utterly wrong, but they believed only a half of what I said. - -There was a continuous coming and going at the bridge-command, for when -I left the shrubberies a great many soldiers of high and low rank, with -portfolios and documents, were waiting outside. The soldiers were to -escort me back across the bridge, so that I might go on to Visé along -the other bank. - -Before I got to the bridge I saw something gruesome: a number of -corpses of soldiers were lying about and others were brought in ... a -little farther away, on the farm, there they were digging.... I looked -away quickly; I was not yet accustomed to that sort of thing. Most -likely they were men killed a moment ago by shells aimed at the bridge, -for wounded men were also brought in on stretchers. - -At the other end of the bridge I was left by my escort, and went on -alone; on my left the Meuse, on my right burning houses, above me -hissing and whistling shells, that came down in front of me and behind -me, with tremendous explosions, throwing the loose earth high into the -air. - -In Devant-le-Pont, a hamlet opposite Visé, the doors of all the houses -stood open, as a sign that the inhabitants did not propose to offer -any resistance to the Germans. After much shouting the landlady of a -café appeared, distressingly nervous, but doing her utmost to look -unconcerned. - -"A glass of beer, madame." - -"If you please." - -"The guns are horrid, madame; are you not afraid?" - -"No, sir, we must hope for the best." - -"Have the Germans done no harm here yet?" - -"Oh no, sir, not at all!" - -"Are they tolerably kind?" - -"Oh, quite nice people, sir!" - -Her reserve told me that I would not get much information here, and, -finishing my beer, I asked: - -"How much is it, madame?" - -"This? Nothing, sir, nothing." - -"Nothing! But, madame, I want to pay for what I drink!" - -"No, no, I won't take anything for it. It is hot, is it not, and a -soldier ought to get something...." - -I understood only then why the woman was so full of praise of the -Germans, although she was shaking in her shoes: she thought I was a -soldier! How heavily weighed the oppressor's hand on the wretched -population, if now already the honest Belgian heart became hypocritical! - -I had great trouble to make her understand that I was a Netherlander; -and that changed at once her opinion for the Germans. She told me then -that her husband and children had fled to The Netherlands, as had most -of the inhabitants, and that she was left behind merely because she -dawdled too long. And now she was constantly afraid that they might -fire her house as they did the others, and murder her ... for such had -been the fate of several of the villagers. Even whole families had been -killed. - -Many civilians had been put to death, accused of having shot from the -houses, and others for refusing to give up requisitioned food. Probably -they had none, as preceding military divisions had already taken away -all there was. Then some civilians were killed for refusing to work -for the enemy. The houses of all these "condemned" had been burnt, -and everything the soldiers fancied was looted. As a matter of fact, -nearly all the soldiers I met later on were drunk, and they worried me -constantly. Only when I had proved to be a Netherlander, they behaved -a little better, and started abusing "the cursed Belgians," who, -according to them, were all francs-tireurs. - -A short distance beyond this little café lies the large bridge across -the Meuse. Before the Germans arrived it was partly destroyed by the -Belgians, but so inadequately that obviously the enemy could repair -it easily. Bombs were therefore fired regularly from Fort Pontisse at -the bridge, and only an hour ago it had been hit, with the result that -a big hole was made in the undamaged part. In the road also big holes -were made by the exploding projectiles. Having passed underneath the -viaduct of the bridge, I found myself opposite Visé on the sloping bank -of the Meuse. Two boys had been commanded by the Germans to work the -ferry-boat for them, and after I had shown them my passport, they took -me to the other side. - -It was a fine summer afternoon, and the sun shone on the many bright, -whitewashed walls of the old and neat little town, built close to the -rapidly flowing river. There was quiet in the streets, although nearly -all the inhabitants were sitting on their chairs in the streets. But -nobody ventured to move about, and conversations were held only in -whispers. As I walked through the village street in my quaint get-up, -they pushed their chairs a little closer together as if frightened, and -looked shyly at me as if they feared that I was not the harbinger of -much good. And all these hundreds of people saluted me humbly, almost -cringingly, which filled me with pity. - -Visé had not been burnt yet, as had been reported in The Netherlands. -Only here and there had the shells done some damage, and hundreds of -window-panes had been burst by the vibration of the air. As a token of -submission to the invader, small white flags hung from all the windows, -and these, along the whole length of a street, made a decidedly -lamentable impression. - -The inhabitants had already had a variety of experiences. On Tuesday, -August 4th, the first German troops arrived before the little town. The -gendarmes stationed there offered resistance to the invading enemy, -but, being hopelessly outnumbered, they were all shot down. As they -were lying on the ground, badly wounded, Dr. Frits Goffin, head of St. -Hadelin College, came in great haste as soon as he heard the shooting. - -All the wounded were Roman Catholics, and as they saw the approaching -priest, they implored him in a loud voice to give them absolution of -sins, some making an act of contrition. The priest was unable to come -near each of them, and therefore called out in a loud voice: "My Jesus, -be merciful!" He then gave them all absolution of sins. But as he -kneeled down to perform this sacred task, a hostile bullet whizzed past -his ear, and several soldiers who ran by aimed at him, so that he had -to seek safety behind a tree. I saw with my own eyes five bullet-holes -in the tree that was pointed out to me. - -In those first days many civilians were killed, and not only in Visé, -but still more in the surrounding villages, Mouland and Berneaux, which -were soon burnt down and where many a good man was brought low by the -murderous bullets. The savage soldiers killed the cattle also, and a -large number of carcases had been lying about for days. - -At Visé many men had been commanded to do certain kinds of work, -cutting down trees, making of roads, bridges, and so on. Many of them -never returned, because they refused to do the humiliating work and -were shot. Among these there were even aged people; and I myself stood -by the death-bed of a man of ninety, who had been forced to assist in -building a bridge, until the poor wretch broke down and was carried to -St. Hadelin College, turned into a hospital by Dr. Goffin; there he -died. - -No wonder that the inhabitants were afraid and looked askance at me as -they mistook me for a German. - -On this day, August 8th, the reign of terror was still in full -force. There were repeated threats to burn the town and to kill -the inhabitants if they objected to do work or to deliver certain -goods, especially wine and gin, of which thousands of bottles were -requisitioned daily. Several times a day they were summoned by a bell -and informed what the invader wanted, the necessary threats being added -to the command. And the inhabitants, in mortal fear, no longer trusted -each other, but searched each other's houses for things that might be -delivered to satisfy the Germans. - -The entire neighbourhood was still being bombarded from the forts to -the north of Liège; several German divisions succeeded, however, in -crossing the Meuse near Lixhe. In spite of the shell-fire they passed -the pontoon-bridge there, turned into a by-way leading to the canal, -near Haccourt, crossed one of the canal-bridges, of which not one had -been destroyed, and along another by-way, came to the main road from -Maastricht to Tongres, at a spot about three miles from the last-named -town. - -The shelling went on during the night, and all that time the -inhabitants remained in their cellars. - -Although I had got farther on my way than I had dared to expect, my -journalist's heart longed for more. If I could get to Liège, which -was said to have just been taken! But my passport stated that I was -only allowed to go to Visé. I thought the matter out, and the longer I -thought, the stronger became my desire to go on; and at last I decided -to do it. - -Near the outskirts of the town I found barricades which, however, -seemed not to have been used, but stray shells had knocked large pieces -out of the low, wide wall between the road and the Meuse's flowing -water. - -There was not much traffic. Only here and there stood some German -soldiers, or seriously wounded men were lying on mattresses and chairs. -Nearly every house by the roadside had been turned into an emergency -hospital, for from all sides they brought in soldiers wounded by shells -that had exploded amidst the advancing divisions. - -The road along which I walked, the main road between Visé and Liège, -was laid under fire from various forts, and every moment I saw on my -left clouds rise up from the rocky heights that run along the whole -of the Meuse. These clouds were partly formed by smoke from the guns -mounted by the Germans against the forts, partly by volumes of earth -thrown up by the projectiles from the broken-up soil. - -I myself ran great risks too, but I did not mind, and walked on, moved -by a consuming desire to get to Liège, and then back to Maastricht, to -be able to wire to my paper that I had been to Liège only just after it -was taken by the Germans, and that the news, wired from Germany to the -Netherland papers, that the forts had been taken was untrue. - -I had a short chat with the wounded men near the various houses, on -demand showed my passport to those in authority, and was advised as -a friendly Netherlander to return, as it was extremely dangerous on -the road. But I did not dream of doing this, as long as I was not -compelled, and went on towards Liège amidst this maddening thunder. - -I had walked another three miles, when a big crowd of fugitives met -me. They seemed to have come a long way, for the majority could hardly -walk on, and had taken off their shoes and boots, on account of the -scorching heat, going on barefooted in the shade of the tall trees. -It was a procession, numbering hundreds of men, women, and children. -The aged were supported, the babies carried. Most of them had a small -parcel on their back or under their arm. They seemed tired to death, -had dark red faces, and betrayed great fear and nervousness. I crossed -the road to speak to them, and as soon as they noticed it the whole -crowd, numbering hundreds of people, stood still, creeping closer -together, women and girls trying hard to hide themselves behind the -men, and these doffed their caps timidly. - -I was really sorry that I had dressed myself in that grey Norfolk suit, -long stockings, a knapsack strapped to the back, and a leather strap -with a water-bottle. The unfortunate creatures thought that I was a -German soldier. I was bewildered for a moment, but then guessed their -thoughts and hastened to comfort them. - -I could not get much information from them. Twenty spoke at the same -time; in halting, incoherent words they tried to tell me of their -experiences, but I could only catch: killed ... murders ... fire ... -guns.... After much trouble I gathered that they came from the villages -to the north of Liège, where the Germans had told them that on that -same day, within an hour, everything would be burned down. Everybody -had left these places, a good many had gone to Liège, but these -people did not think it safe there either, and wanted to go on to The -Netherlands. - -After giving them some advice how to get to The Netherlands, and -offering some words of sympathy, I wanted to go on, but as they -realised this, the poor, kind creatures surrounded me; many women began -to weep, and from all sides they cried: - -"To Liège? You want to go to Liège? But, sir!--but, sir! We fled to -escape death, because the Germans are going to burn down everything and -shoot everybody. Please don't, sir; they'll kill you ... kill you ... -shoot you ... kill you!" - -"Come, come," I replied, touched by the kind anxiety of these people. -"Come, come; it won't be as bad as all that, and, then, I am a -Netherlander." - -That "being a Netherlander" had become my stock-argument, and, as a -matter of fact, it made me feel calmer. Quietly I made myself free of -the surrounding crowd, in order to proceed on my way; but then they -got hold of my arms and gently tried to induce me to go with them, so -I had to speak more firmly to make them understand that they could not -prevail on me. When at last I was able to resume my march, they looked -back frequently, shaking their heads, and in their anxiety for me, -their fellow-creature, they seemed to forget for a moment their own -hardly bearable sorrows. - -A moment later a gigantic motor-car came racing down at a great speed. -Six soldiers stood up in it, their rifles pointed at me. I thought that -they intended to shoot me and everybody they might meet, but a seventh -soldier standing by the side of the chauffeur made a movement with his -arms, from which I understood that he wanted me to put my hands up. I -did so. - -It is a simple affair, this putting up one's hands, but even at such a -moment a free citizen has a strong objection against being compelled to -this by others, who are no more than one's self, who ask it without any -right, except the might derived from the weapon in their hands. - -When they had passed, I looked round at the people I had left a moment -ago.... There they lay in the road, kneeling, lifting their trembling -hands, although the motor-car was already a couple of hundred yards -away. - -Argenteau was not damaged much, but the inhabitants remained quietly -inside their houses, or probably stayed in their cellars, for fear of -the shells that tore through the air constantly. - -By and by I began to feel that I had already walked about twenty miles -in this great heat, but I would not think of stopping before reaching -my goal. - -At Cherath railway-carriages were lying in the road at the -level-crossing of Visé-Liège line, farther on barbed-wire cut into -pieces, felled trees, and so on. German soldiers had moved these things -out of the way, and motor-cars could pass by again. In the village -itself I saw a man, with a white armlet, posting up a bill, and as -I had seen similar damp bills sticking on the walls in the other -villages, I drew nearer to read it. - -The bill ran as follows:-- - - "Community of ... - - "_To the inhabitants._ - - "The powerful German army, victorious in our district, has promised - to respect our land and private possessions. - - "In the circumstances in which we are placed it is necessary to - retain the greatest possible tranquillity and calm. - - "The burgomaster informs the population that any utterance contrary - to the regulations will be severely punished. - - "THE BURGOMASTER." - -The bill-poster replied "yes" or "no" to my questions, whichever answer -fitted, and as soon as he had finished his task he hurriedly trotted -off. I did not see any other inhabitant. - -Outside Cherath a motor-car stood between some partially removed trees. -Two officers and three soldiers stood around a map which they had laid -on the ground, and with them was a young girl, scarcely twenty years -old. She was weeping, and pointed out something on the map, obviously -compelled to give information. One of the officers stopped me, was -clearly quite satisfied with my papers, but told me that I was not -allowed to go on without a permit from the military command. Then I -pulled out of my pocket, as if of great importance, the scrap of paper -which the commanding officer at the bridge near Lixhe had given me. The -other had scarcely seen the German letters and German stamp when he -nodded his head approvingly, and quickly I put the thing back, so that -he might not notice that I was allowed only to go to Visé. - -At Jupile I saw a pontoon-bridge, not in use for the moment. Just -before this place a slightly sloping road leads from the hills to -the eastern bank of the Meuse and the main road Visé-Liège. Along -this road descended at that moment an immense military force--uhlans, -cuirassiers, infantry, more cuirassiers, artillery, munition and -forage-carts. The train seemed endless, and although I stood there -looking at it for quite a long time, the end had not passed me. - -It was an imposing sight to see all these various divisions in their -brilliant uniforms coming down along the road, the soldiers' uniforms -still without a stain, the horses in new, fine, strong leather harness, -and the rumbling and jolting guns. The soldiers sang patriotic songs, -and among them rode the officers, proud and imperious, many with a -monocle, looking round superciliously. - -I was the only civilian in that road, and the soldiers, with much -curiosity, stared at me. Whenever I noticed an officer, I gave an -elaborate military salute, and with such an air that the officers, -although hesitating at first, did not fail to return the salute. - -After reaching the main road they turned to the right towards Visé, -probably in order to try to cross the Meuse near Lixhe and then proceed -to Tongres along the above-mentioned road. It would not be an easy -undertaking, for the forts refused to keep silent, and already many a -wounded man was carried on a comrade's horse. - -Liège now loomed up in the distance, and the nearer I got, the more -civilians I met. They all wore a white armlet, and walked timidly -and nervously by the side of the road or street, starting at each -thunder-clap of the guns. Near the entrance to the town a small crowd -stood on one of the hills, looking at a flying-machine moving from fort -to fort and over the city, obviously investigating the effect of the -German siege-guns. - -At seven o'clock in the evening I entered Liège; and so far I had -achieved my end. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -IN LIÈGE AND BACK TO MAASTRICHT - - -A GLORIOUS summer evening, quite refreshing after the exhausting heat -of the day. Nature invited to restfulness, and so much the more cruel -sounded the incessant thunder of the guns, which also boomed from the -citadel. As soon as the Germans had taken possession of this old, -dilapidated fortress they proceeded to drag their guns on to it, and -trained them on the surrounding forts. - -The streets offered the same aspect as those at Visé. From each house -floated the pitiful little white flag; the people sat together on their -"stoeps," for they did not venture out in the streets. Everywhere I -was again saluted in the same cringingly polite manner, and eyed with -suspicion. - -Crowds of soldiers moved through the main streets, revelling, shouting, -screaming in their mad frenzy of victors. They sat, or stood, or danced -in the cafés, and the electrical pianos and organs had been started -again "by order." Doors and windows were opened wide, and through -the streets sounded forth the song "Deutschland über Alles" (Germany -before all other), which affected the inhabitants as a provocation and -a challenge. Oh! one could see so clearly how thousands of citizens -suffered from it, how they felt hurt in their tenderest sentiments. -Dull and depressed they stared in front of them, and whenever their set -features relaxed, it was a scornful grin. - -From warehouses and from shops bales of corn, flour, sugar, and other -goods were taken, thrown in heaps and then placed on all sorts of carts -and motors. In the most frequented parts military bands had taken their -stand, and played amidst the loud jubilation of the soldiers. - -I walked about a little longer to examine the damage done. The fine -_Pont des Arches_ was for the greater part destroyed by the retreating -Belgians, as well as the _Pont Maghin_. This is a pity, especially as -regards the first-named bridge, so famous as a work of art, and the -more so as other bridges had not been touched and could be used by the -Germans. The bombardment did not damage the town to any great extent, -but it was remarkable that the largest houses had suffered most. - -Having walked some thirty miles that day, I began to feel a serious -need for rest. But when I applied, there was no room anywhere in the -hotels, and where there was room they told me the contrary after a -critical glance at my outfit. - -I then tried to find the nunnery of the _Sœurs de la Miséricorde_, -where one of my cousins had taken the veil. At last, in the Rue des -Clarisses I found the huge door of the monastery, and rang the bell. -After a few moments a small trellised shutter in the stout door was -opened ajar, and a tremulous voice asked in French what I wanted. I -assumed that it was one of the nuns, but I could see nothing through -that narrow jar. - -"Sister," I said, "I am a cousin of Sœur Eulalie, and should like to -see her, to know how she is and take her greetings to her family in The -Netherlands." - -"Sœur Eulalie!... Sœur Eulalie!... You ... you ... are a ... cousin ... -of ... Sœur Eulalie?" - -The terrified little sister was unable to stammer anything more, and in -great fear suddenly closed the little shutter again. - -There I was left! After waiting a while I rang the bell once more, and -once more the little shutter was opened in the same timid manner. - -"Now, look here, sister, I am a cousin of Sœur...." - -"No, no, sir, your cousin ... is not here." - -Bang! The shutter was closed again. But I did not give it up, for I -needed the sisters' assistance to find a shelter somewhere. Once more -I made the bell to clang, and although I was kept waiting a little -longer, at last I heard voices whispering behind the gate and once more -something appeared behind the trellis. - -"Sister," I said then, "if you will only ask Sœur Eulalie to come to -this gate she will recognise me, of course?" - -"She is your cousin, you say?" - -"Certainly, sister. Tell her that Bart of Uncle Henry is here." Again I -was switched off, but the communication was this time restored after a -few moments, and then I heard a joyful and surprised exclamation: - -"Oh! Bart, is it you?" - -So at last the lock of the heavy door screeched, and I was admitted. -I noticed that about a score of sisters had gathered behind the gate -and were anxiously discussing the "strange occurrence." My meeting -with Sœur Eulalie, however, was so cordial that the good nuns lost all -anxiety, and I was taken inside accompanied by nearly all the inmates -of the convent. - -They first wanted me to explain what put it into my head to come to -Liège, and how I had managed to get there; but as the sisters heard of -my empty stomach and my thirty miles, they would not listen to another -word before I had put myself round a good square meal. - -In the meantime they themselves had a word or two to say about the -fright I gave them; for when I stood at the door they mistook me in my -sporting habit for a German officer, and the top of my water-bottle for -the butt of a revolver! - -The work of these sisters is the education of neglected children, and -they spoke about their fears during the last momentous days. During the -bombardment they stayed night and day with all those little ones in the -heavily vaulted cellars of the nunnery, praying all the time before the -Blessed Sacrament that had been removed from the chapel and taken into -the cellar for safety. - -They constantly heard the boom, boom of the shells exploding near by, -and each time thought that their last hour had struck. The gloomy -cellar depressed them still more, and nobody really believed that -there was any chance of being saved. So the little sisters prayed on, -preparing each other for death, and looking for the approaching end in -quiet resignation. - -For the moment all they knew was that the Germans were in the town, as -none of them yet had ventured outside the building. At present their -great fear was that Germans might be billeted on them.... Oh! they -might take everything if only they did not come themselves. - -When I left I got a lot of addresses of relations in The Netherlands, -and undertook to send a postcard to each of these. They also gave me -an introduction to the proprietor of an hotel whom they knew, in which -they asked him to give me a bed; and thus armed I succeeded at last. -It was high time too, for at nine o'clock everyone had to be at home. -In the hotel everything was dark, for there was no gas in the town. At -last I could lie down on my bed, and had a good rest, although I could -not sleep a wink. I was too tired and had seen and experienced too much -that day. - -The next morning at six I was out and about again. I had not been -able to get any breakfast, for the people themselves had nothing. -The Germans had called at all the hotels and shops requisitioning -everything in stock to feed the thousands who had invaded Liège like so -many locusts. The inhabitants practically starved during those days, -and carefully saved up bits of bread already as hard as bricks. It -was a good thing that the night before I had eaten something at the -nunnery, for although at a shop I offered first one, and later on two -francs for a piece of bread, I could not get any. - -All the forts thundered away again, and the guns of the Germans were -also busy on the citadel and the various surrounding heights. Already -early in the morning a terrible and suffocating smoke of fire and -gunpowder hovered over Liège. The smoke came down also from the burning -villages, like Bressoux, on the slopes of the hills near Liège. The -flames flared up from the houses and offered a melancholy sight. - -German officers told me, with full particulars, how the inhabitants -of those burning villages had offered German soldiers poisoned cocoa, -coffee, and cigarettes, for which crime three hundred civilians had -been shot during the night in a Liège square. - -As even high officers told me those things, not without some emotion, -I began to believe them and wrote something about them to my paper. -But what was made clear to me at a later visit! That there was not a -word of truth in the whole story of that poisoning; that on that day -and in that square no shooting had taken place; that a couple of days -before the population had been ordered to leave their houses within two -hours without any reason being given; and afterwards several houses had -simply been burned down. - -The Liège people were already up and about, and wandered through -the streets full of fear, for all sorts of rumours were heard--that -civilians were murdered, the town was to be burned down, and that a -start would be made very soon. As they looked at those burning hamlets -yonder they believed the rumours, and went nearly mad for fear; the men -as well as the women could not help themselves, and wept. During the -night various posters were stuck on the walls about military action. -The following is the translation of one of these:-- - - "The municipal Government of Liège remind their fellow-citizens, - and all staying within this city, that international law most - strictly forbids civilians to commit hostilities against the German - soldiers occupying the country. - - "Every attack on German troops by others than the military in - uniform not only exposes those who may be guilty to be shot - summarily, but will also bring terrible consequences on leading - citizens of Liège now detained in the citadel as hostages by the - Commander of the German troops. These hostages are:-- - - "1. The Right Rev. Rutten, bishop of Liège. - "2. Kleyer, burgomaster of Liège. - "3. Grégoire, permanent deputy. - "4. Armand Fléchet, senator. - "5. Van Zuylen, senator. - "6. Eduard Peltzer, senator. - "7. Colleaux, senator. - "8. de Ponthière, member of the Town Council. - "9. Van Hoeyaerden, member of the Town Council. - "10. Falloise, alderman. - - "Bishop Rutten and Mr. Kleyer are allowed to leave the citadel for - the present, but remain at the disposition of the German commanders - as hostages. - - "We beseech all residents in the municipality to guard the highest - interests of all the inhabitants and of those who are hostages of - the German Army, and not to commit any assault on the soldiers of - this army. - - "We remind the citizens that by order of the general commanding the - German troops, those who have arms in their possession must deliver - them immediately to the authorities at the Provincial Palace under - penalty of being shot. - - "The Acting Burgomaster, - "V. HENAULT. - - "LIÈGE, - "August 8th." - -Fear reigned everywhere in the bustling streets; people shouted at each -other that the villages burned already, that by and by they would start -with the town, that all civilians would be killed, and other terrible -things. The Germans looked at all this with cynical composure, and when -I asked some of them what the truth was, they shrugged their shoulders, -said that they knew nothing about it, but that it might be true, -because all Belgians were swine who shot at the soldiers or poisoned -them. All of them were furious because the Belgians did not allow them -to march through their country. - -Fugitives arrived from the surrounding villages, who also spoke of -nothing but arson, destruction, and murder. They frightened the Liège -population still more, hundreds of whom packed up some of their -belongings and fled. They stumbled and fell across the barricades in -the streets, blinded as they were by fear, and blinded also by the -smoke which settled down on the city and polluted the air. - -Matters stood so in Liège on the morning of August 9th, when the second -day of the occupation by the Germans had not yet passed. The Belgian -field army, which had bravely defended the ground under the protection -of the forts, and inflicted heavy losses upon the Germans, had to -retreat before their superior numbers, leaving the further defence of -the Meuse to the forts. But a high price had been paid for Liège, for -the German losses were immense, and on the ninth they were still busy -burying their dead. The Germans lost many men, especially near Lixhe -and the Forts Bachon and Fleron. - -At that moment the possession of Liège was of little advantage to the -Germans, as on this 9th of August the Belgians still held all the -forts. This was the most important news that I was about to send to The -Netherlands, for when I left the Netherland newspapers had published -the news wired from Berlin that all the forts had fallen. - -But the Germans were efficient, for during the night they had laid down -the rails on which in the morning they transported parts of the heavy -ordnance that would demolish all the Belgian defences. - -A few minutes after I left the town a scene drew my attention. A lady -stood there with a little girl; the lady seemed to urge the child to -do something to which it objected. She refused to take a bag full of -various small parcels pressed upon her, and clutched hold of the lady's -skirts. I wanted to know what was the matter, got a little nearer, and -was amazed to hear them both speak Netherland. I could not help asking -what the trouble was and whether I might be of service. - -"No, no, sir," the lady said. "Oh, oh, it is so terrible! By and by the -Germans will burn Liège and kill us all. She is the little daughter of -my brother at Maastricht, and came to visit us a few days before war -broke out, but now she will be killed too, for she refuses to go away." - -"But, madame, you do not mean to send that child to Maastricht by -itself?" - -"It must be done, surely, it must be done! That is her only chance of -escape, and if she stops here she will be killed with the rest of us. -Oh!... oh!..." - -"But really, madame, that is only senseless gossip of the people. You -need not be afraid, the Germans will not be so cruel as all that!" - -"Not? Oh! they are sure to do it. All the villages are burning already. -The smoke suffocates us here. In Bressoux there is not a house left -standing, and in other villages all civilians have been killed, men, -women, and children. Not even the tiniest babies escaped.... Oh!... and -now it is Liège's turn!" - -I knew about Bressoux. I had seen the flames burst out from many -houses, and I had reliable information also from other villages about -the slaughter that took place there, although this lady of course -exaggerated when she said that "not even the tiniest babies escaped." - -Need I say that I did all I could to make the woman a little more -reasonable, and make her understand that it would not do to let a child -of ten walk by itself from Liège to Maastricht, and least of all in -these dire times. But I could not make her see this, and this instance -proves all the more, perhaps, how upset the inhabitants of Liège were -that morning; they were nearly out of their senses for fear. - -Of course I did not allow the little girl to go by herself, but took -her with me. It was a wearying expedition in the excessive heat of -that day. Very soon the child was no longer able to carry her small -belongings, and, though already sufficiently loaded myself, I had to -take her bundle as well. She was scarcely able to walk more than a -thousand yards at a stretch, and had then to sit down on the grass by -the roadside and rest. She did not quite understand what was going on, -but she had an undefined feeling of fear on that long, deserted road, -where we did not meet anybody except some well-hidden or stealthily -moving German patrols who suddenly pointed their rifles at us. - -After the explanations required of us they allowed us to go on. The -incessant roar of the guns made the girl tremble for fear, and the -stinging smoke made her cough. After much trouble we got at last as far -as Herstal, where I had promised her a short rest. - -This fine large village, actually a suburb of Liège, was quite -deserted, not a living being was to be seen. I entered shops and -cafés, called at the top of my voice, but got no reply anywhere. I was -inclined to believe that everybody had fled. And they would have been -quite right too, for huge columns of smoke rose up from the heights -around the place, four or five in a row, after a booming and rolling -peal like thunder had seemed to rend the sky. - -The German artillery had taken up their positions here, and bombarded -the forts in their immediate neighbourhood. These did not fail to -answer, and rained shells on the enemy's batteries. One heard their -hissing, which came nearer and nearer, until they fell on the slopes -or the tops of the hills and burst with a terrific explosion. Many a -time we saw this happen only a few hundred yards away. Then the air -trembled, and I felt as if my legs were blown from underneath me. -Broken windows too fell clattering on the "stoeps." - -We entered another café, and once more I shouted for the inhabitants -at the top of my voice. At last I heard a feeble sound somewhere in -the hall, which I entered, but as I saw no one there, I called out -once more. Then I heard distinctly, and knew whence the answer came. I -opened a door, behind which stairs led to the cellar, and from there I -was at last able to speak to some of the Herstal people. I heard that -all of them stayed in their cellars for fear of the bombardment. - -My request to allow the child to stay at the café for half an hour was -granted, and I went through the village towards the place whence the -German batteries sent their destructive fire. At last I got as far as -the top of a hill, from which I could see two forts shrouded in a cloud -of smoke, which was also the case with the German batteries. - -I could not stop there long, for I was actually within range. I saw a -number of shells explode and twice hit a farmhouse, which was destroyed -for the greater part. So I returned as quickly as possible to my little -protégée, and went on with her, following the road as far as the canal, -and then along this to Maastricht. - -On one of the hills, slightly to the south of Haccourt, on the west -bank of the Meuse and the canal, a German battery was firing at Fort -Pontisse. The gunners there were quite kind, and they felt no fear -at all, for although they shelled the fort continuously, it seemed -that nothing was done by way of reply to their fire. The shells from -the fort flew hissing over our heads, in the direction of Lixhe, -which proved that Fort Pontisse was still chiefly busy with the -pontoon-bridge at that place. - -Until now we had walked along the right bank of the canal, until -we crossed one of the many bridges. The little girl was well-nigh -exhausted; from time to time I gave her a rest, and then again I -carried her a part of the way. - -A good many soldiers were lying round about the high cement factory -of Haccourt. The factory itself seemed to be used as a station -for observations, for suddenly a voice roared from a top window: -"Stop those people!" And we were stopped and taken to a small table -where three officers were sitting drinking wine. The colonel asked -for my papers, which he did not consider sufficient, as I had no -passport from some German military authority. So I drew out again the -bridge-commander's scrap of paper which said that I was permitted to go -from Lixhe to Visé. - -"Is this then the road to Visé?" - -"No, sir, I am returning from there." - -"Where then is Visé?" - -"That way, sir!" - -"That way? But how did you get here then?" - -"You see, sir, the bridge across the Meuse has been destroyed, and in -order to get back I had to walk first towards ... towards ... Liège ... -and ... and ... and then they ferried me over somewhere down there, and -told me that I had to go along the canal to get to Maastricht." - -"Is that so? Well, it is not very clear! And that little girl?" - -"That is a Netherland girl, sir, who was staying at her aunt's at Liège -... I mean to say at Visé, and whom I take now with me to Maastricht." - -The officer went on shaking his head at my answers, and I felt as if -this might be the end of my fine little adventure. But I could not tell -him that I had gone to Liège with that permit for Visé! - -At Fort Pontisse or Lierce they seemed to have noticed that the factory -was a station for observation. As the officer was still thinking about -my case, one of those infernal monster shells crashed down among a -group of soldiers, only some yards away. Those who were not hit ran -away, but they came back soon, and took up seven or eight comrades, -whom they carried into the factory. I shuddered when I saw what had -happened, and through the shock the sight gave me I involuntarily -jerked my arms. - -"Stand still!" the officer thundered. - -He looked for a moment at the spot where the deaths happened, from -which the victims were carried away, and then suddenly asked in a -kinder tone of voice: - -"Is there any further news about the war in The Netherlands?" - -I saw that I must take advantage of his changed mood and his curiosity, -and I hastened to reply: - -"Yes, that the French are advancing towards Liège, and that the British -have landed in Belgium." - -"What?" - -"It is as I tell you!" - -"But are you sure? Where are the French now, and where did the British -land?" - -"Well, all the Netherland papers have extensive official reports about -it. The French are now at Namur and the British landed troops at -Ostend...." - -"Wait! wait! wait!" - -Quickly he summoned an orderly and gave some orders, and a few minutes -later four more officers drew round the table, on which a large map of -Belgium was displayed. Their tone became at once charmingly sweet and -kind, and a soldier offered me some lemonade from small bottles kept -cool in a basin filled with cold water. - -I did not feel very comfortable after what had happened to those -soldiers who lost their lives so cruelly sudden, or in any case had -been seriously wounded, while the officers took little notice of them. -But it was desirable to behave as discreetly as possible, and so to get -a permit to Maastricht. - -I had to repeat everything about the advance of the French and the -landing of the British, whilst they followed my story on the map. But -I was soon in a cold sweat, for of course I knew practically nothing, -neither of the French nor of the British, and each time when one of -the officers pressed for details I was in mortal fear that I might -contradict myself. But I stuck to my guns until the end, and assured -them that the French had crossed the Belgian frontier near Givet, and -were now near Namur, whereas the British, disembarking at Ostend, had -advanced as far as Ghent. - -As soon as they had got all the information they required, the -commanding officer ordered a patrol of cyclists of six men to leave -their kit and rifles behind, but to take a Browning, and deliver a -rapidly written letter at Liège. - -They were now very friendly, and spoke even with great kindliness about -the Netherlanders in general. They let me proceed also on my way to -Maastricht, giving me their best wishes. - -My little protégée was, however, soon very tired and complained that -her feet ached. I had to carry her for nearly a mile and a half before -we arrived at the Netherland Custom House, where I left her behind, as -she was now safe. I went on to Maastricht alone, wired to my paper, and -then saw the worried, but soon extremely happy parents of the little -girl. They went at once to the Netherland frontier to take their child -home. - -I had succeeded. I had been in Liège, the first foreign journalist -who got there after her fall, and was able to contradict the numerous -reports about the conquest of the forts which had made the round of the -newspapers for several days. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -ROUND ABOUT LIÈGE - - -DURING the fights round the forts I made a good many tours and was -able to contradict several German reports about alleged successes. The -atrocities in the villages around Liège did not cease, and constantly -fresh crowds of refugees came to Maastricht. - -In order to examine once more the state of affairs around Liège, I -decided to pay another visit to that town. - -Starting in the early morning of August 15th, I arrived at Visé without -much trouble, after having been led across the Lixhe bridge once more. -Since my first visit the bridge had been destroyed three times over, -and this new one seemed very weak. As I stood there looking at it, a -motor lorry had to cross it, and the bridge gave way near the bank. -Another motor had then to pull the lorry up to the top of the bank, and -this made the bridge give way still further. - -For the rest the transports were not much troubled now, for obviously -the bridge was no longer the objective of the Belgian guns. At Visé I -was even told that Fort Pontisse had just been taken and only Lierce -could harass the troops, who, after crossing the bridge, advanced -towards Tongeren. - -Many things had happened at Visé since my first visit. Under the -pretext that the church spire could indicate to Fort Pontisse in which -direction to shoot, paraffin had been poured over church and spire -and fire set to them. It was a venerable ancient structure, built ten -centuries ago, the fine stained windows of which were well known. - -The inhabitants looked upon the church as a special sanctuary, as the -bones of St. Hadelin were kept there. Before the fire these relics had -been removed to the vicarage secretly, and then to St. Hadelin College, -the only large building that escaped the general destruction next day. - -Immediately after the church was set on fire, the dean was arrested, as -well as the burgomaster and five reverend sisters. These last-mentioned -had been in prison a fortnight, when at last the Germans discovered -that the little sisters were of German nationality. The Very Reverend -Dean had been treated very badly during his captivity. - -There was dire want in the little town, for the Germans had been -requisitioning everything until there was nothing left. And as during -the first days of the war all traffic had been stopped, it was -impossible to bring in fresh supplies. The pieces of bread the people -still had were like bricks, and several days old; and yet I could not -get any of it. - -But the German troops had ample provisions for themselves, and as an -officer noticed that I went all over the town to find some food in -one of the restaurants, he offered me, the "friendly" Netherlander, -something to eat at the Guard House. This I declined, however, for I -could not have enjoyed bread taken from the starving population. - -There was still a real reign of terror, and constantly the town-crier's -bell was heard in the streets, informing the people that the victors -required something or other. Only a few days ago it was announced that -all bicycles had to be delivered at the bridge within twenty-four -hours. Any person who after that time was found in possession of such a -vehicle would be shot, and his house burned down. With similar threats -all arms were requisitioned, but with the explicit addition that this -referred also to old, and broken arms, or those which had been taken -to pieces. Eatables and drinkables were also constantly claimed under -threats of arson. - -From Visé I went again across the Meuse to the road along the canal. -Nearing Haccourt, I noticed that Fort Pontisse was actually silent, -but Lierce still in full action. The Germans had mounted long-range -guns on the hills between Lancey and Haccourt, whence they could place -Fort Lierce under fire. A German officer, after some coaxing, allowed -me to witness the operations for a short time. I found a place near -some heavy guns, and sat down amid some underwood. The shooting from -Lierce was very fierce, but only by the plumes of smoke could I tell -whereabouts the fort might be. The shells came down near us, but during -the half hour of my stop not one made a hit. They all fell short of us. - -It was a cruel sight. At a tolerably quick pace hundreds of soldiers -marched out in the direction of the fort, dragging light ordnance with -them. One of the officers explained to me that the big guns could not -yet operate here; and now a division of foot-artillery was commanded to -occupy a small hill near the fort. The big guns had to support them on -the way. The guns roared as if all the thunderbolts of heaven had been -flung into space. The smoke of the powder poisoned the air and made me -cough. Gradually my surroundings were enveloped in a thin haze, which -became denser and more suffocating the longer the guns roared. And -at last those hundreds of men, dragging their guns along the byways, -looked merely like shades. - -For quite a quarter of an hour they seemed to proceed successfully, as -obviously not one shell exploded in their neighbourhood. But suddenly -all along their line dark masses several yards high rose up. This -was the effect of numerous exceedingly well-aimed shells on the dry, -loose sand. Soon the men were surrounded by those thick clouds of -dust, and only during the first few minutes I saw here and there one -of those shades in human form tumble down, evidently hit by one of the -projectiles. Then I saw nothing for a long while, excepting the thick -wall of dust, which seemed to remain standing up, for constantly the -shells threw up anew the earth that had only just fallen down. - -The dust-wall extended gradually as the distance grew covered by the -Germans in their flight to their former positions. But at last we saw -the first men emerge in complete disorder from that driving cloud. -Some on the right, others on the left, here and there also small -groups which courageously dragged their guns with them, as they saved -themselves from that infernal downpour. - -Five minutes later the smoke had disappeared almost, and I was able to -see what had happened on the field in front of me. Terrible! On all -sides lay scattered the lads, who but a short time ago started with -so much enthusiasm, and here and there a gun knocked over, five, six -corpses lying around it. - -In front of me, behind me, on all sides, the guns boomed, clouds of -dust and smoke filled the air, making it impossible to see much, which -made the awe and terror endurable; but after the air became clear -again, and the sun shed glowing light on the beautiful fields, it was -terrible to think that all those dots in the plain were the bodies of -young men, cruelly crushed by the infernal products of human ingenuity. -It was agony to see here and there a body rising up, merely to fall -down again immediately, or an arm waving as if invoking help. - -And by my side stood officers and soldiers raging and cursing. To -them came the returning men, blood running along their faces from -insignificant wounds, and they bawled and bellowed, and thundered -with a thousand curses that they wanted to go back and try again. How -ghastly they rolled their eyes in frenzied excitement! Some pointing at -me asked the officer who I was, and he explained. Then I had to listen -to endless imprecations against the civilian population of Belgium, -who, according to them, consisted entirely of francs-tireurs, who all -of them deserved to be shot, and to have their houses burned down. To -repeat the coarse words which they sputtered out in their rage would -only cause disgust. - -The officer assured me that a new effort would be made soon, as they -were commanded to take Pontisse and Lierce at any price, the seventh -and ninth regiment of foot-artillery of Cologne being selected for the -purpose. - -I did not want to witness that second attack, and, after thanking the -officer, resumed my journey along the canal-road to Liège. - -Near Herstal the Germans were crossing by the large bridge, which the -Belgians had preserved to their own disadvantage. - -In Liège things were no longer so depressing as at the time of my first -visit. There was some traffic in the streets, and by order of the -German authorities the shops had been reopened. - -In a meadow east of the city I saw three big guns mounted, the biggest -I had seen as yet. They kept up a continuous and powerful cannonade at -the forts near the town, that had not yet been taken. There were three -of them left, of which Loncin was the most important. - -A little farther away they were still busy with Lierce, but excepting -these four, all the forts were now taken by the Germans. I stood there -for a moment, gazing at these cannon, the presence of which was clearly -unknown to the Belgians, for their artillery took no notice of them. -Only the day before these guns had started shelling the forts, and on -the evening of August 15th they had silenced two of them; but Loncin -kept up the fight. - -During the evening I was granted an audience by the Right Reverend -Monseigneur Rutten, Bishop of Liège. The venerable, aged prelate -received me very affably, but he was deeply impressed by the terrible -fate that had overwhelmed his poor native country. He himself had -suffered exceedingly bad treatment at the hands of the Germans. First -he and the other hostages were imprisoned in the citadel, where he -was locked up in a small shanty, with a leaking roof, so that the -torrential rain entered it freely. Wet and cold, the Bishop passed that -day without being offered any food, and, as stated above, was at last -allowed to go home. - -He told me a good many other instances of ill-treatment, but as I gave -him my word of honour not to mention them, my mouth is sealed. He -himself was visited a few days later by the German commanding general, -who offered his apologies. - -That same evening many more houses were burned down, more particularly -in Outre-Meuse, although no valid reason was given for that. - -The next day, Sunday, August 16th, I was already about at five o'clock -in the morning, and soon witnessed some historical shots. In the park -on one of the boulevards the Germans had been digging for two days, -and prepared a firm foundation upon which big guns might be mounted. I -saw one of these guns that morning, and at about half-past five three -shots were fired from it at short intervals, by which Fort Loncin was -completely destroyed, as was indicated by the terrific explosions which -followed the third shot. After these shots I was quite benumbed for -several minutes; in all the streets of Liège they caused the greatest -commotion, which became all the greater because large numbers of -cavalry happened to ride through the town, and all the horses started -rearing. - -Was the gun I had seen there one of the notorious forty-two centimetre -monsters? I should not like to wager my head in affirming that. It -was an inordinately unwieldy and heavy piece of ordnance, but during -the first days of the war nothing or very little had yet been said or -written about these forty-two's, and I did not pay sufficient attention -to the one I saw. Only after the fall of Loncin did all those articles -about the forty-two's appear in the papers, and the Germans certainly -asserted that they destroyed Loncin by means of such a cannon. - -But it is equally certain that at Liège as well as at Namur and Antwerp -the Austrian thirty-point-five mortars were used, siege-guns chiefly, -and these were taken by the German soldiers for forty-two's. These -Austrian mortars were equally misnamed in German, French, and even -Netherland illustrated papers. - -However, the effect of these Austrian mortars was terrible enough. I -could not form a correct opinion about them by the sound of the shot; -and only those who were in the fort that was hit were able to realise -the terrific results. Hence the interest of the report by an officer, -who escaped after having been made a prisoner at Loncin. He told my -colleague of _De Tijd_ at Antwerp about it. After having related how, -during nearly ten days, the fort had been defended heroically and -resolutely, he gave the following description of the final struggle:-- - - "On August 14th, at about four o'clock in the afternoon, the - expected storm burst; for twenty-five hours the invisible - siege-guns poured their torrent of projectiles on the fort. Flares - of fire and dense clouds of smoke belched through the crevices. - As the enemy's batteries could not be located, their fire could - not be answered. The artillerists of the garrison were then taken - to the spacious chief gallery, which offered a safe refuge under - its vault, about two and a half to three yards thick. Outside the - sentries were watching. In the parts near the entrance it was - unendurable; the heavy projectiles from the guns mounted in the - town had nibbled away the outer wall, only a yard and a half thick. - There were as yet no casualties among the garrison; calmly they - waited for the infernal tempest to subside and the enemy to storm - the fort, for they had sworn to repulse the assault. - - "General Leman, Commander Naessens, and all the officers were - splendid in their imperturbable courage. They found the words that - went straight to the hearts of their men. These fellows looked more - like bronze statues than human beings. The projectiles hammered - at the walls and smashed huge pieces, penetrating into the parts - near the entrance. The rest of the fort withstood splendidly - the hurricane of hostile steel and fire. During the night the - bombardment stopped, and then the commanding officer went to - inspect the cupolas. - - "The larger ones had suffered little; but the majority were jammed - by fragments of concrete and steel, which struck between the armour - and the front-armour. The small quick-fire cupolas had not been - touched by any projectile. 'It is all right,' he said, 'we shall be - able to repulse the enemy's attack.' - - "At dawn the bombardment started again, but only the front was - seriously damaged. The garrison stood as firm as a rock. Here and - there the beginnings of a fire were soon extinguished. - - "Then a frightful thing happened. The men had finished breakfast, - some were sleeping quietly in spite of the thundering noise. The - assault was expected to commence during the next night. - - "And then the disaster followed suddenly. At about five o'clock - a tremendous explosion shook the fort to the foundations; the - powder-magazine had caught fire. It is impossible to describe the - appalling results of that explosion; the entire middle-part of the - fort collapsed in a stupendous cloud of flames, smoke and dust; - it was an awful destruction, an immense avalanche of masses of - concrete, fragments of armour, which in their fall crushed to death - nearly the whole of the garrison. From this fantastical, confused - mass, overwhelming clouds of suffocating smoke escaped through some - crevices and holes. - - "After this infernal rumble, deadly silence followed, interrupted - only by the groans of the wounded. The German artillery ceased to - fire, and from all sides their infantry came rushing on, their - faces expressing the terror caused by such great calamities. They - were no longer soldiers longing to destroy, but human beings - hurrying to go to the assistance of other human beings. - - "German sappers and other military men cleared away the dead and - the wounded. They also discovered General Leman, whose orderlies, - who had a miraculous escape from death, were already busy in - rescuing him from underneath the ruins. - - "They were all unrecognisable, their faces were black from smoke, - their uniforms in rags, their hands covered with blood. The general - was put on a stretcher, and carried outside the fort across the - heaps of obstacles; there he was attended to by a surgeon. He had - lost consciousness. As soon as he recovered it, he pressed the - hands of two Belgian officers. 'It is all over; there is nothing - left to defend. But we did our utmost courageously.' - - "A German officer came nearer, and, uncovering his head, said in - a voice trembling with emotion: 'General, what you performed is - admirable!' Evidently these words slightly comforted the defender - of Liège, who before long was removed by motor-car to an ambulance - in the town." - -Such was the end of Fort Loncin, and by its fall the last obstacle was -removed by which the undisturbed progress of the German armies might -have been prevented. The brave defenders of Loncin did not surrender, -but stood their ground until they were buried under the ruins of their -own defences. According to information from another source, Lierce had -succumbed the night before. - -Early next morning I walked through the streets of Liège, dull and -depressed, deploring the fact that such clumsy, heavy iron monsters had -been able to crush this stout defence and such men. As I reached the -Place du Marché, there arrived three hundred disarmed Belgian warriors, -escorted by a strong German force. They stopped in the square, and soon -hundreds of the people of Liège crowded around them. They were the -defenders of Fort Pontisse. - -Men and women tried to break through the German cordon, but were -repulsed roughly. So they threw fruit, cigars, and cigarettes at them. -The lads looked gratefully at their compatriots, but for the rest -stared in front of them in dismal depression. Once and again a name was -called, as a relative or friend was recognised. Some shed tears. - -Whether neutral or foreigner, no one could help being deeply moved. -Men and women, boys and girls, pressed once more through the German -fence, just to shake hands with someone they had recognised. No wailing -followed, but when hands were gripped, with a suppressed sob, they said: - -"Bear up, lad! Keep courage; it will soon be different." - -And the answer was: - -"We did our utmost to the last, but it was impossible to go on." - -I could not help myself, but also pressed through the Germans, as I -wanted to exchange a few words with the Belgians. This was possible -for a very few moments only, in which they told me that they had been -firing night and day in order to harass the Germans who crossed the -river, but they had to yield at the end, when the Germans put Belgian -civilians in front of themselves when attacking the fort. - -I was roughly pushed back by the German soldiers twice over. I broke -through only to be repulsed again. They got into difficulties with the -huge crowd, who pushed through on all sides, bought up the stock of -surrounding shops, and threw chocolates and other sweets, cigars and -cigarettes, at their boys. Then a bugle sounded, and the Belgians once -more were arrayed in files. They calmly lighted their cigarettes, and -as the order "march" was given, they took off their caps, waved them -through the air, and, turning to the Liège crowd, exclaimed: "Vive -la Belgique." Then hundreds of caps, hats, and arms were waved in -response, the air resounding the cry: "Vive la Belgique. Au revoir! Au -revoir!" - -As I felt myself one with the population, I uncovered my head and -enthusiastically joined in the cry: "Au revoir! Au revoir!" - - * * * * * - -When I was half way between Liège and the Netherland frontier, I -noticed that the village of Vivignes was burning in various places. -It is a beautiful spot, quite concealed between the green trees on the -slope of the hills, west of the canal. And the finest and largest farms -were exactly those ablaze. The fire crackled fiercely, roofs came down -with a crash and a thud. Not a living being could be seen. From the -windows of the burning houses small white flags hung, and they too were -one by one destroyed by the fire. I counted forty-five farms that were -burning, destroyed by the raging flames. - -In a café, lower down, near the canal I saw a number of German -soldiers, and was successful in having a chat with the inn-keeper, -at the farthest corner of the bar. I asked him, of course, what they -meant by burning the village, and he told me that the Germans had -made a number of unsuccessful attacks on Fort Pontisse, until at last -they reduced it to silence. They were now so near that they could -open the final assault. They were afraid, however, of some ambush, -or underground mine, and the Friday before they had collected the -population, whom they forced to march in front of them. When they had -got quite near they dared not enter it yet, and drove the priest and -twelve of the principal villagers before them. That is how Pontisse was -conquered. - -Later on I heard the same story from several other inhabitants. - -The people had been in deadly terror, and women and old men, fearing -that they would be killed, had fallen on their knees beseeching the -soldiers to spare them. At present many women and old men, and even -strong men, were laid up with violent feverish attacks of nerves. - -Only because these wretched people had not promptly obeyed the order -of the military to march against the fort in front of the soldiers, -Vivignes had been punished, and that morning over forty of the best -houses had been set on fire. - -I shuddered at the thought that in these days such barbarities were -possible. I asked the soldiers whether I was allowed to enter the -burning village, but the commanding sergeant refused his consent. - -I also asked the inn-keeper whether he felt no fear in those -surroundings. But, shrugging his shoulders, he answered: "All we can do -is to wait quietly. I do all in my power to keep them in a good temper, -give them beer and cigars, and yesterday killed one of my two cows for -them. I may have lost everything at the end of the war, ... but even -so, let it be, if I can only save the life of my family and keep a roof -over my head. But my anxiety is great enough, for, you understand, I -have two daughters ... and ... and...." - -We had got near the door of the room that stood ajar, and from there -came the sound of a couple of girls' voices: "Hail, Mary.... Hail, -Mary...." - -The frightened maidens were saying their rosary. - -The news, that all the forts had now been taken was quickly -communicated to the surrounding military posts, and in consequence the -soldiers were in a wanton mood. Most of the houses which I passed had -their doors and windows smashed and broken, but the most provoking was -that soldiers had compelled the people in the cafés along the canal to -open their pianos and make their musical automatons play. To the tunes -of these instruments they danced, yelling and shouting. No greater -contrast was imaginable than that between such scenes and the burning -village with the frightened inhabitants around it. - -Near Haccourt, by the bank of the Meuse, I noticed a terrible glare of -fire and dense smoke. It was an alarming sight, and made me fear the -direst things. I considered for a moment whether I should go there or -not, fearing that I had already taxed my nerves too much. Yet, I made -up my mind to go, and by a side-way got to the Meuse, near Visé. German -engineers were busy here laying telephone wires, and an officer stopped -me, threatening me with his revolver. It was obvious that they were no -longer accustomed to see civilians on that road. After having examined -my passport and seeing that I was a Netherland journalist, he became -very friendly, and politely urged me not to go farther. - -"Why not, sir?" I asked. - -"Well, there is a huge fire yonder; everything is burning!" - -"How did that come about?" - -"Well, it seems that the civilians cannot understand that only soldiers -may fight soldiers, and for that reason the whole place has been set on -fire." - -"Devant-le-Pont?" - -"No, Visé." - -"Visé? Do you mean to say, sir, that the whole of Visé has been set on -fire?" - -"Certainly!" - -"But ... but ...! May I go there?" - -"I must advise you not to, for it is extremely dangerous, but if you -like...." - -"Very well, sir, then I shall go there!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -VISÉ DESTROYED: A PREMEDITATED CRIME - - -ONE of the first things I have to deal with is also one of the most -fearful I ever saw, and I only hope that I may never again witness the -like of it. - -I have mentioned already the reign of terror with which the Germans -ruled the wretched townlet ever since they entered it. Something -fateful might happen any moment, and actually occurred during the night -of August 15th and 16th. - -On that evening the soldiers, rough fellows from East Prussia, had been -revelling in the cafés, shouting filthy ditties in the streets, and -most of them in a very advanced state of intoxication. At ten o'clock -suddenly a shot was heard. The fellows took their rifles, which they -had placed against the walls, or on the tables of the cafés, and ran -into the street shouting in a mad rage: "They have been shooting!" -The most tipsy began to shoot at doors and windows simultaneously in -various parts of the town, which made the people in the houses scream, -and this excited the mad drunken soldiers all the more. They forced -their way into several houses, knocking down the frightened inhabitants -when these tried to stop them. - -It is stated that some of the wretched people were even pinioned and -beaten. Their assailants then stumbled up the stairs and began to shoot -wildly from the upper stories into the dark streets, where their own -raving comrades were rushing about like madmen. Some civilians who in -great fear had come to their front door to see what was happening were -shot down. - -After this game had been going on for some time, the order was given: -"Everybody must come outside." Doors and windows were forced open and -broken, and men, women, and children driven out of the houses. They -were at once ruthlessly separated. Men who assisted their aged mothers, -or carried their little babies, were taken away from their families, -and driven away, leaving their wailing and weeping wives and children -behind, while the flames from burning houses threw a lurid light on the -sad scenes of that terrible evening. - -The poor wretches, who expected to be killed at any moment, were driven -into squares or the meadows, where they were exposed to the chilly -night air, so that several babies perished. Only the next morning were -the women and children allowed to leave--that is to say, they were told -to take the shortest way to Maastricht. - -A number of the men were taken to Germany, the others were kept as -prisoners in the neighbourhood, and by and by had to suffer the shame -of being compelled to work for the enemy. Amongst them were men who -had never done any manual work, such as an aged notary public. - -Even a doctor of the Red Cross established at St. Hadelin College had -been removed in his white overall and wearing his Red Cross armlet. -This was Dr. Labye, who already had rendered signal services to the -wounded Germans. In consequence of his detention twenty of them were -left in the hospital without medical attendance.... - -During the night only a few houses were burnt down; the general -destruction followed the next morning, Sunday, August 16th, and just as -I reached the little town the flames were raging all over the place in -a fierce blaze. - -I shall never forget that sight. The Meuse separated me from the -raging blaze on the opposite bank. The flames roared violently, roofs -and rafters and walls crashed down, and the wood of living trees was -burning and screeching loudly. I saw but a sea of fire, one glaring -glow, and the air was scorchingly hot. A light breeze blew through -the place, and made clouds of smoke to whirl through the streets like -avalanches of snow. The view down the longer streets leading straight -from the hill-tops to the Meuse was very fantastic. - -The wind seemed to play with the smoke, rolling dense volumes down the -slopes which dispersed only when they reached the bank along the river. -Whilst the flames soared high up from the roofs, the walls of the -houses stood still erect, and everywhere in the windows one saw those -miserable little white flags, symbols of submission, mute prayers that -submission should be rewarded by sparing the life and possession of the -inhabitants.... - -I stood near the spot where the ferry-boat used to take people across; -but to cross was now out of the question, for any one alighting on -the opposite side would be landed in the scorching glare. Therefore, -I returned to Lixhe, where I might try to cross the river by the -pontoon-bridge, and get to Visé along the other bank of the Meuse. - -On the way I was stopped by two soldiers, one of whom examined my -papers, and, finding that I was a journalist, revealed himself as a -colleague, in ordinary times editor of the _Kölnische Zeitung_. He -shook both my hands quite excitedly, glad to meet a colleague, and, -better still, one from the "friendly" Netherlands. - -I had to listen to a prolonged hymn of praise of the Netherlanders, -who were such sensible people, and the best friends of the Germans; -protestations which did not interest me in the least at that moment. On -the contrary, it struck me as deplorable that this man did not say a -single word of his own accord about the horrible thing happening close -by: the destruction of an entire community! He did not seem to attach -any importance to it.... - -As soon as the "friendly" Netherlander thought that he had swallowed -sufficient praise, I began to ask questions about the meaning of that -wanton devastation, and why it was inflicted on the population! Before -answering, he looked round in a casual manner, as if thinking: "Oh, -it's that bit of fire you refer to!" And then exploded in a string of -imprecations against the population. - -It is a lamentable sign that this German, probably well educated, -had not taken the slightest trouble to find out the reason for this -wholesale wrecking of a town, that the whole affair impressed him -so little. "Somebody" had said that those cursed civilians had been -shooting, that explained it to his satisfaction, and gave him ample -cause for coarse abuse of the wretched people. - -How many soldiers had fallen in consequence of this attack by -francs-tireurs he knew not; which troops had witnessed the occurrence -he could not say. All he did know was that these troops had left in the -morning, leaving a small force behind to impose the punishment. - -The bridge-command at the pontoon-bridge near Lixhe allowed me to -cross, after requesting me very pressingly to make _very clear_ what -swine these Belgians were, who fired so treacherously at unsuspecting -soldiers, put out the eyes of the wounded, cut off their hands and -genitals. When I asked where all these things had happened, the answer -was: "Everywhere!" Of course, I promised them to do everything they -wanted. - -Very large divisions marched from Visé to the pontoon bridge in the -direction of Tongres. After the Liège forts had been taken the bridge -might be passed in perfect safety. All day long troops came along that -road without interruption. I could quite see that the soldiers who were -at Visé the previous day, and brought about the conflagration, were -gone, for they had left their traces behind. All along the road lay -parts of bicycles, shoes, instruments, toys, and so on, everything new -and evidently looted from the shops. Very valuable things were among -them, everything crushed and smashed by the cavalry horses, the clumsy -munition and forage waggons, or the heavy wheels of the guns. - -A little farther on a few houses were left undamaged, because they -stood outside the town proper. A woman who had remained in her house -stood outside with cigar-boxes under her arm. She offered cigars from -an open box to the soldiers of the passing divisions. To me she seemed -to be out of her mind, as she stood there trembling, her face distorted -from hypernervousness. Her cringing kindness was of no avail, for I -noticed a couple of days afterwards that her house too had been totally -destroyed. - -On the first houses of the town large bills had been stuck, intimating -that they were a Netherlander's property, but obviously that had not -impressed the tipsy soldiers to any extent, for they had been wrecked -all the same for the greater part. - -The whole town was like a sea of fire. The Germans, who are nothing -if not thorough, even in the matter of arson, had worked out their -scheme in great detail. In most houses they had poured some benzine or -paraffin on the floor, put a lighted match to it, and thrown a small -black disc, the size of a farthing, on the burning spot, and then -immediately the flames flared up with incredible fury. I do not know -the constituents of this particular product of "Kultur." - -Nor did I see any inhabitants in the burning town. It was practically -impossible to stay in the streets; burning walls and roofs and gutters -crashed down with a great noise, so that the streets were as much on -fire as the houses themselves. Only at the crossings were any soldiers -to be seen, who, in various stages of intoxication, constantly aimed at -the burning houses, and shot everything that tried to escape from the -burning stables and barns: pigs, horses, cows, dogs, and so on. - -Suddenly I saw a boy about twelve years old in one of the burning -streets. He waved his arms, rushed madly to and fro, calling for his -father and mother, and his little brother and sisters. He was in danger -of perishing in the fire, or being killed by the murderous bullet -from a rifle. I ran after him, laid hold of him, and in spite of his -resistance pulled him back. Fortunately I met a couple of kind, sober -soldiers to whom I told the story, and who promised to send the boy -away from the burning town. - -Shortly afterwards I met a Netherland Red Cross motor-car. The male -nurses, who had met me already on former occasions during the war, -recognised me, rushed up to me, and forced me to come with them to the -car. Here they tried to explain with a torrential flow of words that I -exposed myself to the greatest danger by coming here, as nearly all the -soldiers were drunk, shot at every civilian, and so on. - -They insisted upon my staying near the car, and be a little safer under -the protection of the Red Cross. They told me how they had to drag an -old woman out of her house, who refused to come with them, and in her -despair shouted nothing but: "Let me die!--let me die!" - -I could not say or do anything, for I felt as if stunned, and let them -lead me where they liked; so they gave me a glass of claret, and that -revived me. - -A few moments after they went away I went also, and entered the burning -town once more. A Netherland family lived in Villa Rustica, and I had -promised to make inquiries about them. - -As I stood there looking at the ruins of what was once so fine a house, -a small group of refugees approached, carrying as usual their miserable -parcels in which they had hurriedly collected the things that had the -least value. As they saw me they shuddered and shivered and crept -closer together. Most of them wept and sobbed, and their faces were -twisting nervously. - -I went up to them and explained that there was no need at all to be -afraid of me. They were able to give me news of the inhabitants of -Villa Rustica. The owner had died a few days since, from a paralytic -stroke, brought on by the emotions caused by the German horrors, -whereas madame, who had heroically intervened on behalf of some -victims, was probably at St. Hadelin College. - -My poor informants had not yet made up their mind where to go, fearing -that they might not be permitted to enter The Netherlands as they -were without means of subsistence. I assured them, however, that our -conception of neighbourly love and charity was different, and that they -would be hospitably received. - -I showed them the way to Eysden, and they had scarcely started when -a cavalry patrol came racing on, the men tipsy and their seat rather -unstable. Seeing the refugees, they aimed their rifles at them and -roared "Hands up!" The poor creatures not only put up their hands, but -fell on their knees, and muttered incoherent words. The women folded -their hands, and stretched them out to the cavalry, as if praying for -mercy. The soldiers looked at the scene for a moment, burst out in a -harsh laughter, spurred on their horses, and raced on without a word. -Two of them stopped near me. I gave them, however, no time for threats, -but quickly showed them the old pass to Visé. As soon as they saw the -German writing they said: "All right!" and went off. - -I came now to the eastern boundary of the town, whence the streets -slope gently towards the bank of the Meuse. Here I had an atrociously -fantastic view of the burning mass of houses. I fell in with a crowd of -dead-drunk soldiers, who first handed my papers on from the one to the -other, but as soon as they understood that I was a Netherlander they -showed no hostility. - -They sang and shouted and waved their arms. Most of them carried -bottles full of liquor, which they put to their mouths frequently, -smashed them on the ground, or handed them to their comrades, when -unable to drink any more themselves. Each of a troop of cavalry had a -bottle of pickles, and enjoyed them immensely. - -Other soldiers kept on running into the burning houses, carrying out -vases, pictures, plate, or small pieces of furniture. They smashed -everything on the cobbles and then returned to wreck more things that -would have been destroyed by the fire all the same. It was a revelry of -drunken vandalism. They seemed mad, and even risked being burned alive -at this work of destruction. Most of the officers were also tipsy; not -one of them was saluted by the soldiers. - -The beastly scenes which I witnessed in the glaring, scorching heat -benumbed me, and I looked on vacantly for a long time. At last I went -back and called at St. Hadelin College, the Head of which I had visited -already once or twice. The building was still undamaged. - -As soon as the Reverend Head, Dr. Frits Goffin, saw me he burst out -sobbing, and, taking me by the hand, speechless, he pressed it a long -time. I myself also was quite dumb. At length he muttered: - -"Could you ever have thought ... that ... that ... such ... a cruel ... -fate would overwhelm us? What crime did these poor people commit? Have -we not given all we had? Have we not strictly obeyed their commands? -Have we not done more than they asked for? Have we not charitably -nursed their wounded in this House? Oh! they profess deep gratitude to -me. But ... why then? There is nothing left in the House for the aged -refugees whom we admitted, for the soldiers we nurse; our doctor has -been made a prisoner and taken away, and we are without medical help. -This is nothing for the Sisters and myself, but all these unfortunate -creatures ... they must have food...." - -The excellent man went on weeping, and I was not able to console him -and did not know what to say. He took my arm, and led me to the large -common hall, where twenty wounded Germans lay, who had been hit in the -fight for the forts. He went to one bed after the other, and, with -tears in his eyes, asked each man how he felt, and inquired, "Are you -... properly ... cared for ... here? Are you?" The sick men turned -round, their eyes beamed, and they stammered words full of gratitude. -Others said nothing, but took the Head's hand and pressed it long and -warmly. - -The wounded civilians had been put up in the small schoolrooms. Some -of them must soon die. Some had burns, but most of them were hit -the previous night during the mad outbreak, the mad shooting of the -drunken and riotous Germans. In another room a number of old women were -crowded together, who had to fly but could not walk all the way to the -Netherland frontier. - -Near each staircase stood a blackboard on which the Germans had written -that to go upstairs was prohibited under penalty of death. The Head -explained that the Germans alleged that light signals had been given -from the top storey. - -Two South-American boys, about twelve years old, had stayed on and -heroically assisted the Head at his charitable work. Dr. Goffin was -not allowed to take anybody with him except these two children in his -search for the wounded, and to bury the dead. It is scarcely credible -how courageously these boys of such tender age behaved. Later the -Chilean ambassador made inquiries about them and asked for their -portraits. - -I also met there a compatriot, who had got permission to go to The -Netherlands, but declined to leave. She was Mrs. de Villers, _née_ -Borret. On August 27th I wrote about her to _De Tijd_:-- - - "Four days ago her husband was buried. As he was addressing the - League of Old-Retraitants at Cherath he was seized by a paralytic - stroke, which proved fatal. She has no longer a home, beautiful - Villa Rustica being completely burnt out, and now in ruins. But she - refuses to return to The Netherlands, as she is still able to be of - service to the people here. - - "In Cherath she saved the life of a good many. As it was alleged - that there had been shooting, the priest, the chaplain, a retired - priest, eighty years old, the mayor, and several leading citizens - were condemned to be shot. None, not even the priest, was able to - defend himself, as they knew not a word of German, and could not - make themselves understood. Mrs. de Villers, who speaks German - fluently, explained that the spot where the shooting was alleged to - have taken place was not part of Cherath at all. - - "So this brave lady succeeded in getting the sentence of death - withdrawn. But the Germans wanted to torture their wretched - prisoners on any or no plea. They were placed near the church wall, - kept standing there all night, were told that they would be shot by - and by, and threatened by the soldiers with their bayonets. - - "In the morning sixty soldiers escorted them out of the village to - the hamlet Wandre, where the populace was told they would be shot. - Should one shot be fired by one of the inhabitants--thus Mrs. de - Villers was told--the prisoners would be shot out of hand; if not, - they would be released at Wandre. Mrs. de Villers had, of course, - secretly warned the inhabitants in time. - - "She hopes to be able to render further services to the populace, - thanks to her knowledge of German, and stays on, occupying her - time with charitable work. A respectful salute is due to this - courageous compatriot." - -On the same day I wrote as follows about Dr. Goffin:-- - - "His face, unshaven since ever so long, is quite emaciated, and - presents all the symptoms of nervous exhaustion. Once more twenty - German soldiers are being nursed in his college, where only once - a German doctor came to see them. He (Dr. Goffin) and a couple of - Sisters have to manage everything by themselves, and the Germans do - not even dream of providing food for their own wounded, although - the college is so inadequately provisioned that the Head and the - Sisters have to deny themselves the necessary nourishment that they - may feed the wounded. - - "And how are they thanked for it? - - "The Reverend Head has been notified already ten times that he - would be shot, and he is frequently being arrested for alleged - shooting from the building. This shooting is actually done by - German soldiers alone, who are loafing and looting, as I myself - noticed a short time ago. The Head took me to a room where an old - man of ninety, who had just received the extreme unction, lay - dying. By his side sat a broken-hearted little old woman, his wife. - This old man had been taken prisoner with other men of Visé, and - forced to work at a new bridge. The poor fellow broke down under - the strain; it cost him his life." - -I left burning Visé deeply impressed by the savage scenes I had -witnessed: men turned into beasts by drink, passion, and anger, doing -all manner of wrong to the wretched inhabitants; but the impression -became deeper by the great contrast: the perfect, charitable devotion -of a virtuous priest, a courageous lady, and ever kind and commiserate -Sisters. Never have I experienced so many emotions in one day as at -Visé. - -After taking warm leave of the Head of St. Hadelin College, I continued -my walk to the Netherland frontier. - -I was scarcely outside the townlet when I met another little group of -refugees, probably all members of one family. The mother was being -supported by her daughters, all wept, and nervous exhaustion made them -totter as they walked. Every moment the mother looked back pitifully -at the conflagration which devoured all around, including her slender -property, for which she had worked so many years. - -From the other side came two soldiers, one of whom she recognised, as -he had been billeted on her. Constantly weeping, her face distorted, -she sent another glance towards that fiery blaze, looked at the soldier -as if reprovingly, hesitated a moment, but then pressed the enemy's -hand, sobbing: "Adieu!--adieu!" - -Sometimes I felt as if I were dreaming and wanted to call myself back -from this nightmare to another, better, and real world. And I thought -constantly of the man who, by one word, had given the order for these -murders, this arson; the man who severed husbands and fathers, wives -and mothers, and children, who caused so many innocent people to be -shot, who destroyed the results of many, many years of strict economy -and strenuous industry. - -The first acquaintance whom I met on Netherland territory was a -Netherland lady married to a Walloon, who kept a large café at Visé. -Before the destruction she had asked me, full of anxiety, whether the -Germans would indeed carry out their threat and wreck everything. I -had comforted her, and answered that I did not think them capable of -doing such a thing. Weeping, she came to me, and reminded me of my -words. The whole business, in which these young people had invested -their slender capital, had been wrecked. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -FRANCS-TIREURS? - - -I THINK that there is no better occasion to deal with the question -whether there was a franc-tireur-guerilla in Belgium than after the -chapter on the destruction of Visé. - -My opinion on the matter is still the same as when I first wrote -about it to _De Tijd_, and in _Vrij België_; and from my own personal -knowledge and after mixing with the people I consider the allegation -that the Belgians acted as francs-tireurs an absolute lie. - -Some uphold the accusation on the ground of expressions in Belgian -newspapers, collected in a German pamphlet. In my opinion these -quotations have not the slightest value. Everyone will understand -this who thinks of the excitement of journalists, whose country was -suddenly and quite unexpectedly involved in a terrible war, and who -felt now that as journalists they had to perform a great, patriotic -duty. In their nervous, over-excited condition they sat at their desk -and listened to the gossip of refugees about civilians taking part -in the struggle. In their imagination they saw hordes of barbarians -overrun their native soil, saw man and man, woman and woman, shoulder -to shoulder, resisting the invader without regard for their own life. -The thoughts of such journalists, whose very own country had been at -war now for a few days, were not on severe logical lines; they found -a certain beauty in that picture, and I can quite understand how some -came to believe in it as a reality, and gloried in it. - -That is not evidence however, for how did they get the information? -From my own experience I make bold to say with the greatest confidence -that these reports came from German sources only, whereas there was not -any ground for them. - -I have witnessed all the people during the very earliest days of the -war. I came to Liège, passing between the forts, as described already. -I was in Lixhe when the pontoon bridge was wrecked repeatedly by Fort -Pontisse; I stayed at Visé three times before the destruction began, -and I was there when the charming townlet was wrecked by fire; and in -Louvain I have been dragged from my bed by six soldiers and arrested, -when the whole town was still ablaze. - -Very well, I have: - -1. Never seen anything of a franc-tireur-guerilla. - -2. Never seen anyone who was arrested as a franc-tireur. - -3. Never heard any German soldier, of whatever rank, assert that -he himself had witnessed any action by a franc-tireur, although I -questioned such soldiers times without number. They always mentioned -others, who had left days ago, and were said to have gone through the -miserable experience! - -4. Never heard the _name_ of any franc-tireur in answer to my questions. - -But they were _always_ German officers and no others who talked about -francs-tireurs, and at Visé, Liège, Dinant, Bilsen, and particularly -at Louvain, they constantly pressed me and tried to make me promise -that I should write to _De Tijd_ about francs-tireurs and justify the -devastations. These stories emanated from the officers and permeated -the rank and file; and the men grew fearfully angry with the Belgians, -whom they cursed and abused. It also made the soldiers terribly afraid -of francs-tireurs, and I noticed many a time that some loud sound from -a falling wall, for example, made a whole troop of soldiers jump up, -lay hold of their rifles, and hide themselves in an absolute "blue -funk." The mere noise made them curse and rage and talk of nothing but -burning houses. - -In the end these stories of the soldiers convinced even the inhabitants -that there had been francs-tireurs, but never in the place where they -lived, always somewhere else. They could not believe that the Germans -could be so cruel and wreck so much property if nothing at all had -happened; and when at length the time came that they themselves were -obliged to fly, many of them believed that their compatriots who -_elsewhere_ acted as francs-tireurs were to blame for all the dire -calamities. But if they had had my opportunity to go "elsewhere" -and gather information there, they would have been convinced of the -untruth, and probably would have heard the name of their own village -as the scene of the occurrence. That was how rumours and reports got -about. - -Many soldiers, probably most of them, were undoubtedly of good faith, -and _believed_ what they related; but the damnable notion had been put -into their heads by their superiors. That is why I do not consider it -impossible that _some_ places were wrecked on account of _alleged_ acts -by francs-tireurs. - -I have explained already in the chapter "Round about Liège" that I -myself was duped occasionally, for example, by the story of the three -hundred civilians who had been shot. To my mind these violent acts -at the beginning of the war were part and parcel of the system of -frightfulness, by which the Germans tried to scare the population and -indirectly the hostile armies, at the same time rousing their own -soldiers to anger and fury. - -That mad fury was also intensified considerably by the accusations -about gruesome mutilations committed on German soldiers by Belgians, -who were said to have cut off the noses, ears, genitals, and so on of -their enemies. These rumours were so persistent that in the end it was -generally believed in neutral countries that these things had happened -frequently. - -No little astonishment was therefore created by an interview which I -published with Dr. van der Goot of The Hague, who did so much excellent -work in the Red Cross Hospital at Maastricht. He also had come to -believe all these stories, and as everybody always mentioned a large -hospital in Aix-la-Chapelle, which was said to be full of similarly -mutilated soldiers, Dr. van der Goot went to that town to see for -himself. The chief medical officer of that hospital in a conversation -stated that not one single case of that sort had been treated in his -institution nor in any of the other local hospitals where he was a -visiting physician. At a meeting of the medical circle just lately -held he had not heard one word, nor had any one colleague, about the -treatment of similar cases. - -In Louvain I was myself arrested, because a more than half-drunk -soldier had accused me of spying and arson! There too I had to listen -to all sorts of abuse because I was a franc-tireur. And in spite of -all this they tried to extract a promise from me to write against the -francs-tireurs! - -The history of the destruction of Visé affords also interesting support -to my opinion, as previously expressed, that the violent actions of the -Germans took place according to a fully thought-out design. - -During the early days of the war the papers published a report, of -German origin, that Visé had been destroyed because francs-tireurs had -appeared. I was therefore not a little amazed when, arriving there on -August 8th, I found the townlet entirely undamaged, and even the German -military admitted that they had not heard a word about francs-tireurs. - -But the inhabitants were treated even then in a most vexatious manner, -and on August 14th (the destruction came about on the 16th) I wrote to -_De Tijd_ (No. 20457):-- - - "Visé is under a real reign of terror. The day before yesterday the - town-crier walked the streets with his bell, and announced that - within twenty-four hours everyone had to deliver his bicycle at - the bridge. Anyone in whose house a bicycle should be found would - be shot and his house set on fire. Yesterday morning the Germans - announced once more that all arms, including those that were old or - damaged or taken to pieces, should be handed in at the town-hall - within an hour. If any arms should be found anywhere after that, - they would shoot the inhabitants and burn down the town. Eatables - and drinkables were requisitioned continuously under threats of - firing the town, and the inhabitants are afraid of nothing so much - as of the possibility that something may be required some day or - other that cannot be produced." - -Even before that, on August 11th I sent a communication, by post or -cable (_De Tijd_, No. 20353), in which the following is found:-- - - "In and round about Visé people sleep in their cellars, as they are - threatened frequently that the town will be set on fire." - -Anyone who, like myself, has been able to see in what frame of mind -the people were during the first days of the German occupation, cannot -believe it possible that they would even think of taking up arms. They -lived in an unending terror, tried to forestall the invader's demands, -and, if anything was requisitioned, they searched each other's houses -to see whether anything was kept back and all the demanded bottles of -gin or claret were forthcoming. There was not one who did not keep his -door open as widely as possible to prove his complete submissiveness, -and to let the Germans enter his house at any time to check what was -to be found there. Every moment I saw men or women run into the street -offering cigars to the soldiers from open boxes, smiling nervously -and desperately, trying to behave as unconcernedly as possible. -During those early days payment for refreshments was accepted hardly -anywhere, and people often refused to accept money from me, because -they mistook me for a German. - -Men and young women in the prime of life sat whole days in a chair, -or lay abed, because in the most literal sense of the word they were -unable to stand on their feet for fear and terror, caused by the -incessant menaces. - -And during these first days of the war I had not met a single person -who was able to settle down quietly in the existing circumstances, not -a single person in whom anger and fury subdued fear and terror. - -Is it thinkable that persons in that frame of mind would take up arms -and invite the enemy's revenge upon themselves and those near and dear -to them, a revenge of which they were so mortally afraid? - -And supposing for a moment that the allegations made by the Germans -were true, that there had been shooting at Visé for example, then one -might perhaps consider the revenge justifiable, but should also expect -that they would punish with a heavy heart, conscious that they were -inflicting a necessary evil. - -Of a heavy heart, however, there was not a trace. In the previous -chapter I described how beastly they behaved during the destruction -of Visé; how the soldiers drank immoderate quantities of alcohol, and -then jeered at the wretched refugees; how they indulged in unmitigated -vandalism, and wrecked by hand things of which they knew that by and by -would be destroyed by fire. - -Children and old people perished in consequence of the cruel -heartlessness of the Germans, and in St. Hadelin College they robbed -their own wounded of medical help and surgical appliances. - -This happened not only at Visé, but also at other places which I -visited, more especially at Louvain. And those who read the following -chapters carefully will find sufficient support for my opinion, that -_Belgium is innocent of the base charges and allegations uttered -by Germany, which country soiled its conscience still worse, first -by plunging the little kingdom into the direst misery, and then by -accusing it falsely of crimes which it never committed_. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -WITH THE FLEMINGS - - -BETWEEN my tours through the Liège district I made a trip in the -direction of Tongres, because I wanted to know what had become of all -those Germans who had crossed the Meuse near Lixhe. It was remarkable -to notice how friendly the Flemings of that district behaved with -regard to the Germans. Although they criticised the violation of the -country's neutrality sharply, and every family was proud of the sons -who had taken up arms in defence of their Fatherland, yet they judged -quite kindly the German soldiers who passed through their district. I -often heard expressions full of pity toward those men, who could not -help themselves, but were compelled to do whatever their superiors -commanded them. - -The Germans did themselves great injury undoubtedly by their vulgar and -barbarous demeanour, for that lost them every claim on the sympathy of -the people. - -They behaved tolerably well during the first few days after the -occupation of Tongres; but that did not last long, and soon they began -here also to commit atrocious acts of terrorism. One evening at about -the middle of August several civilians were killed, a dozen houses -along the road to Maastricht were fired, and in the town the windows of -several shops smashed, which was followed by general looting. That lost -them whatever sympathy they might have met with in the district. - -On August 12th I came for the first time to Tongres. They had been -there only a few days, and only near the town-hall did I see a goodly -number of the garrison. Many wounded were brought there, and carried -in through the door under the outside stairway. They came from Haelen, -where a battle was being fought that afternoon and for which they -had left in the morning. For the attack on the entrenched Belgians -they had used cavalry exclusively, who were simply mowed down by the -murderous fire from the hidden mitrailleuses and the infantry fire from -the trenches. The Germans suffered a great reverse, and were deeply -embittered. - -Just outside Tongres I met a fleet of Red Cross cars loaded with -wounded. Cavalry escorted them. I was stopped and ordered to go back, -as they expected the Belgians to attack Tongres. - -I thought the result of the battle of Haelen rather important, and -should have liked to have wired it immediately to my paper. Until now -I had always gone on foot, that being the only conveyance which the -Germans could not seize. But this time I preferred a bicycle, as the -only way to get to The Netherlands on that same day. So I tried at a -couple of bicycle-shops to get a second-hand one for love and money. At -the first shop I asked:-- - -"I suppose, madame, that you have an old 'bike' to sell?" - -She looked me up and down suspiciously, and then said: - -"No, I've none to sell." - -I did not fare better at the next. There the answer was: - -"I refuse to sell 'bikes' to Germans." - -"But, madame, I am not German; I am a Netherlander. I should...." - -"I can hear quite well that you are German, and if you were a -Netherlander you would not venture on a bike at this moment. If you -come here to seize my bikes, I'll deliver them, for I cannot do -anything against that, but I refuse to sell them of my own free-will." - -The dear lady rapped it out in such a decided tone of voice that I -desisted. I told my trouble to the proprietor of a café where I took a -glass of beer; he, examining my papers, placed confidence in me, and -got me a rickety thing, for which I paid twenty-two francs. - -After all, this was better than walking, so I decided to make a small -detour, go once more to Liège, and see how the forts were. I lost my -way in a maze of by-roads, and got at last back to the main road near -Jupille, where I met a patrol of Uhlans, who came in my direction at a -trot. - -Already from a distance with much fuss they signalled to me to stop, -and of course I obeyed at once. Two men dismounted, came to me in -a perfect rage, and, without asking who I was or what I was doing, -cut my tyres to pieces in several places; they abused me with wild -gesticulations and threats, jumped on their horses, and rode off. I -dragged my wretched vehicle with its stabbed tyres a little distance, -but then met a second patrol, who showed still greater indignation, and -destroyed it altogether. - -For the rest of the journey I used my only remaining means of -transport, my legs, and after a walk of some hours got to the frontier -of The Netherlands near Oud-Vroenhoven. A Netherland custom-house -officer asked for my papers, and I showed him my huge passport. The man -looked at the sheet critically, and made out that I could not possibly -be a Netherlander, as I was the holder of a "foreign" passport. - -My "foreign" passport was, of course, in French, of which language the -man evidently knew not a word. Although I explained that this passport -was the best one could get in The Netherlands, that I had paid six -guilders and seventy-five cents for it, that I was a war-correspondent -of _De Tijd_, it was all useless. I had to go with him to the -guard-house, and the man kept the queer passport--the damning piece of -evidence--firmly in his hand. All the inquisitive loafers, of which -the frontier was full during those days, followed me, and so we went -in procession to the guard-house, at some distance from the frontier. -I heard all sorts of discussions behind me, and constantly caught -words like: German, boche, deserter, franc-tireur, spy, and other -complimentary niceties. - -As soon as I had entered the guard-house a soldier, rifle in hand, -mounted guard. The custom-house officer handed my French passport to a -lieutenant, who scrutinised it closely. Then followed the examination: - -"You are a journalist?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"On which paper?" - -"_De Tijd_, sir; here is my press-card." - -"Where is _De Tijd_ printed?" - -"In Amsterdam...." - -"In which street?" - -"Well ...! The Nieuwe Zijds Voorburgwal." - -"All right; you may go!" - -Having pushed my way through the loafers, who stood waiting before the -house, I was able to continue my journey to Maastricht. - -A few days later I had to go to Canne, a Belgian hamlet near the -frontier, south of Maastricht. In the evening of August 18th an -atrociously barbarous crime had been committed there, a cool-blooded -murder. At Canne live some good, kind Flemings, who would not hurt a -fly. The kind-hearted burgomaster had, moreover, tried for days to -comfort his fellow-citizens, and was for ever saying: - -"Leave everything to me; I'll invite them to have a glass of wine with -me, and you will see then that they are kind people." - -This he had done. Already for many days he had treated several officers -to his best claret. - -Tuesday night, August 18th, at about 11 o'clock, a train of luggage -carts passed through Canne, and in the village the Browning of one of -the soldiers in the last van went off suddenly. This was the signal -for all Germans to start shooting indiscriminately, anywhere, at -anything, happily without hitting anybody. A few tipsy soldiers went -to the burgomaster's house, and no sooner had his wife opened the door -for the barbarians, when a shot was fired, the bullet passing through -the unfortunate lady's head into the wall opposite the door. I was -there early the next morning and saw the hole. It is evident that the -soldiers ill-treated the dead lady with their rifles in a horrible -manner, for a large part of the wall was spattered over with blood. - -After having murdered the burgomaster's wife, the villains attacked a -guest, Mr. Derricks, a lawyer, and member of the Provincial States, -whom they killed with a bayonet. His wife broke a leg when she tried to -fly to the cellar. - -Mr. Derricks lived at Roelanche, but with his wife and seven children -had fled for security to Canne, where he was hospitably received in Mr. -Poswick's, the burgomaster's, house. - -When I got to the house everything was in a frightful state. A pair of -curtains showed traces of fire; cupboards had been emptied, and nearly -all the china and glass broken; statuary lay broken on the floor; -windows were smashed; bits of bricks and plaster from the ceilings, -through which many shots had been fired, completed the scene of -destruction. On the doorstep I picked up a cartridge-case, which I have -always kept, because it is highly probable that it had contained the -bullet which killed Mrs. Poswick. - -This terrible tragedy took place at scarcely six yards from the -Netherland frontier, for the burgomaster's house stands by a road -half Belgian and half Netherland. The Netherland soldiers who were -doing frontier-duty on the latter part had to fly from the mad shooting -of the Germans. They hid behind a wall that was quickly full of -bullet-holes. The German soldiers spent a considerable time guzzling -the burgomaster's wine, which they looted, and afterwards went off in -the direction of Tongres. - -It was stated later on that the German authorities punished the -culprits and had them executed at Aix-la-Chapelle; _De Tijd_ of August -31st, 1914, also reported it. But the action of these soldiers was -not worse than that of generals who had entire cities destroyed and -civilians killed by the hundred, but were always screened by the German -Government. - - * * * * * - -On Thursday, August 20th, I decided to go once more in the direction of -Tongres. As the Germans had picketed the main road along the Netherland -frontier, I made a detour and dragged my bicycle across the mountain -near Petit Laney, a very trying job in the stifling heat. From the -mountain top I had a beautiful vista, which enabled me to see that near -Riemst a large German force was encamped at which I desired to have -a look. So I walked down the hill to Canne, where some crofters were -trying to get their cattle into The Netherlands. These poor creatures, -who usually own two or three head of cattle, had been compelled already -to give up half of their stock. From Canne I cut through corn and -beetroot fields to the road to Riemst. The first German sentinels were -tolerably friendly. - -"Ah, so you are a Netherlander, aren't you? Then we are friends. The -Netherlands remains neutral, does she not? What news have you from -there; are you already at war with Britain?" - -These and similar questions were asked after a superficial examination -of my papers, and, having answered them, I was allowed to go on. But at -a certain moment an officer appeared, who summoned me to dismount, and -asked for my papers. After a short examination he ordered a soldier to -take me to the commanding officer at Riemst. - -The attitude of all the soldiers changed immediately; they looked at -me with angry eyes, and from time to time I heard hostile remarks. -Whenever I did not walk quickly enough or turned a little to the -right or the left, my escort pulled me roughly by the arm. All the -same I took the case as coolly as possible, fully convinced that the -commanding officer would release me after a superficial examination. - -At Riemst, the soldier took, or rather pummelled me into a large -farm-house, and soon I faced the bigwigs, who had made themselves -as comfortable as possible in a large room. Several pictures and -engravings lay on the ground in pieces, whilst numerous full and empty -wine-bottles indicated that they had abundantly worshipped at the -shrine of Bacchus, and intended to go on with the cult. The higher -officers and the subalterns seemed to be frantically busy; at least -they had violent discussions with many gesticulations over a map. The -soldier reported that he had brought me here by order of Lieutenant -Such--I did not catch the name--and then it began: - -"Who are you?" - -"I am...." - -"What do you want here--what are you here for?" - -"I am a Netherland jour...." - -"What! A Netherlander? I suppose you come to see how many troops are -here, don't you? And then...." - -"Please be good enough to have a look at my papers, and then...." - -"Papers? Papers? Yes, of course you all have papers; all those villains -who shot at our men at Visé come back from The Netherlands with papers, -in order to start afresh. Later on I'll have a look at that stuff. -Here, lock him up for the present." - -He pointed to a couple of soldiers, and they laid hold of me. They -took me to a small room, where I was astonished to find two soldiers -with revolvers guarding a priest and a peasant. As soon as the door -was closed behind me I wished to chat with my fellow-prisoners, for -even in prison I was not oblivious of my journalistic duties. But they -seemed not at all anxious to have anything to do with me, and I soon -understood the reason why. At each question they threw timid glances -at the two watch-dogs, and I saw that fear of these made them withhold -all information. However, after a good deal of trouble I got to know -that the priest was the parish priest, and his companion in misery -the burgomaster. They had been taken as hostages, and would suffer -punishment for acts the villagers might eventually commit against the -German usurpers. I contented myself with this, as I felt that in the -circumstances further questions might make things awkward for these two -men. - -What might happen next? Sitting on a chair in a corner of the room I -began to consider my position. For the moment it was not agreeable, -but by and by those officers might find time to look at my papers. The -only thing I bothered about was a map marked with the places where, -according to the latest news, the German and French armies were. I -kept it in an inside coat-pocket, and it might be found if they should -search me. - -I spent three hours in the small room with my silent companions. -At last I was called, and appeared once more before the casual -court-martial. - -"Very well, now give me those papers." - -Having got them, several officers examined my credentials, and their -faces showed that the horizon was a little clearer for me. - -"Oh, you are a journalist? And what came you here for?" - -"Well, sir, I wanted to follow, as far as the German Authorities -desire to allow it, the movements of the German armies, in order to -give reliable information to the Netherland public, who take a great -interest in your progress." - -"Indeed! And did you take notes already? Just let me have a look." - -The turn things took now was not quite to my liking, and I did not feel -very safe when I handed him my scribbling-pad. - -"I cannot read a word of it! Can you read it at all yourself? Yes? Oh, -but I cannot understand it. Translate some of it." - -That was a relief! I began to translate, taking the liberties to which -every translator is entitled. And I succeeded in making a favourable -impression by censoring my own manuscript. - -"Well, that is right enough. But, mind, don't say in your paper that -you found troops here, and especially avoid telling which troops." - -"Very well, sir." - -"Nor must you tell them that we detained you here. That was really -not our intention at all, but just now we had no time to examine your -papers." - -"All right, sir." - -"And what is the news in The Netherlands about the war?" - -"Well, sir, not much beyond what you are sure to know already: that -Japan declared war against Germany; that the Russians invaded Germany; -that the French gained some important victories in Alsace; that the -German fleet lost some ships...." - -"Oh, bosh! Stop it! These are, of course, all lies from Reuter; they -did not come from Wolff. Japan is not going to declare war against us; -much rather against Russia!" - -"Oh, but, sir, Wolff confirmed these reports." - -"Oh no! That is impossible, and, after all, we are not afraid of Japan -either. You had better write in your paper that we are not afraid of -anything excepting Montenegro. And you may also inform your readers -that it is better for Netherlanders not to cross the frontier, as we -are going to apply much stricter measures. For we have evidence that -those people from Visé and other villages who fled to The Netherlands -are returning with forged papers, in order to shoot at us. And now you -may go, but back to Maastricht at once." - -"But will you then please give me a pass, otherwise I may be detained -again on my way back." - -"Oh yes! You may have that!" - -And the commanding officer gave me a pass, on which this very same -colonel who had prohibited me to write in my paper what troops were at -Riemst, put a stamp on that pass, which contained the German eagle, and -besides this the words: "Royal Prussian 8, Reserve Infantry Regiment, -II Battalion." This confirmed what the rumours said, that the troops -who had passed through Visé and other places during the last days and -committed those atrocities there, were the reserves which had been -called up, among whom discipline is less strict than among the younger -men, who arrived in these districts during the earlier days. - -Although I had been commanded to return "at once" to Maastricht, I -succeeded in having a chat here and there with the inhabitants of -Riemst. I had visited the village about eight days ago, but what a -change! Then the people assured me that "die Duutschen"[2] were not so -bad after all, that they were compelled to do their duty, and were kind -to the inhabitants if these were kind to them. - -And at present? Every word expressed hate, profound hate, hardly -controlled. They trembled all over when they spoke in deep, inspiring -voices about "die Duutschen."[2] - -Everything of value had been stolen from them: horses, cows, sheep, -carts, bicycles, everything, everything!--only in some cases payment -was made with tickets, which might be cashed after the war. During the -night the German soldiers slept in the rooms, but the inhabitants--men, -women, children, babies and sick persons--they locked in barns and -cellars, which they boarded up. - -I was not allowed to return by bicycle, and left it at a café at the -crossing of the roads to Tongres and Riemst. A couple of days later the -Germans had already abstracted the tyres. - -The road to The Netherlands was strewn over with empty wine-bottles. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -LIÈGE AFTER THE OCCUPATION - - -NEXT day I was already back in Liège, where much was changed after my -last visit. The Germans went on terrorising the inhabitants, and these, -being extremely frightened, looked with suspicion at every stranger. -In the streets was the smoke of burning houses, especially from -Outre-Meuse. - -In every quarter I met Belgian refugees from the south, and -Netherlanders who wanted to escape to their safe native country. The -Liège people themselves were not allowed to leave. - -Nearly every hour another proclamation was posted; and this made the -people still more nervous. One of them brought the information that -the province of Liège had to pay a war-tax of fifty million francs. -Another forbade the people to be out in the streets after six o'clock -p.m.; the doors must remain open, the windows show the lights. Burning -and shooting were threatened if any more arms should be found, and all -houses were to be searched. - -Many shops were closed on account of lack of stock, as everything had -been requisitioned, and as yet no traffic was allowed to bring in fresh -provisions. All this bother made the inhabitants discontented, but -frightened them at the same time; they grumbled and whispered, and -looked about with malicious, flaming eyes, but in mortal fear. - -Labourers were called up to assist in reinforcing the conquered forts -on the left bank of the Meuse, the forts which by and by might be used -to shell their fellow-countrymen, in case the Germans should be forced -to retire. Nobody will have offered himself for this work voluntarily, -the less so as the proclamation wound up as follows:-- - - "Des ouvriers volontaires seront embauchés à partir du 21 Août sur - la rive gauche de la Meuse, où on fera connaître les conditions - détaillées": - - ("Voluntary workmen will be enrolled from August 21st on the left - bank of the Meuse, where details of the conditions will be made - known.") - -The streets and squares where the high military officers had -established themselves were closed by cordons of soldiers, and nobody -was allowed to pass them. - -The town was entirely shut off from war- and other news. - -I informed a few priests of the Pope's death, which had been known in -The Netherlands for several days. They knew nothing about it, and asked -whether I had any proof by me. I gave them _De Tijd_ printed with a -black border, and armed with this document they went to communicate the -sad news to the Right Reverend Rutten, bishop of Liège. - -I also brought consternation to the nunnery at which my cousin -lives by this same report of the Holy Father's demise; and the good -dear Sisters roamed through the passages, wringing their hands and -repeating: "Le Pape est mort!--le Pape est mort!" ("The Pope is dead!") - -I met a doctor at this nunnery, who told me highly important news, -but in whispers, because in these days "even walls have ears": the -Allies had gained great victories over the Germans. As he saw by the -expression of my face that I did not believe off-hand all he told, he -became still more impressive in manner, and produced a paper, from -which he recited:-- - - "Great German defeat at Libramont--nine thousand prisoners taken." - - "In Alsace the French are near the Rhine." - - "The Russians advanced fifty miles into East Prussia." - -In the same way the list went on for a goodly length, and he became -actually angry when even then I refused to believe everything. He was -especially pleased with the account of the victory near Libramont. He -had a friend, also a physician, who had been compelled by the Germans -to go with them in the medical service, and this friend had told him -this himself. It was remarkable that educated, superior persons could -become so narrow-minded in times like these, and believed anything -simply because they hoped that it might be true. - -The town was full of soldiers, and I had great trouble to find -lodgings. "Tout est pris par les Allemands" ("Everything is taken by -the Germans") was the answer I got everywhere, with the result that I -was still hunting for a bedroom after six o'clock, although nobody was -then allowed in the streets. I was stopped at every turn, and after -explaining my case got a hint to hurry up. - -At last I found an hotel, where I could have a small garret, -against which arrangement I had not the slightest objection in the -circumstances. The café downstairs looked rather peculiar, with a great -number of looking-glasses, and ladies with powdered faces. These seemed -not averse to closer relations with me, but when I pretended not to -understand a single word of French, they soon gave it up, and showed no -further desire for my friendship. But I could see quite well that they -discussed the question whether I was a German officer or a spy? - -I went to bed early, for that day I had again walked from Maastricht to -Liège. My little bedroom was quite in the roof of the house, and had -evidently been used by a servant. - -About midnight I was roused by an infernal noise in the street. People -yelled and screamed most fearfully, and I heard rifle-shots also. - -I felt not the slightest inclination to go and see what was the matter, -but I stretched myself and yawned, feeling much more tired after a -couple of hours' rest than when I went to bed. The uproar went on, and -suddenly I thought that I also heard a hubbub in the café downstairs. -And, really, it came ever nearer. People rushed up and down the stairs, -screamed and yelled, doors were banged, in short it was as if they were -pulling down the house. - -Very sleepy, I went on listening ... listening ... probably until I -fell asleep again, for I cannot remember what happened after. - -I woke up in the morning, and when going downstairs saw that the -doors of all the rooms stood open, and everything inside was in great -disorder. In the café tables and chairs were overturned, and broken -looking-glasses lay on the floor. The front door was also open, and I -walked away. - -And now the explanation? During the night the Germans had started -house-to-house searches, and wherever the doors were not opened quickly -enough, the soldiers began to shoot. The inhabitants were then driven -into the street amid loud screams and cries. It was also said that some -persons had been shot. - -By what accident had I not been disturbed? The height, perhaps, at -which my miserable little garret-room was situated. - -The hotel where I stayed that night was called _Hôtel de la Paix_; an -hotel of peace, indeed! - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -LOUVAIN DESTROYED - - -As soon as I heard about the horrors that took place at Louvain, I -hastened to try and get there to find out, if possible, by personal -observation the truth of the numberless conflicting stories that would -undoubtedly grow up from the facts. I expected that the situation -round about the town would be rather critical, and decided to proceed -cautiously. It is rather a long stretch of nearly forty-five miles, but -I succeeded in getting to Louvain in the afternoon. - -The road itself had prepared me already in some degree for the horrors -I should find there. All the villages through which I passed, excepting -Tongres and the townlets of St. Trond, Borgloon, and Tirlemont, were -for the greater part burned down or shelled into ruins. The German -troops, who had been stoutly resisted during their march through -St. Trond and Tirlemont, had attacked in a great rage the civilian -population. They set the houses on fire and aimed their rifles at the -terror-stricken civilians who fled from them. The men were nearly all -killed, but women and children were shot as well. - -On the road from Borgloon to Thienen I had a chat with an old crone, -who stood weeping by the ruins of her miserable little cottage, which -she refused to leave. This little house, which strenuous zeal had -enabled her to buy, was all she possessed on earth besides her two -sons, both fallen through the murderous lead of those barbarians, -and buried in the little garden at the back of their ruined home. Of -another family, living close by, the father and two sons were murdered -in the same way. - -Between Thienen and Louvain I met endless trains of refugees, exactly -like those I had seen already near Visé, Liège, and other places. These -also carried their wretched bundles, and children and young people did -their utmost to encourage and support their elders on their arduous -path. All these people saluted me in a cringing, timid manner, nodding -smilingly and taking off their caps already from afar. - -I saw some extremely poor people, very old and stiff, to whom walking -was nearly impossible. A Bavarian soldier escorted them. He had his -rifle slung across his back and in both hands carried the luggage of -the unfortunate creatures. He seemed to have come a long way already, -for he looked tired, and the perspiration ran down his face. Although -it is only natural to assist one's fellow-creatures, this scene touched -me, for hitherto I had seen the Germans commit rough, inhuman deeds -only. - -I noticed the smell of fire already several miles from Louvain. On -both sides of the road small mounds indicated the graves of soldiers -who fell during the brave resistance of the Belgians before Louvain. -A small wooden cross and some pieces of accoutrement were the only -decorations. Carcases of horses were lying in the fields, from which -came a disagreeable smell. - -The town was on fire, and ruddy smoke hovered over it. Deserted like a -wilderness, not a soul moved in the streets. The first street I entered -was the Rue de la Station. Large, imposing mansions used to stand -here, but the devouring fire consumed even the last traces of former -greatness. - -All houses were on fire, and every now and then walls fell down with -a roar of thunder, shrouding the greater part of the street in a -thick cloud of suffocating smoke and dust. Sometimes I had to run to -escape from the filthy mass. On several walls an order was written -in chalk directing the men to come to the market-place to assist in -extinguishing the fire, and the women to stay indoors. As soon as the -order had been obeyed the Germans drove the men from the market to the -station, where they were packed in trucks like cattle. - -Farther on in the Rue de la Station lay nine rotting carcases of -horses, the intestines oozing from the bodies, and a greasy substance -was poured over their skin. The stench was unbearable and made -breathing nearly impossible, which compelled me to jump on my bicycle -and escape as quickly as possible from the pestilential surroundings. - -The sun was already setting, and became still redder, making still more -abominable and more infernal the glare of the burning town. Nobody -moved about in this abode of death. - -I roamed about aimlessly in a scorching heat. Whither? I did not -know myself. I did not know Louvain and met nobody whom I might ask -something. I came near a couple of streets that were only ruins; the -walls collapsed against each other and filled the roadway with rubbish, -so that sometimes I could not see whether I walked on or beside the -place where the houses used to stand. - -Bicycling was of course out of the question; I shouldered my bicycle -and stepped across the glowing cinders, which singed my soles. One spot -could still be recognised as a street corner. Three soldiers emerged -there suddenly and aimed at me with their rifles. - -I explained who I was, and was then allowed to come nearer. They were -drunk, and with glassy eyes talked about francs-tireurs, the friendship -Germans felt for Netherlanders, and so on. One of them entered the -still burning corner house and returned with three bottles of wine, one -a bottle of Champagne; corks were drawn and one of the bottles handed -to me. First I said that I never took wine, then that the doctor had -forbidden it; it was of no use. The fellow who held the bottle in front -of me got nasty, and shouted: - -"If you don't drink with us you are not our friend." At the same time -he beat the ground with his rifle-butt and, willy-nilly, I had to drink. - -Suddenly several shots sounded in the neighbourhood. The three took -their rifles and looked round, somewhat scared. They assured me that -they would protect me. If there had been occasion for it, it would have -been against their own comrades, for a troop of soldiers came sailing -along, swinging about their rifles and shooting at the burning houses -as they walked on, without rhyme or reason, anyhow and anywhere. These -were drunk also. At last I was able to shake off my "friends," and got -through another street into the market-place, at the town-hall and St. -Peter's Church. The beautiful town-hall happily was not destroyed, as -the first reports intimated, but St. Peter's had been damaged most -cruelly. The spire had disappeared, the roof collapsed, windows broken, -the altar burned, the pulpit badly damaged, and so forth. The two -last-named parts were fine works of art. - -For the rest most houses in the market-place were on fire. Soldiers -were billeted on one of the corner houses, and I was of course detained -there, but released again, after having been requested to show up the -francs-tireurs. I had to consider also where I might pass the night in -this burning city? I asked an officer's consent to stay the night with -the soldiers. He gave his permission if I could get the consent of the -commanding officer, whom I might find at the station; he told me that -he was sure to grant it. - -Before I got there I passed the Halls of Louvain, the building that -contained the world-famous library, with its numerous art-treasures. -Only the outer walls were left standing, inside it was all ruins. All -was reduced to dust, to miserable rubbish, and never will one single -page be recovered of all those thousands of burned manuscripts. - -I was greatly astonished to see a little old man sitting by his -house, while all those in the neighbourhood were burning. His own -dwelling had escaped without much damage, and was only hit by rifle -bullets. He told me that his family had fled, his son with wife and all -children but one, a small boy. At length he left also, but had lost -his way outside the town, and returned to his house, where the Germans -"allowed" him to remain. I considered that I might after all sleep -better in that house than yonder among the soldiers, and asked the -little man whether he would put me up for the night. He did not object -at all; but in spite of my pressing, he refused absolutely to accept -any payment. - -"But," he said, "but perhaps you brought some bread with you to eat on -the road, and I should like to have a piece of that ... not for myself -... but for my grandchild; we had nothing to eat all day long, and the -little boy is so ... is so hungry." - -The poor man wept, and, although I had taken with me no more than two -pieces of bread-and-butter, which I had not touched yet, I could not -bear the sight of these poor, hungry things, and handed over to them my -food. - -As I passed a Red Cross Hospital, partly spared, I noticed a Flemish -doctor, who first looked at me from the door held ajar, and then came -nearer; a strapping young fellow with a black beard. After I had made -myself known as a Netherlander, he was clearly surprised, and it seemed -as though he had a lot to ask or to tell. I expected to hear a torrent -of abuse against the Huns, who had destroyed everything, and murdered -so many innocent people, or a lament about the valuable treasures of -the library, which also had not been spared; but no, other thoughts -occupied his mind. With a slightly trembling voice he asked: - -"Ah well, you come from The Netherlands; tell me whether it is true -that you have let the Germans through, allowing them to ravish us? Tell -me whether this is true?" - -The man became quite excited, and took hold of my sleeve. He -looked me straight in the face, as if he wanted to find out by the -expression of my eyes whether I spoke the truth. I could easily stand -the scrutinising look, for I knew too well how utterly false those -suspicions were. So I replied with great emphasis: - -"I know that those rumours have been spread about, but also that they -were contradicted by Belgian officials. I know also, and can affirm it -from my own personal observation, that there is not a single word of -truth in those accusations, for I passed the early days of the war in -the district where the fight was going on." - -The good man's face became quite cheerful, he grasped my hand, deeply -moved, and, pressing it warmly, said: - -"Ah, well, I am sincerely glad to hear that. You cannot believe what -awful sorrow it gave us, Flemings, when we heard that the Netherlanders -were conspiring with the Germans." - -The doctor now became more communicative on other matters. According to -him the Germans contended that the inhabitants had been shooting from -windows and cellars, in order to prevent the garrison from assisting -their comrades, who were fighting a battle against the Belgians at -a distance of about four miles and a half from the town. Such an -organised action of the inhabitants, under the tyrannical rule of -the Germans during the eight days before the destruction, he called -impossible, and therefore the whole accusation absurd. At any rate -they had felt that the destruction was coming, and had been planned -systematically, for during those eight days the Germans had plundered -the population, and taken from them all bread, even what they required -to feed themselves. - -To avenge this alleged shooting by civilians the fires had been kindled -in the houses, maxims placed in the streets, women and children beaten, -men imprisoned or murdered. - -The discovery by the Germans of so-called depôts of Belgian rifles, -each rifle labelled with the name of a citizen, was a gigantic -"misunderstanding." Already before the Germans occupied the town the -burgomaster had issued an order that all arms should be delivered. The -inhabitants had obeyed, and the rifles were provided with a card so -that each might be returned to the lawful owner after the war. This -collection of arms has been used by the Germans as evidence of an -organised revolt of the citizens. - -When I told the doctor that I had to go to the station, he explained to -me how I could get there without walking across red hot cinders, and -I followed his advice. I walked through quarters which used to be the -pride of the city, but were now turned into heaps of rubbish. - -They made also sad havoc of the Boulevard de Namur. Many mansions of -the aristocracy had been destroyed and many people killed. There were -corpses still lying on the Boulevard as I passed, all in a state of -decay. The smell was unbearable and the sight loathsome, especially -when I saw several drunken soldiers insulting the bodies of these -unfortunate people. - -In the flowerbeds in front of the station many corpses had been -buried, especially those of soldiers who had been killed in the fight -near Louvain. The station itself was well guarded, but, thanks to -my passport and resolute manner, I gained admission and was finally -ushered into the presence of the man who is responsible for the -destruction of Louvain, Von Manteuffel. - -I had expected to meet a terrible creature, but must admit that he was -as kind as possible. As soon as he had learned from my papers that I -was a Netherland journalist, he jumped up and stood in the attitude -as though he saw in me the personification of the Kaiser. He already -probably felt the pangs of remorse, and now wanted to try and justify -himself as far as possible in the eyes of the public. - -He stated that the cause of the destruction was the necessity of -punishment, because Belgian soldiers in civilian dress had stayed -behind in Louvain, waiting to attack the German army from behind at the -first favourable opportunity. They thought that their chance had come -when for a short time the German troops had to be withdrawn from the -fortified camp of Antwerp to take their share in a fight near Louvain. -Von Manteuffel thought that by attacking the troops in the town the -Belgians hoped to prevent the Louvain garrison from assisting their -comrades. - -He did not seem to mind much the destruction of the Halls with -their world-famous wealth of books; anyway he spoke about it in an -unconcerned tone. But he seemed to attach great importance to the -safety of the town-hall. He said that when the buildings adjoining the -town-hall began to burn, he had them blown up in order to keep the fire -away from the beautiful monument. - -As darkness was coming on I asked him whether it was not dangerous to -pass the night in the house of that little old man, whom I mentioned -above. He saw nothing dangerous in it, as by far the greater part of -the town was deserted, and no attack need be feared. - -So I thought that I might chance it. The house was some distance from -the station, near the railway line; opposite stood a sort of goods -station guarded by six soldiers. Before entering the house I had a -chat with them, for I thought that if I explained my position and told -them that the commanding officer gave me permission to pass the night -in that house, I should be much safer if anything should happen during -the night, because they knew then that they had to deal with a neutral -journalist. They might moreover warn me should the fire that was -raging all around reach that house. So I told the whole story to these -fellows, who were also more than half drunk, showed them my passports, -gave them some cigars, and after a friendly chat went to the old man -who was to put me up for the night. - -There was of course no gas lit, and there was no paraffin lamp in -the house. I was shown to my room by the dim light of a candle. The -old man could hardly get up the stairs, as he was trembling all over -in consequence of the days passed in fear and dread. The ceiling of -my bedroom had been pierced by bullets, and the fragments covered -nearly the whole of the bed, which had not been made after it was last -used. The unaccustomed work of stripping and making the bed was soon -finished, and I was hardly ready when a soldier entered at the door, -which had to be left open by order, and shouted from the bottom of the -staircase that I was not allowed to have a light, and must blow out my -candle. - -I was soon fast asleep, tired out by my bicycle ride of that day of -about forty-five miles, and my wanderings through Liège. But my rest -was not to be a long one. At about ten o'clock I was awakened by a -great noise on the stairs, and was surprised to see six armed soldiers -in my room. That is not exactly a pleasant manner of waking up after so -short a sleep. They informed me in a gruff voice that I had to get up, -to dress and follow them. As I obeyed the order, I asked what gave me -this unexpected honour; but they refused to enlighten me on that point. - -After I had dressed in their presence, they searched all my pockets, -and felt all over my body to find out whether I had any arms concealed -about me. Then three soldiers went downstairs, I had to follow these, -and the other three came in the rear. I did not understand at all of -what capital crime I was suspected which made it necessary to have me -arrested by six soldiers armed to the teeth. - -We waited in the street for two of the soldiers who went to fetch the -old man. After waiting a good while the poor wretch appeared between -them. He wept profusely, and between his loud sobs affirmed repeatedly -that he was innocent, that he did not know me, that I told him I was -a Netherland journalist, and so on, and so on: "Oh, gentlemen!--oh, -gentlemen!" he exclaimed, "I must not leave my little boy ... my -laddie; ... he is quite alone.... Oh, let me go!" ... - -I pitied him from the bottom of my heart, and tried to console him by -remarking that it was all a misunderstanding, and that I would see to -it that he would soon be released. - -"Come now quietly," I said; "so much the sooner you will be back with -your laddie." - -But he did not take any notice of all my exhortations and was entirely -impervious to them in his grief. So I went to the station side by side -with the weeping man, and surrounded by the six soldiers. The crackle -of the flames, the sound of collapsing houses seemed more terrifying -in the night than in day-time, and now and again I got a shock when -suddenly, by the uncertain light of the flames, I saw the corpse of a -civilian lying in the dark shade of the tall trees on the Boulevard. - -Whenever our escort fancied that they saw something, they stopped and -called out to the supposed approaching persons: "Who goes there?" -Sometimes it was only some shrubs that they saw; at other times -patrolling German soldiers. "Parole?" was asked: "Duisburg!" and -after that answer they came nearer. At the station I was taken to an -officer who sat at a table on the platform and had lit up his nearest -surroundings by means of a paraffin-lamp. My little old man wept now so -badly that he was quite unmanageable, and the officer made up his mind -to get rid of him as quickly as possible. - -"Tell me, father," he began, "did you allow this man by your side to -stay the night at your house?" - -"Oh ... oh ... let me ... go to my laddie ... let me go ... oh ... -oh...." - -"Yes, all right, you may go, but we only want you to tell us what you -know of this man." - -"Oh--oh ... I don't understand you ... let me go ... my little boy -... we have nothing to eat ... we are innocent ... I do not know the -gentleman ... oh ... oh!" - -I took the liberty to explain to the officer that the man did not -understand him, and stated that he did not know me. - -"Then, why did you want to stay at the man's house?--what brought you -here?" - -Thus my examination opened. I told him everything from beginning to -end, also that the commanding officer had given me permission to stay -at that house, that I had shown my papers to the soldiers at the goods -station opposite the house, and that I did not understand why I should -be put to all this inconvenience. - -He explained to me that one of those soldiers accused me of ... spying -and arson. He had thought to recognise in me a person who had asked him -that afternoon whether he was ... a Belgian or a German soldier, and -whom he had also seen escaping from a factory which was in full blaze a -moment later. - -Highly indignant, I claimed of course that that soldier should also be -called; but I was told that I had better assume a more modest tone. I -then asked to be taken to the commanding officer, whom I had seen that -afternoon; but he was away on inspection or something, and would not -return before the next morning. - -After this the officer examined my papers carefully one by one, and had -to admit that they were in perfect order. Still, he had no authority to -take a decision before I had been seen by the commanding officer. - -The old man was allowed to go home, escorted by the same soldiers. At -the very moment that he was about to leave, I happened to notice on -the platform a gigantic heap of loaves, brought in by train for the -soldiers. - -"Do you know," I asked the officer, "that this old man and his -grandchild are starving? He put me up because I gave him a couple of -pieces of bread-and-butter for the child." He looked at me somewhat -crossly, but inquired all the same whether my information was -correct, and then gave the old man two loaves, which dried his tears -immediately, and for which he thanked the donor in a quivering voice. - -Two soldiers now took everything I had in my pockets, even my watch and -my purse. This brought also to light a German map of Belgium, with a -stamp "For military use only." I was told in a gruff voice that this -was a highly suspicious thing, and that they could not understand how -it got into my possession. I replied quite coolly that I had bought the -thing in Aix-la-Chapelle for one mark, where it could be had in many -shops, and that the words "For the military only" merely revealed the -shrewd German commercial instinct, which knows that people always like -to possess things which are not meant for them. - -I believe that this made him angry; at least he ordered me to take off -my shoes also, and their inside was carefully examined. - -I was now escorted to a spot where on some straw several soldiers were -sleeping, who had to do sentry-go at two o'clock that night. It was a -part of the platform which was not even roofed, and entirely under the -open sky. But they anyway had straw to lie on, and sufficient cover, -but I had to lie down between them on the flags, without any blanket. A -separate sentry was commanded to watch me; every two hours another was -charged with the task. I was allowed to try and sleep, with the warning -that I should be shot at the slightest attempt to escape. - -It was a chilly night, and a dense heavy fog made it impossible to see -anything.... My "bed-fellows" raged and fumed at me, saying that I was -one of those villains who had treacherously shot at them. I shivered -from the cold, and felt, as it were, the dampness of the wet stone -floor entering my system. - -While all the others were denouncing me, one soldier was ready to -believe that I was a peaceful foreign journalist, and that all the -misunderstanding would disappear the next morning as soon as I should -be taken to the commanding officer. He took pity on me, and got a thick -soldier's coat for me as cover. I still feel grateful to the man for -it! But sleep was out of the question on that wet floor, in the dense -fog. When the guard was changed and soldiers came back, or others went, -they could not see in the dark where they went, and treated me to a -kick against my head or some other part of my body. - -It was a fantastic night. Trains arrived out of the foggy darkness, -their screeching whistle resounding from the far distance, and when -they steamed into the station a storm of noise arose. All these trains -brought British prisoners of war, captured by the Germans at St. -Quentin, and hundreds of German soldiers escorted the trains, which -were all covered over with green branches, and looked like copse-wood -sliding along the railroad. As soon as they rumbled into the station -the escorts sang loudly their patriotic songs, and "Germany before all -other!" ("Deutschland über Alles!") vibrated through the fog. - -The soldiers lying round about me, and those in other parts of the -station, got up, shouting, "There are the British," and ran towards -the arriving trains. They jeered at the beaten enemies in all sorts of -vulgar and filthy words, which made the German enthusiasm absolutely -lacking in chivalry. Eight trains with captured British arrived during -that night. - -At seven o'clock in the morning I was taken to the commanding officer, -and was glad to see him again. He jumped up immediately and came to me -with a charming smile, when I pointed to my escort and explained that I -was a prisoner. - -He flushed red with anger, and asked the sergeant what it all meant. -The latter told the story and I filled in some details. - -He showed the most profound indignation, and offered his apologies with -lively gestures. He said that my papers proved quite clearly that I was -a Netherland journalist. He declined to allow any further examination, -and gave the peremptory order that everything that had been taken away -from me should be returned at once. When I had put everything in my -pockets, he asked: - -"Have they given you back everything?" - -"Yes, sir," I replied, "excepting my pocket-knife." - -"Where is that knife?" Von Manteuffel asked the sergeant who had -fetched my belongings. - -"But that is a weapon, general!" - -"Return that knife at once!" - -The general expatiated once more on the francs-tireurs of Louvain, and -asked me to explain in my papers without fail that the citizens had -to thank themselves for what had happened. The sergeant who had taken -me to him was ordered to escort me, that I might not have any further -trouble with the soldiers in the city. - -I started on my return journey to The Netherlands sick to death. The -consequences of lying on that wet floor made themselves badly felt, -and besides being quite stiff and chilly, my interior was badly out of -order. - -Many refugees returned to Louvain that morning simply driven by -hunger. I myself lived still on the breakfast I had at Maastricht on -the previous day, and badly wanted something to eat, but still more -a cup of hot coffee, to warm my chilled body. I was able to get the -coffee--without milk or sugar--from a peasant along the road, but food -was out of the question. Most of the people had nothing left, others -saved a piece of bread as hard as a brick for the moment when hunger -might drive them to extreme distress. Whatever sums I offered, nothing -could be had before I came to Tirlemont, where I was able to buy three -eggs. - -I had a rather amusing meeting at Tongres, with a Netherland colleague, -who was on his way to Louvain. - -"Where do you come from?" was his first question. - -"From Louvain!" - -"Have you been there already? I am going there too. How are things -there?" - -"Have you got anything for me to eat?" I asked, not heeding his words. - -I said it quite innocently, without any other desire beyond that of -taking off the edge of my really trying hunger. But the effect of my -question was surprising indeed. He looked at me dumbfounded, and asked: - -"But where did you stay then during the night?" - -"I have been arrested." - -"And did you not get anything to eat?" - -"No!" - -He was back in The Netherlands before me. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -LOUVAIN UNDER THE MAILED FIST - - -THE next day at Maastricht I tried to cure the evil results of that -night on the damp floor in Louvain by eating great quantities of rice -and drinking much cocoa with liberal doses of cinnamon, but as it was -of no avail, I started again the next morning. - -The majority of the refugees returning to Louvain belonged to the -lower classes, and they began to loot and plunder the town, encouraged -thereto by the German soldiers, who threw the things into the streets, -and said: "Take it, if you like!" In extenuation of the looting and -plundering I might say that the poor wretches tried before all to get -hold of half-burned eatables. - -During my first visit I estimated the number of civilian victims at -about eighty. This number turned out to be larger, as many during the -second fire fled to their cellars, exits of which were however choked -up by the collapsing walls. The corpses of numerous suffocated citizens -were found in these cellars. - -At many monasteries I heard painful details of the treatment suffered -by priests. The majority were made prisoners, and many were tied to -trees during a whole night and afterwards released. Several were -killed. I heard, for example, at the convent of the Jesuits that -a student of theology, Eugène Dupiereux, had been murdered, simply -because he was found to have kept a diary of the war in which he had -expressed a rather unfavourable opinion about the Germans. In the same -manner two Josephite brothers were murdered, who later on were found to -be Germans; of other priests who had been killed, the names were not -yet known. - -Many clerical gentlemen connected with the University had been -ill-treated in the most atrocious manner. The architect Lenertz, a -native of Luxemburg, also connected with the University, had been shot, -for no reason at all, before the eyes of his wife at the moment that he -left the house. And Louvain was so effectively cut off from the outer -world that in most convents I was asked whether the rumour was true -that the Pope was dead! And at that time his successor had already been -appointed. - -I succeeded in laying my hands on an original copy of a proclamation -that ought not to have been posted before the following day. I took the -document with me to The Netherlands, and it is of special interest, -because in it the Germans admit to have tyrannised the people, and -to have not only burned Louvain, but also ransacked the town. The -proclamation had been drawn up in concert with the German authorities -and was approved by them. It was in French and in Flemish, and read as -follows: - - "PROCLAMATION - - _"To the inhabitants of the City of Louvain_ - - "We have in vain visited our municipal representatives. The last - of them, Alderman Schmidt, who was prevented from fulfilling his - office, surrendered to us the municipal power on August 30th. - - "I believe that it is my duty to take that task upon me, assisted - by some well-known burgesses, who have undertaken to stand by me. - - "In agreement with the German Military authority I invite the - inhabitants of Louvain to return to the city, and to take up again - their usual occupations. - - "The orders issued by Monsieur Collins remain valid. - - "I mention more especially:-- - - "1. That it is prohibited to be out of doors after seven o'clock - (Belgian time) in the evening. - - "2. That all who are in possession of any arms, of whatever - description, or any munition must at once deliver everything at the - town-hall. - - "3. That everything that may appear hostile to the German army must - be avoided with the utmost care. - - "_The German military authority have promised us that on these - conditions no further burning and looting shall take place and that - the population shall no longer be threatened or embarrassed._ - - "We are engaged now most actively upon the re-establishment of the - municipal services: Police, Municipal Register, and the Services of - the Canals, which services will all be reopened as soon as possible. - - "The police service will be performed in the daytime by some - volunteers, who will wear an armlet in the municipal colours, and - an identity card, both officially stamped. Well-minded persons, - who are willing to perform these duties, are urgently requested to - present themselves at the town-hall to-day at four o'clock in the - afternoon. - - "The acting burgomaster, A. NERINCX. - - "The town-clerk, EUG. MARGUERY. - - "The committee of burgesses! DR. BOINE, _Pastor_ CLAES, DR. P. - DEBAISIEUX, DR. DECONINCK, CH. DE LA VALLÉE-POUSSIN, MONSEIGNEUR - DEPLOIGNE, P. HELLEPUTTE, A. THIERY, DR. TITS, L. VERHELST, V. - VINGEROEDT. - - "LOUVAIN, - "_September 1st_, 1914." - -Pastor Claes, mentioned in the above proclamation, has done very much -for the miserable Louvain population; they owe him especially much -gratitude for an act of devotion with regard to the murdered victims. - -In the immediate neighbourhood of the railway station a house was -being built, of which only the foundations were laid. The place showed -nothing beyond a huge cavity. I had noticed already several times that -there was an atrocious stench near the station, which at last became -unendurable. Pastor Claes, who courageously entered all destroyed -houses to look for the dead, had discovered the victims also in this -place. In the cave just mentioned he found sixteen corpses of burghers, -two priests among them. In order to remove them from the street the -Germans had simply thrown them into that cave, without covering the -corpses in any way. They had been lying there for days, and were -decaying rapidly. - -I witnessed Pastor Claes's labours for a moment only, for the smell was -unbearable even at a somewhat considerable distance. The good pastor -persevered in the work after having started it, with the assistance -of some faithful helpers, who all of them had sealed their mouths -with a sponge soaked in some disinfectant. The corpses were taken -from the cave, money and documents put away in separate bags, and the -unfortunate owners coffined and blessed. - -During the next days I found a hospitable domicile at the convent of -the Sacred Heart on the Namur Canal ("Naamsche Vest"). It is a seminary -for missionaries, and when I went to them for the first time I had -a letter from their head, the "provincial" in The Netherlands, who -sent the order that all the theological students should be transferred -to The Netherlands as quickly as possible. They received me with the -greatest kindness, and ever since I enjoyed their hospitality. - -A short time after the destruction I was even obliged to accept it for -a whole week, as on the same day on which I arrived in Louvain for -another visit there was renewed fighting round the town. The Belgians -had advanced as far as Rotselair, where the next day they held their -ground against overwhelmingly superior numbers; but at last they had -to retire, leaving a great many dead behind. The Belgians had even got -on to the road Tirlemont-Louvain, and blown up the railway line in two -places. - -On that occasion the Germans arrested me at about two miles from -Tirlemont. Firstly, because I travelled by bicycle, and secondly, -because I was accused of having "cooked" one of my passports. - -This was so far true that I had altered the dates of a passport, -which allowed me to stay in Louvain from September 6th till the 14th, -into the 8th and the 16th. When taken to the commanding officer in -Tirlemont, I convinced him so thoroughly of my complete innocence, that -the next day I was allowed to go on to Louvain. - -There the German authorities detained me for a full week, by -prohibiting me to return: "for the sake of your own safety," they told -me courteously. During the day I was busy enough, and in the evenings I -enjoyed the pleasant company of the three fathers of the Sacred Heart -who had remained in the mission house, and with whose photographic -instrument I took many a snapshot of the Louvain ruins. - -The mission house had become a sanctuary for a good many people. -As bread was lacking, two brothers fried pancakes all day long and -distributed them among the numberless persons who asked for food. Among -these were people who a few days earlier belonged to the well-to-do, -but who saw their business, in which often more than their own capital -was invested, wrecked by fire, and were now obliged to appeal to the -charity of these monks. Indeed during the first weeks after that -terrible event many starved, and I assisted often at the distribution -of the pancakes, because they were short-handed. - -In this grand old monastery, both inside and out a jewel of -architecture, about five hundred people had found shelter. They were -lodged in halls, rooms, and kitchens. The fathers gave them everything -in the way of food they might require, but they had to do their own -cooking. As not one of these people had a home left, which they could -call their own, no wonder that they greatly admired the fathers. Often -when I strolled about with one of these, one or other of the refugees -came to him to press his hand and express gratitude for the hospitality -offered. - -In this way I got into conversation with a middle-aged lady. Her -husband had been shot, and she got a bullet in her arm, which had to be -amputated in consequence. The poor creature had lost all courage, and -lived on her nerves only. It was remarkable to hear this father find -the right words, and succeed in making her calm and resigned. Before -she left us, she had promised that for her children's sake she would do -all in her power to control herself. - -During the week of my compulsory stay in Louvain I had also the -privilege of making the acquaintance of two brave compatriots; I mean -Professor Noyons and his wife. - -They never left Louvain. On August 25th information was sent to the Leo -XIII Institution for Philosophy, a building turned into a hospital, -that a hundred wounded men might be expected towards evening. That -evening began the wild shooting and burning of houses by the Germans, -and soon a large number of wounded was taken to the Institution. -Suddenly Professor Noyons recognised one of his servants among the -wounded who were brought to him for treatment. She had three bullets -in her side. After having bandaged her wounds, he hurried away to his -house, in order to see what had happened. - -He thought that it was sufficiently protected by the immense Red Cross -flag, and the words written on the door by the Germans themselves: -"Professor Noyons, Netherland physician, to be spared." But he had been -mistaken. The soldiers did not respect anything, and had forced an -entry into the house, wounded that servant, and then wrecked everything -in the most scandalous manner. Beautiful large Japanese jars had been -smashed to pieces, valuable furniture damaged by knocking and breaking -large pieces out of it with rifles and bayonets. A fine carpet was -burned, as well as many pieces of furniture. A hole was burned even in -the floor. - -Professor Noyons took me over the house and showed me the destruction. -Bullets had been lodged in the inner walls after piercing the windows -and on a level with the windows. By lengthening the line of trajection -one found that the bullets must have been fired at a distance of nearly -six hundred yards, which proves that the Germans simply fired at random. - -As Professor Noyons heard that other hospitals, churches, and ancient -buildings were not spared either, he went to the commanding officer -through the rain of bullets, clad in his white overalls, to claim -protection for everything that lawfully displayed the Red Cross -flag, and to request that churches, convents, ancient buildings, and -especially the town-hall should be spared. It is only owing to his -intervention that not much more was destroyed in Louvain. - -On the Thursday of the week of destruction the inhabitants were -notified that they had to leave the town, but Professor Noyons and his -wife decided to stay on, as they could not leave the one hundred and -fifty wounded men who were laid up at the Institution. - -They carried all those patients into the cellars on stretchers, and -there waited with the nursing staff for the bombardment that had been -announced, but never came off. - -Professor Noyons took me all over the hospital, and if I should -describe all I saw and heard there, that story alone would fill -volumes. He took me, for example, to a boy of eight years old, whose -shoulder was shattered by rifle-shots. His father and mother, four -little brothers and a sister, had been murdered. The boy himself was -saved because they thought that he was dead, whereas he was only -unconscious. When I asked for his parents, brothers and sister, he put -up his one hand and, counting by his little fingers, he mentioned their -names. - -There lay also a woman, with one leg amputated. Her husband had been -murdered, another bullet had entered the leg of the baby in her arms. -Another woman had her child murdered in her arms. - -Women and children had frequently been ill-treated in a most atrocious -manner, aged and sick people were dragged out of the houses, and flung -down in the street. This happened, for example, to an old man, who lay -dying in his cellar. In spite of the supplications of his wife and two -sons, he was flung on the cobbles, where he died soon. The sons were -taken prisoners and sent away. His widow assists at present nursing -other unfortunates at Professor Noyons' hospital. - -A paralysed woman who had also been flung into the street was nursed -at the hospital, and lay with many others in the chapel of the -Institution, which had been turned into a ward. - -Belgian and German soldiers found excellent nursing here. Many -convalescents were allowed to walk in the large garden, which was -happily divided by a large wall, so that the one-time combatants could -be separated. - -Professor and Mrs. Noyons were busy day and night on behalf of their -fellow-men, and one could quite well tell by their looks that they were -overworked. They took their rest in the kitchen, which was built in -the basement. All male and female voluntary nurses took their meals -there. - -Once I enjoyed the pleasure of partaking of such a "dinner," as the -guest of Professor and Mrs. Noyons. The company was very mixed, and -men who never in their lives had ever done anything else but spoiling -their eyes for the sake of science, by reading all manner of ancient -manuscripts, were now busy, dressed in a blue apron, stirring the soup -and mashing potatoes or vegetables. The menu comprised nothing but -potatoes, a little vegetables, and a finely calculated piece of meat. - -At that dinner I also made the acquaintance of Professor Nerincx, the -acting burgomaster. It was a courageous act to assume the government -of the town destroyed by the Germans; he did it for the sake of his -fellow-citizens, who will never be able to requite their indebtedness -to the temporary burgomaster for what he did for them; and most of them -do not even know it. - -The war is not over yet, and much is still hidden under a veil, but -after the war it will undoubtedly be the duty of the Louvain people to -twine a magnificent wreath round the three names Noyons-Nerincx-Claes. - -The names of many priests will be found in the register of Belgian -martyrs. I have mentioned already some who, although innocent, gave -their life for their country. During my week's stay at Louvain I heard -of other cases. The priest of Corbeek-Loo, for example, was simply -tortured to death on account of one of his sermons in which he said -that the fight of the Belgian army was beautiful "because it lawfully -resists an unlawful invasion," and further for announcing a Holy -Requiem Mass for the souls of the "murdered" citizens. - -At Blauwput, near Louvain, where, according to the Germans, there had -been also shooting, many houses were set on fire and the men placed -in a row. It was then announced that by way of punishment every fifth -man would be shot. When the Germans counted as tenth the father of a -large family, that man fainted, and they simply killed number eleven, a -Capuchin. - -Very many other cases of martyrdom among priests remained unknown to -me, but the various Belgian bishops examined all these events with -praiseworthy zeal and scrupulousness, and by taking extensive evidence -established the fact that in no case the victims could be reproached -with any act that justified the sentence against them. After the war -the world will surely be made acquainted with the horrible truth. - - * * * * * - -The foregoing record of my experiences in Louvain will make it -sufficiently clear to the unprejudiced reader that the destruction -and wholesale murders were nothing but wanton crimes committed by the -German troops stationed there, crimes which it is impossible to justify -on any ground. - -The duration of the war has more or less surprised me, and I postponed -writing this book for a long time as I wished to quote the evidence of -persons in high places, clergymen, and educated foreigners. As the war -is not over yet, I must omit these in the interest of their safety. - -But from my personal knowledge and the evidence referred to, I am able -to establish the following facts in connection with the events that -preceded and followed the destruction of Louvain. - -On August 25th the Antwerp garrison made a sortie, in the direction of -Louvain. At the beginning the Belgians were successful, and came within -four and a half miles of this town. For a moment the situation became -critical, and at about seven o'clock a small troop of cavalry came at a -furious gallop from the scene of battle to Louvain, probably to summon -the assistance of the garrison. - -At that hour the Namur Canal ("Naamsche Vest") was already dark in -consequence of the thick foliage of tall trees, and suddenly the wild -horsemen were shot at. Several neutral witnesses established the fact -that this was done by a small troop of German infantry who came from -the station, probably on their way to the battle-field, and thought -that Belgian cavalry came racing into the town. - -The men stopped their horses, dismounted, and returned the fire from -behind their animals. This went on for about a quarter of an hour. -Every one was alarmed by this shooting; other soldiers came racing in -from the station, and others ran to and fro near that building crying, -"A surprise attack!" Some, thinking that the attack came from the -advancing Belgians, rushed to the place where the fighting took place, -others misunderstood the cry, believed that the citizens assaulted -them, and began to shoot at these, and at the houses. - -Before those on the Naamsche Vest found out their mistake, the shooting -was going on in the greater part of the town, and the excited men, who -at first had been shooting at each other, soon joined the rest. Some -wounded troopers were taken to one of the convents on the Vest, but a -couple of hours later they were suddenly fetched away again. - -The whole evening and the next day the Germans went on shooting people -and firing houses. It is worth recording that the library was already -set on fire that same evening of the fray on the Naamsche Vest; it was -burning at eight o'clock. - -On Thursday everyone, even the persons staying in the Institution and -hospitals, were ordered to leave the town, as it was to be shelled. -They seemed to have no pity even on the wretched wounded men. Only the -male and female nurses remained with these, of their own free will, -determined to die with them if necessary. - -The inhabitants were driven to the station, where the husbands were -cruelly separated from their wives and several persons were shot. -Other men were escorted to a place behind the station, and their wives -and children were told that those men were going to be shot. The poor -things heard indeed the click-clack of the rifles and thought that -their dear ones were dead. However, many returned later, and their -"shooting" seems to have been a mere sham. - -Great crowds walked the long way to Tirlemont. They were constantly -threatened by German soldiers, who aimed their rifles at them; passing -officers commanded from time to time that some should stay behind, -and others were shot. Especially did the clerics amongst the refugees -suffer a great deal; many were not only scandalously scoffed at, but -also maliciously injured. The greater part of the Germans showed a -strong anti-Catholic bias, in particular against the clergy, whom they -accused of having incited the people against them. - -This is only a short record of the destruction of Louvain, the -truthfulness of which will be firmly and fully established after the -war by extensive, accurately drawn up declarations. - -Louvain had been destroyed because a crowd of wanton soldiers, who were -garrisoned there, who hated the Belgians, and who had been kept within -bounds with difficulty, seized on their own stupid mistake to give rein -to their passions. - -Their commanding officer was the worthy head of such a mob, a heartless -creature, who did not show the slightest remorse for the destruction of -those magnificent libraries, set on fire _by his order_. - -It has been alleged that civilians had been shooting from the Halls, -but when a committee examined the remains in the building with the -consent of the military, they found there the carcase of a German -horse. They were ordered to stop their investigations immediately, for -that horse was evidence ... that German military men had been billeted -on the building, and thus no civilians could have been there. This will -also be published later in the reports. - -The German authority left indeed no effort untried to cover up their -atrocious action. Already in a communication from Wolff, dated August -29th, they attempted to violate the truth by asserting that:-- - -"The houses caught fire from burning benzine, and the flames burst out -in other quarters also. On Wednesday afternoon part of the town and the -northern suburb were in flames." - -They have not been able to maintain that story for very long; the truth -overtook the lie. - -May all the nations of the world after the war collaborate to -compensate Louvain for her martyrdom, see that this city shall be -restored to her former, happy prosperity, and get a library which -approaches as much as possible the one she lost. The Germans can -probably do their part by investigating where the motor-cars went which -left the Halls on that wretched Tuesday night, heavily laden with -books. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -ALONG THE MEUSE TO HUY, ANDENNE, AND NAMUR - - -BETWEEN two of my several trips to Louvain I made one to Namur in the -beginning of September, after having secured at Liège, by a trick, a -splendid permit which enabled me to travel even by motor-car. - -There was a little more order in the whole district round Liège, -since the Germans behaved more decently, and provisions had arrived. -The shock, which the burning and butchering of so many places and -persons gave to the whole world, had also influenced the conduct of -the Germans, and from the beginning of September they made a practice -of asking each time when they thought that they had behaved decently: -"Well, are we such barbarians as the world calls us?" - -In this relative calm the population felt somewhat relieved, and -ventured again into the streets. Outdoors on the "stoeps" of the -houses men sat on their haunches smoking their pipe and playing a game -of piquet. Most of them were vigorous fellows, miners, who did not -mind any amount of work, but now came slowly under the demoralising -influence of idleness. - -My motor whirled along the gloriously fine road to Huy. It is a -delicious tour through the beautiful valley of the Meuse, along sloping -light-green roads. Had the circumstances not been so sad, I should have -enjoyed it better. - -I had already been near Huy, at a time when several burning houses -shrouded the whole town in clouds of smoke. On August 24th, at ten -o'clock at night, some shots had been fired in the neighbourhood of the -viaduct. This was a sign for hundreds of soldiers to begin shooting at -random and arrest several persons. Several houses were perforated like -sieves by bullets, and an entire street of twenty-eight houses, the Rue -du Jardin, was reduced to ashes. No civilians were killed. - -It is evident from the "Report on the Violations of International Law -in Belgium" that the Germans themselves admit that they were in the -wrong with regard to the atrocities which were committed here. The -following order of the day proves it: - - "Last night a shooting affray took place. There is no evidence that - the inhabitants of the towns had any arms in their houses, nor is - there evidence that the people took part in the shooting; on the - contrary, it seems that the soldiers were under the influence of - alcohol, and began to shoot in a senseless fear of a hostile attack. - - "The behaviour of the soldiers during the night, with very few - exceptions, makes a scandalous impression. - - "It is highly deplorable when officers or non-commissioned - officers set houses on fire without the permission or order of the - commanding, or, as the case may be, the senior officer, or when by - their attitude they encourage the rank and file to burn and plunder. - - "I require that everywhere a strict investigation shall take place - into the conduct of the soldiers with regard to the life and - property of the civilian population. - - "I prohibit all shooting in the towns without the order of an - officer. - - "The miserable behaviour of the men has been the cause that a - non-commissioned officer and a private were seriously wounded by - German ammunition. - - "The Commanding Officer, - "MAJOR VON BASSEWITZ." - -I was informed further that there had been no fighting for the -possession of Huy. The citadel on which the German flag flew had not -been put in a state of defence on account of its great age. The old -bridge over the Meuse at Huy had been wrecked by the Belgians, but the -Germans had simply driven stout piles into the river, to support a -floor which they put over the wrecked part, and so restored the traffic. - -During my visit I happened to make the acquaintance of Mr. Derricks, a -brother of the lawyer who had been murdered so cruelly at Canne, and -also a member of the Provincial States. The poor man was deeply moved -when he heard the details about his brother's death. I made him very -happy by taking a letter with me for his sister-in-law, who was now at -Maastricht. - -At Andenne things seemed much worse than at Huy. I stopped there on -my way to Namur, and had been prepared in Liège for the sad things -I should hear. A proclamation posted in the last-named town ran as -follows:-- - - "_August 22nd_, 1914. - - "After having protested their peaceful sentiments the inhabitants - of Andenne made a treacherous attack on our troops. - - "The Commanding General burned down the whole city with my - consent, shooting also about one hundred persons. - - "I acquaint the inhabitants of Liège of this, that they may - understand what fate threatens them if they should assume a similar - attitude. - - "The Commanding General-in-chief, - "VON BUELOW." - -General von Buelow says here that he gave his consent to the shooting -of about one hundred persons, but I can state with absolute certainty -that there were about 400 victims. We must therefore assume that the -other 300 were killed without his consent. - -Andenne, on the right bank of the Meuse, was a town of 8,000 -inhabitants. When the Germans arrived there on the morning of August -19th they found the bridge connecting Andenne and Seilles wrecked. In -the afternoon they began building a pontoon bridge, which was ready -the next day. They were very much put out about the wrecking of the -other bridge, by the Belgian soldiers, a couple of hours before their -arrival. Their exasperation became still greater when they discovered -after having finished the pontoon bridge, that the big tunnel on the -left bank of the Meuse had also been made useless by barricades and -entanglements. - -By refusing to pay at cafés and shops the military already expressed -their dissatisfaction. Then on Thursday, August 20th, about six in -the evening, after a great many troops had crossed the river by the -pontoon bridge, a shot was heard which seemed the sign for a terrible -fusillade. Guns seemed to have been mounted at convenient places -outside the town, for shells exploded right at its centre. The troops -did no longer cross the bridge, but spread themselves in a disorderly -manner all over the town, constantly shooting at the windows. Even -mitrailleuses were brought into action. Those of the inhabitants who -could fly did so, but many were killed in the streets and others -perished by bullets entering the houses through the windows. Many -others were shot in the cellars, for the soldiers forced their way -in, in order to loot the bottles of wine and to swallow their fill of -liquor, with the result that very soon the whole garrison was a tipsy -mob. - -It struck me always that as soon as something took place anywhere -which might lead to disorder, the method adopted was as follows: first -a fusillade in order to scare the inhabitants, secondly looting of -numberless bottles of wine, and finally cruel, inhuman murders, the -ransacking and the wrecking. - -The game of shooting and looting went on all through the night of the -20th. Not a window or door remained whole even if the house was not -burned down altogether. - -At four o'clock in the morning all the men, women, and children who had -not yet been put to death were driven to the Place des Tilleuls, but -on the way many men had their brains blown out. Amongst others, Dr. -Camus, the septuagenarian burgomaster, was then wounded and afterwards -received the finishing stroke by a hatchet. - -At the Place des Tilleuls fifty men were taken from the crowd at -random, escorted to the Meuse, and shot. In the meantime other soldiers -went on wrecking, firing, and looting. - -Andenne offered a dismal spectacle. The doors and windows of the houses -that were not completely burned down had been kicked and beaten to -pieces, and boards had been nailed before the holes. The inhabitants -hung about disconsolately, and I could tell by their faces how they -suffered, for every family in the town mourned the death of one dear to -them. - -They all became excited whenever I mentioned the accusations brought -against them. They asserted with the greatest emphasis that it was an -absolute lie that the civilians had shot. "Even if they torture me to -death," said most of them, "I'll still contend that this accusation is -untrue." - -The German officers, of course, held a different opinion; they alleged -that the shooting by the civilians was even very general and purported -to be a decided attack on the army. I asked them whether they had found -any rifles or other arms at the "searches" of the houses--I expressed -myself somewhat cautiously on purpose--for that ought to have been the -case if such a great number of citizens had joined in the shooting. -"No," they answered, "they were sly enough to see to it that we did not -find these. They had been buried in time, of course." - -The answer is, surely, not very convincing! - -The Germans had flung some more bridges across the river beyond -Andenne, which had been used for the occupation of Namur chiefly, -and lay idle now guarded by only one sentry. I left by the town-gate -without any difficulties; the German soldiers jumped out of the way and -stood to attention, as soon as they noticed the Netherland flag flying -at the front of the motor. To the right and the left of the gateway -they had written in gigantic letters: "Newspapers, please!" - -Namur was shelled on August 21st and the 23rd. Many houses were then -already wrecked, many civilians killed. On the 23rd the Belgian army -withdrew and only some of the forts were defended. This withdrawal -of the Belgian army may have been a strategical necessity, but it is -certain that the forts had not been defended unto the last. Five forts -fell into the hands of the Germans without having suffered any damage. - -On the afternoon of the 23rd the hostile troops entered the town, -and on that day the inhabitants had not to suffer, excepting from -requisitions made. But the following evening it was suddenly on fire -at various spots, and the soldiers began to shoot in all directions, -making many victims. Before setting the houses on fire, with a liberal -use of the lozenges mentioned already, the usurpers ransacked them and -removed numerous pieces of valuable furniture. The Place d'Armes, the -Place Léopold, the Rue St. Nicolas, Rue Rogier, and the Avenue de la -Plante were almost entirely reduced to ashes. With the town-hall many -valuable pictures were destroyed. The day following the conflagration -they left off shooting at last, but the looting went on for days more. - -When I drove into Namur, I found the town comparatively quiet; there -was some traffic in the streets, and Belgian army surgeons and British -nurses in their uniforms walked about freely. There were many wounded: -the German wounded were all placed in the military hospital; the -Belgians and the French had been taken to the Sisters of Mercy, the -Institution Saint Louis, the High School for Girls, and the Sisters of -Our Lady. - -When I was eating a little at one of the hotels near the railway -station, I was offered the newspaper _l'Ami de l'Ordre_, which had -appeared again for the first time on that day, September 7th, under -the Censorship of the German authorities. For curiosity's sake I -translate here the first leaderette, published under the rule of the -new masters:-- - - - "ENOUGH DESTROYED, ENOUGH DISTRESSED! - - "More than one hundred houses have been burned or wrecked at Namur, - among them the town-hall, the house at the Namur Citadel, and the - Institution for ophthalmology in the Place Léopold. In the Grand - Marché and its neighbourhood about sixty have been destroyed by - fire. If we add to this the damage done by the bombardment from - Friday the 21st until Sunday the 23rd August, and the wrecking of - the bridges after the retreat of the army, we may estimate the - losses at 10,000,000 francs. - - "Industry, trade, and agriculture exist no longer, labour is - unemployed, and food is getting scarce, and over this dismal scene - hovers the memory of numerous victims, of hundreds of prisoners of - war or missing soldiers. During the bombardment of August 23rd one - hundred persons were killed outright, or succumbed to their wounds. - There are innumerable other wounded. This it is plain must have - plunged the town into deep distress. - - "It mourns the lost liberty, the happiness, the peace, the - brightness of her past prosperity which has vanished for a long - season to come, it laments on account of the prisoners of war, the - wounded, the dead.... And every morning the brilliant sun rises on - the scene, the warm rays bathe town and country, both alike cruelly - lashed by the frightful scourge. - - "Yesterday crowds of believers prayed for peace, for that - blessing which is only valued when it is lost. Let us repeat our - supplications twofold, let us increase our zeal. Lord! O Lord! - listen to the voice of Thy people who pray to Thee! Be merciful! - Give us back our peace!" - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -FROM MAASTRICHT TO THE FRENCH FRONTIER - -THE DESTRUCTION OF DINANT - - -ADVENTURES incite to ever more risky undertakings, and we long -constantly for more sensation. Such an experience prompted me to an -arrangement with Mr. Tervooren, editor of _Het Leven_, to try to motor -to the French frontier. - -We left Maastricht, in the early morning of September 9th, with a smart -fellow as chauffeur. Louvain we found tolerably quiet, although fearful -scenes were witnessed in the search for corpses, which were found in -the cellars of many houses. - -On that day I saw for the first time in Belgium German sailors -and marines, and even an admiral and some officers. At that time -the appearance of the naval men gave the newspapers much room for -conjectures; it was found later that they were to be used in the attack -on Antwerp, and afterwards had the task allotted to them of occupying -the sea-board. - -I found sailors also in Brussels, but for the rest there was only -a little military display there. In this town reigned a certain -oppressive silence and the cafés were not much frequented. The -Brussels people did not hide their patriotic sentiments, and nearly -every house displayed the Belgian flag, thanks chiefly to the strong -attitude of Burgomaster Max. Outwardly Brussels had not suffered by -the war; not a house was damaged and nobody had been killed yet. Nor -was there lack of provisions, as was proved by the fact that at the -"Métropole," one of the largest restaurants, I paid only seventy-five -centimes (sevenpence-halfpenny) for bread, cold beef, and pickles. - -We met only a few Germans on the road from Brussels to Charleroi, and -found no garrison except in the townlet Hal. Very little burning had -taken place on this road, but so much the more plundering and looting. -A woman took us all over her house in the neighbourhood of Brussels, to -show us the total wrecking. Small pieces of furniture were generally -taken away, but stoves, kitcheners, and cupboards were smashed. She -herself had had her face badly wounded, because she had hidden herself -in the cellar when the Germans came near, and they had beaten her out -of that with their rifle-butts. Many other women were treated in the -same manner. - -When we came to Jumet, a suburb of Charleroi, and a prosperous place -with flourishing factories, we found the whole town wrecked.... Nearly -all the houses were burned immediately after the occupation by the -Germans, and many inhabitants were killed, of course under the pretext -that they had been shooting. - -After driving through this scene of misery we entered Charleroi, and -exactly at that moment one of the springs of my motor broke in two, -which made the car useless. Charleroi seemed worse damaged than Namur. -According to an official statement issued at the time, one hundred -and sixty-five houses had been burned, among them many on the fine -Boulevard Audent, the Saint Joseph Institute, the convent of the Sœurs -de Namur, and the adjacent ancient, miraculous little chapel of "Sainte -Marie des Remparts." - -Probably more than one hundred civilians had been shot, whereas many -perished in the cellars. The heads of the municipality and several -priests had at first been taken as hostages. Bail of ten million francs -was asked for their release, but after much haggling they consented -to accept one and a half millions, which sum was forthcoming from the -various local banks. - -Just as at Louvain and other towns, the Germans indulged in looting and -plundering also at Charleroi; and probably this explains why here too -the finest houses were destroyed. Moreover, many atrocious cases of -rape occurred here as at Dinant, about which town more anon. At a café, -where the proprietor unburdened his mind to me, with tears in his eyes, -I read a statement in which they were impudent enough to write that -they had passed a pleasant night in circumstances described in detail, -whilst the father had been locked up. - -Charleroi was taken on August 22nd. On the evening of the 21st a small -patrol had entered the town, and of these not a man escaped. But in the -morning of the 22nd at seven o'clock a large force of Germans arrived -and immediately began to burn and to shoot. - -On the day of my stay at Charleroi, at about seven o'clock in the -evening, there was a good deal of bustle round about the station, -many trains from Maubeuge arriving. One of these trains was entirely -filled by officers of the garrison who had been taken prisoner. Another -carried only wounded Germans, lying on light stretchers, on which they -were transported through the streets to the hospitals at Charleroi. -Many had fearful wounds, and convulsively held their hands on the -injured parts, while others lay still, the pallor of death on their -face. Maubeuge must have cost the Germans enormous sacrifices, as for -many of the wretched wounded no room could be found at Charleroi, and -they had to be taken farther by train, to Namur or Brussels. - -German officials told that immediately after the surrender Maubeuge -had been set on fire in various places, because civilians, etc.... The -reader is by now able to complete the sentence. - -After I had collected some information in the town and my colleague of -_Het Leven_ had taken several snapshots, we thought that it was time to -look for lodgings and to get our motor-car repaired. - -We found rooms, but were guarded during the night by soldiers, who -walked up and down the landing, because there were officers also -staying at the hotel. Their regular footfall prevented us from sleeping -a wink, but with the help of some fibs and Netherland cigars we induced -them to let us go out, and we went to a sort of smith in a kind of -garage to repair the motor-car. We turned up our sleeves and, assisted -by the smith's technical directions, succeeded in putting the broken -spring together, using stout steel clamps and screws. - -Before leaving we went back to the hotel for breakfast. There--it was -a first-class hotel--they gave us an apology for coffee, without milk -or sugar, and two flimsy pieces of bread, as hard as wood and as black -as shoe-polish. I was intensely hungry, and as nowhere at Charleroi -anything else could be had, I did my best with the wooden bread and -succeeded in washing it down with much chewing and jawing. But the -sweet, hard stuff did not suit my digestion, and I felt ill already -when at six o'clock we got into the motor-car and left for Dinant. - -We could not keep to the main road all the time, for it was forbidden -by proclamation to go farther than nine miles and a half from the town, -and we should have been stopped without fail. - -We first drove through the suburb Montigny-sur-Sambre, which shared the -fate of Jumet, and was entirely destroyed by fire. After leaving the -town we went in the direction of Châtelet, where we found an immense -battle-field. Terrific fighting must have taken place here, for the -number of buried was enormous. On a wide stretch of land we saw a great -number of mounds, with crosses, and covered with quicklime. On the -crosses the numbers are given of the brave who fell there. So I read, -for example:-- - - "Here rest 10 soldiers, French, I. Reg. 36. - fell 22.8. R.I.P." - - "Here rest 23 soldiers, German, I.R. 78. and - 91. fell 22.8.14. R.I.P." - - "Here rest 7 officers, German, I.R. fell 22.8.14. - R.I.P." - - "Here rest 140 soldiers, French, I.R. 36. fell 22.8. - R.I.P." - -There were very many similar ones, but I copied only these, because -they lay just near the road; farther on there were numerous other white -mounds with crosses. - -The villages Gougnies and Biesmes had been destroyed also; of the -former not one house was left undamaged; but nothing happened to the -townlet Mettet. Here we were forbidden to go on, as we were already -more than nine miles and a half from Charleroi. This compelled us to -leave the main road, and to proceed along byways which soon took us to -the Ardennes, where our motor-car rushed along in zigzags. - -From time to time the tour became a break-neck affair, as the mountain -roads were wet and muddy after much rain, and at corners we were often -in great fear of being hurled down into the depth. It was a wonderfully -fine district of green rock, although somewhat monotonous after a time, -as it seemed that we were simply moving in a circle, which impression -was strengthened by the fact that frequently we passed through tunnels -and viaducts which were very alike to one another. - -I felt very sick, for the sweet rye-bread which I had forced down my -throat in the morning did not agree with me at all. At last I felt so -ill that I was obliged to lie down on the floor of the car, and it -took my colleague all his time to convince me that he did not think -that my last hour had struck. - -In the end and in despair I accepted an aspirin tablet which he had -pressed on me a hundred times, and although I do not know whether -it was owing to that, or in spite of it, it was a fact that I felt -somewhat better. - -After touring quite a long while through this labyrinth, we got at -last back to the main road from Namur to Dinant, near Anhec. Here -immediately we saw proofs of war, drawn from widespread destruction. -The railway bridge across the Meuse near Houx, so picturesquely -situated at the foot of a high rock, had been blown up. - -Bouvigne, a hamlet near Dinant, had suffered fearfully from the -bombardment of that town. Trees were splintered by the shells, the -church was nearly a total wreck from the same cause, and two houses by -the road had been riddled by bullets into a sieve, and also damaged -by shells. On the whole scene of war I have not seen one house -carrying so many bullets in it; their holes made the doors look like -wire-netting. In these houses the French had barricaded themselves, -brought mitrailleuses to them, and defended them until the last. None -of those heroes left them alive. My colleague took many snapshots of -this remarkable spot, while I collected bullets, fragments of shell, -and similar mementos of this warfield. - -In order to give the reader some idea of the fearful things that -happened at Dinant, I insert here some quotations from the reports -drawn up by the Belgian Inquiry Committee about the Violations of -International Law, of which I can affirm the truth word for word, -because they are identical with the information that I got myself at -Dinant. - - "The destruction took place from August 21st to the 25th. - - "On August 15th a fierce fight took place between the French troops - on the left bank of the Meuse and the Germans who approached from - the east. The Germans were defeated, put to flight, and chased by - the French, who crossed the river. On that day the town was not - damaged much. Some houses were destroyed by German howitzers, which - were undoubtedly aimed at the French regiments on the left bank. - One Red Cross helper who lived at Dinant was killed by a German - bullet when he was taking up one of the wounded. - - "The next day all remained quiet, the French keeping the - surrounding places occupied; not one fight took place between the - two armies and nothing happened which might be looked upon as a - hostile action by the populations, and there were no German troops - near Dinant. - - "At about nine o'clock of Friday evening, August 21st, German - soldiers arriving by rail from Ciney marched into the town by the - Rue Saint Jacques. They began to shoot into the windows without the - slightest provocation, killed a workman who was on his way home, - wounded another inhabitant and compelled him to call out: 'Long - live the Kaiser.' A third they wounded in the abdomen with thrusts - of their bayonets. They burst into the cafés, requisitioned all - spirits, got tipsy on them, and left after setting several houses - on fire and knocking to pieces the doors and windows of others. - - "The inhabitants, frightened and perplexed, hid themselves in the - houses. - - "On Sunday, August 23rd, at half-past six in the morning, the - soldiers of the 108th regiment of the line drove the worshippers - out of the Premonstratensian Church, separated the men from the - women, and shot about fifty of the former through the head. - Between seven and nine o'clock there were house-to-house looting - and burning by the soldiers, who chased the inhabitants into the - street. Those who tried to escape were shot off-hand. - - "At about nine o'clock the soldiers drove all who had been found - in the houses in front of them by means of blows from their - rifle-butts. They crowded them together in the Place d'Armes, where - they kept them until six o'clock in the evening. Their guards - amused themselves by telling the men repeatedly that they would - soon be shot. - - "At six o'clock a captain separated the men from the women and - children. The women were placed behind a line of infantry. The men - had to stand alongside a wall; those in the first row were ordered - to sit on their haunches, the others to remain standing behind - them. A platoon took a stand straight opposite the group. The women - prayed in vain for mercy for their husbands, their sons, and their - brothers; the officer gave the order to fire. He had not made the - slightest investigation, pronounced no sentence of any sort. - - "A score of these men were merely wounded and fell among the dead. - For greater certainty the soldiers fired once more into the mass. - A few got off scot-free in spite of the double fusillade. For over - two hours they pretended to be dead, remained among the corpses - without budging, and when it was dark were able to fly to the - mountains. Eighty-four victims remained behind and were buried in a - garden in the neighbourhood. - - "There were other murders on that same 23rd of August. - - "Soldiers discovered inhabitants of the suburb Saint Pierre in the - cellars of a brewery, and killed them on the spot. - - "On the previous day many workmen of the silk factory Kimmer and - their wives and children had found a shelter in the cellars of the - building, with some neighbours and relatives of their employer. At - six o'clock in the evening the unfortunate people made up their - mind to leave their hiding-place and went into the street, headed - by a white flag. They were immediately seized by the soldiers and - roughly ill-treated. All the men were shot, among them Mr. Kimmer, - Consul of Argentina. - - "Nearly all the men of the suburb Leffe were massacred en masse. - In another quarter twelve citizens were murdered in a cellar. In - the Rue en Ile a paralytic was shot in his bath-chair, and in the - Rue d'Enfer a boy, fourteen years old, was struck down by a soldier. - - "The railway viaduct of the suburb Neffe became the scene of a - bloody massacre. An old woman and all her children were shot in a - cellar. A man sixty-five years old, his wife, a son and a daughter - were placed against a wall and shot through the head. Other - inhabitants of Neffe were placed in a boat, taken to the Rocher - Bayard, and shot there; among them were a woman eighty-three years - old and her husband. - - "A number of men and women had been locked in the yard of the - prison.... At six o'clock in the evening a mitrailleuse was placed - on the mountain and fired at them, an old woman and three others - being killed. - - "Whilst some soldiers committed these murders, others looted - and wrecked the houses, smashed the safes or blew them up with - dynamite. They forced their way into the Banque Centrale de la - Meuse, seized the manager, Mr. Xavier Wasseige, and called upon - him to open the safe. As he refused to do so, they tried to force - it open, but in vain. Thereupon they took Mr. Wasseige and his - two eldest sons to the Place d'Armes, where they and 120 of their - fellow-citizens were shot by means of a mitrailleuse. The youngest - three children of Mr. Wasseige were held by soldiers and forced to - attend the slaughter of their father and brothers. We were also - informed that one of the young Wasseiges lay dying for an hour and - nobody dared to come to his assistance. - - "After the soldiers had performed their duty as vandals and bandits - they set the houses on fire. Soon the whole town was one immense - pool of fire. - - "All the women and children had been taken to a convent, where they - were kept imprisoned for four days, without hearing of the fate of - their beloved ones. They themselves expected to be shot in their - turn. Round about them the burning of the town went on. - - "The first day the religious were allowed to give them some food, - although not sufficient. Soon they had nothing to eat but carrots - and unripe fruit. - - "The inquiry also brought to light that the German soldiers on - the right bank, who were exposed to the fire of the French, hid - themselves here and there behind civilians, women and children. - - "In short the town of Dinant is destroyed. Of 1,400 houses, - 200 only remained standing. The factories, where the labouring - population got their bread and butter, were wrecked systematically. - Many inhabitants were sent to Germany, where they are still kept - as prisoners. The majority of the others are scattered all over - Belgium. Those who stayed in the towns were starved. - - "The committee has a list of the victims. It contains 700 names, - and is not complete. Among those killed are seventy-three women and - thirty-nine children between six months and fifteen years old. - - "Dinant had 7,600 inhabitants, of whom ten per cent. were put to - death; not a family exists which has not to mourn the death of some - victims; many families have been exterminated completely." - -When we entered the town in our motor-car, those of the unfortunate -population who had escaped from the murderous massacre had already left -the town. Between the ruins and the deserted French Red Cross cars we -drove to the pontoon bridge which the Germans had flung across the -river by the side of the Meuse bridge, which had been blown up. Here -we were stopped by German soldiers who guarded the pontoon bridge. In -a café we came across a few of the citizens who had remained. These -unfortunate people had no home, no money, and no food, lacked the -wherewithal to go farther away, and now depended on the charity of the -murderers of their relatives. Twice a day they were allowed to call at -one of the German stores for a piece of bread, in exchange for a ticket -which they might get at the commander's office. The Germans, upholders -of morality and "Kultur," saw to it that their victims did not overeat -themselves. - -Our passport had to be stamped by this same commander, and my colleague -had to ask him for a permit to take photographs. The commander -would not hear of this, but finally agreed, after my colleague had -snapshotted him and his staff in front of the office. Our passport was -marked: "1. Landsturm Infantry Battalion, Dresden." - -Dinant offered a terrible sight; it no longer existed. On foot, of -course, we walked along the place where a large shop once stood, but -one could not even distinguish where the road had been. Not one street -was left, and the few houses that were saved are not in the centre of -the town. On a slope on the left bank of the Meuse there had been two -large monasteries, which had been turned into hospitals. They had been -wrecked completely by gun-fire, and as if in bitter mockery at the -cruel fate, the Red Cross flags flew there still undamaged. - -In the centre of the town everything, including the large buildings, -had been levelled with the ground. This was the case with the principal -church "de Notre Dame," the college of the same name, the "Belle Vue," -the monasteries, etc., of the "Frères et Sœurs de Notre Dame," the -"Saint Nicolas" and "Saint Pierre" churches, and three large factories, -"Oudin," "Le Mérinos," and "La Dinant," the "Banque Centrale de la -Meuse," the town-hall, the ancient "Palace of the Prince-Bishops," and -all its archives, the magnificent post-and-telegraph office, the large -hotels "de la Tête d'Or," "des Postes," "des Ardennes," "Moderne," -"Terminus," the hotels "de la Citadelle," "la Paix," "la Gare," etc., -etc., the "Institut Hydrothérapique," all houses of the "Bon Secours" -Congregation, etc. - -The finest view of Dinant was from the beautiful bridge affording a -passage across the Meuse with the "Notre Dame" in the background. This -church was built just in front of a steep rock, on top of which stood -the citadel of Dinant. - -Now the bridge is blown up, the greater part of the church destroyed by -the Germans, and, had nature not been more powerful than their brutal, -clumsy violence, they would have pulled down that rock too. But it is -still there, the solitary remnant of the famous beauty of Dinant. - -My companion wanted to take a snapshot of this point, but in order -to enliven the scene somewhat, he requested a few soldiers to stand -in the square in front of the church. Each had a couple of champagne -bottles hanging on his stomach, and refused absolutely to accede -to my colleague's request to remove them. They insisted upon being -snapshotted with those bottles hanging on their bodies! So my companion -took this snapshot of "Kultur" in that condition, houses burned down, -a church destroyed, and in front of these the grinning and coarse -villains, puffing out their bodies, proud of their empty bottles.... - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -ON THE BATTLE-FIELDS - - -As often as I went on tour to collect news on the scene of war, I got -dozens of messages and letters, which alarmed people sent to the editor -of _De Tijd_, with the request that they should be handed to me for -further transmission to relatives. I took hundreds of them to and from -Louvain. - -On Monday, September 14th, I took with me a larger number than ever to -Louvain. - -I observed then already that much poverty prevailed, for in many places -I noticed people whose appearance did not suggest that they were -accustomed to that sort of work, creeping quietly in and out of hedges, -carrying bags in which they put the potatoes picked up in the fields. -Naturally they started and looked alarmed, when, suddenly, I passed on -my bicycle. - -Round about Louvain everything was prepared for defensive purposes, -artillery being hidden under straw-roofs, only a few yards away from -the farm-houses, and the sentries were very alert. I never saw them -before I was quite near; then they jumped suddenly from behind a tree, -summoning me to stop by lowering their rifle. In the meadows were a -good many newly cut trenches. - -Some soldiers were rather friendly when I revealed myself as a -Netherland reporter; they informed me with serious faces that -in Germany two million volunteers were drilling; that in each -garrison-town the majority of the men were left behind as reserves; -that by and by they were going to level Antwerp to the ground, if these -Belgians would not keep quiet; that after all Belgium proved a bigger -job than they had bargained for; that Amsterdam and Rotterdam had been -shelled and Flushing taken by the British; that Germany had now sent -a great number of troops into The Netherlands to protect her against -Britain, because The Netherlands herself had no army at all; and so on -and so on. - -One of the soldiers took me to the spot where two days before the -Belgians had blown up the railway which had just now been repaired -by the German engineers. According to his story eighty troopers had -succeeded in surprising a guard of twelve and in pushing on to the -railway. - -Near Corbeek-Loo a strong Belgian force had been able even to reach the -main road to Louvain, and there also destroyed the railway, after which -they retreated before the advancing Germans. - -These minor actions formed part of the sortie by the Belgians from -Antwerp. One division marched towards Louvain and occupied Aerschot -on Thursday evening, September 10th. On Friday they advanced farther -in the direction of Wijgmaal-Rotselair-Corbeek-Loo, with continuous -hard fighting. On Saturday the fights were fiercest round about these -places, and ended in the evening in a retreat of the Belgians, who -made the enemy pay as heavily as possible for their victory, although -they themselves had to leave behind a good many victims. - -Considerations of space forbid me to relate many of the heroic deeds -performed on this occasion, but an exception may be made of the -following:-- - -When I arrived in Louvain I heard of a young Fleming who was then being -nursed in a hospital established by the Norbertine Fathers, and had -been serving at two pieces of ordnance near Corbeek-Loo. As the army -was forced to retreat in the evening his comrades were compelled to -abandon the two guns, but he had to stay, being wounded in the leg by a -grape shot. The Germans made him prisoner, and tied him to a tree. By -an immense effort he succeeded in tearing himself loose, and dragged -himself towards a farm-house. At a short distance from this goal he was -stopped, however, by a German soldier. The Fleming, putting forth all -his remaining strength, gave the other such a tremendous blow in the -face with his rifle-butt that he fell down dead. Subsequently this boy -reached the farm-house, where he was charitably received. Later on he -was fetched away by the Sisters from Boven-Loo, and finally from that -institution by the Norbertine Fathers. - -The Belgians left also a considerable number of dead and wounded at -Wijgmaal and Rotselair. On Tuesday, September 15th, I visited the -battle-fields in that neighbourhood with father Coppens, a Netherland -Norbertine, born at Lieshout. The wounds of the soldiers lying there -were in a most terrible condition, because _the Germans forbade the -removal of the Belgian wounded before all the German dead had been -buried_. In my opinion not only a proof of barbarity, but also an -admission that the Germans themselves must have suffered great losses. - -The Wijgmaal battle-field was after all the least horrible. About -ten houses seemed to have been set on fire on purpose; the rest had -suffered badly from the bombardment. All the inhabitants had fled as -soon as the fighting began. The wounded Belgians had been placed in the -large dancing-room of a café, where father Coppens brought them a large -hamper full of eatables and drinkables, and whence also he had them -transported to Louvain. The food was gratefully accepted, but they were -still more eager to get hold of the mugs, as they were very thirsty -in consequence of the high temperature caused by the inflamed wounds; -often we had to prevent them forcibly from drinking too much. - -We passed a dead field-officer who still laid hold of a piece of a -flag. When I read that sort of thing in a book, I thought: "how pretty -and romantic," but never believed that this would actually happen in -war-time. I saw the reality now, and, deeply touched, bared my head, -saluting that dead hero. From papers we found on him we saw that his -name was Van Gesthel; like most Belgians, he had been killed by shell. - -I went on with Father Coppens and found about one hundred wounded, -of whom only a few had been taken to the houses. Most of them crept -away frightened, but when we told them that we were Netherlanders from -Louvain, who came to bring them food and drink, and to take them away -to be nursed, they got hold of our coats and refused to let us go. - -They drank deep, in long draughts, with trembling lips, and beseeched -us not to leave them again: "Oh, gentlemen, then we shall die!" We -swore that we should come back, and that later on carriages would -arrive from Louvain to take them to some convent or hospital; and, -trusting us, they resigned themselves in the end. - -Goats, pigs, cows, and other cattle roamed freely through the -village-street, looking for food and licking the faces of the dead. - -We entered a stable whence we thought that a sound came. We saw, -however, nothing but a heap of straw, and a pig which ran up against us -near the door. Father Coppens chased it away with a: - -"Get you gone, you brute!" - -And all at once the straw began to move, a head popped out, and a weak -voice exclaimed: - -"Ah well, be you a Fleming?" - -The poor fellow had hidden himself, being afraid that we were Germans; -but when he heard the "Get you gone, you brute!" he ventured to show -himself. - -"Certainly, my lad," said Father Coppens--"certainly we are Flemings. -What is the matter with you?" - -We removed the rest of the straw, undressed him partially, and on both -his legs the most hideous wounds became visible. Septic process had -worsened his condition to such an extent, that the unfortunate boy had -only a short time to live. I moved away ... he confessed to Father -Coppens, who gave him the viaticum, which he carried with him. - -Later on people from Louvain came with carts, which we had ordered -before leaving. Thirteen of these carried the wounded away, whilst a -German patrol went all over the village, setting everything on fire. - -Father Coppens and I beseeched the German commanding officer to spare -the houses of some people, large families, who came for shelter to the -father's convent. And at length, after long supplications, we secured -exemption for a few houses, inhabited by people who could not have -done anything in a village which had been completely evacuated by the -population, at the beginning of the fight. - -In the Hospital Leo XIII, that eager Netherlander, Professor Noyons, -did all he could to save as many as could be saved of the wretched -Belgian wounded; but as rain and cold had done so much harm to the -wounds, amputation of the injured limbs was as a rule the only remedy -left. - -Never thinking of rest he went on day and night, taking away the poor -fellows' arms and legs, and all this by the miserable light of some -candles. Gas and electricity were not to be had, the works being idle -after the destruction of the town.... - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -ROUND ABOUT BILSEN - - -ALTHOUGH at first I had a different plan, I decided on Saturday, -September 26th, to go first to Riempst--a little walk of three hours -each way--as I had read a report in certain papers quoted from the -_Handelsblad van Antwerpen_ that the church of Riempst had been burned -and the vicars of that parish and of Sichem had been made prisoners. - -Arrived at Riempst I found the pretty village church in its full glory -and the vicar engaged in performing his religious functions; the vicar -of Sichem was also still at home. The only part of the report that was -true was that various burgomasters from the environs had been sent to -Tongres and had not returned since. The burgomaster of Riempst, with -whom I had been imprisoned already once, was being searched for by the -Germans everywhere, but could not be found. In several places I heard -also that the Belgians were lying in the woods round about, and that -something was being prepared at Riempst; but no one knew what. So I -decided to go and inquire. - -The road was quite deserted, for the people, who live in great fear, do -not venture out. - -As far as Bilsen everything seemed equally deserted, but quite near -the town a couple of German soldiers suddenly came to me from behind -a house, and ordered me to stop. They took me with them to the guard, -which was established in the aforementioned house. - -There it appeared that my papers were in good order, but at the same -time I was informed that I was to be taken to the commanding officer at -the station and could not be allowed to leave Bilsen for the present. -I was escorted through the townlet, which appeared to be entirely -deserted; but now and then somebody came to his front-door to watch -the latest victim of the Germans being led past. At the station I was -pushed without much courtesy into a keep where six other civilians sat, -who had been picked up as being at large, and whose faces were now -covered with a cold perspiration from fear, because they were firmly -convinced that by and by they would be shot. - -Three soldiers stood before the open door and amused themselves by -provoking these people in the most inhuman manner, by abusing them -and telling them that later on they would be hanged or shot. The poor -fellows shivered and their teeth clattered. I, the newly arrived -"swine," was treated in much the same way, but I reduced the insolent -blusterers into the quietest people of the world by warning them that -by and by I would ask the commanding officer whether his soldiers had -the right to call a Netherlander a "swine." That put some heart into my -fellow-victims, and I urged them that they would do best by replying -calmly to any questions which the commanding officer might put to -them. They actually became more composed, and told me the following: - -The Germans had evacuated Bilsen some days ago, probably after being -informed that a strong force of Belgians was coming on. As a matter of -fact, only eleven Belgian soldiers had entered the townlet. These had -pulled down the German flag from the town-hall and replaced it by the -Belgian. The station and the railway were then closed to the public -for a couple of hours, and in that time they pulled up the rails in -two places. On Friday evening the Germans returned in great numbers by -train from Tongres, and the train derailed on one of those places; but -no lives were lost, as it went very slowly. - -The Germans had then taken it into their heads that the Belgians -occupied Bilsen and the station, and began a terrific fire at the -station and the surrounding houses, although there was not a single -Belgian soldier in the whole town. When they had satisfied themselves -that this was the case, they stopped firing, and were furious on -account of the derailing and the mistake they had made. They then -started a wild hunt for the men, and set about ten houses on fire, as -also the signalman's cottage, because he had not warned them of the -danger by waving his red flag. - -They made no allowance for the fact that they themselves had relieved -all railway officials of their functions until later notification. The -signalman was made a prisoner, but released subsequently. - -As soon as they began to chase the men, the greater part of the -inhabitants fled in dire fear, most of them towards the Campine. In -the fields and the shrubberies the Germans must have killed a good many -of the male fugitives, and made the others prisoners. Among the latter -were my six fellow-victims. - -That same Friday evening the women and children living in the Rue de -la Station were told to leave their houses as the whole street was to -be burned down. Everybody fled, but the design was not executed. The -burgomaster and his son were taken prisoners, and brought to Tongres; -later on the son was released; the Very Reverend the Dean was also -arrested. - -The latter himself told me that he was released in order to instruct -the vicars in the eighteen parishes of his deanery that they should -inform their parishioners that the whole village would be burned and -the inhabitants killed if the railway-line should be broken up, no -matter whether it were done by Belgian soldiers or others. - -After I had been incarcerated for about two hours I was taken to -the commanding officer, Major Krittel, or rather to one of his -subordinates, Captain Spuer, who was having a violent altercation with -his chief. The captain appeared to insist with great force that the -whole place should be burned down and all the prisoners shot. But the -major seemed to be a tolerably reasonable man, tried to soothe the -captain, and at last put down his foot, saying that he had had enough. -The captain, a rude, fat fellow, sat down at a desk and bellowed at me: - -"Here, swine!" - -I did not budge. - -"Here, swine!" - -"I am a Netherlander." - -"Netherlander? Doesn't matter. Have you got papers? All right. You -shan't have those back." - -"Then I'll lodge a complaint with the Imperial Governor of Liège, who -gave me the papers." - -"Swine!" - -Now the major jumped up and shouted at his subordinate that he had to -treat a Netherlander as he ought to be treated. - -The major, sitting at another desk, took my further examination upon -himself, apologising for the "noisy" conduct of his subordinate, who -had got somewhat over-excited in consequence of the circumstances. -He found my papers in perfect order, and told me in civil tones that -I should get back my liberty which I had lost in consequence of a -misunderstanding, but that for the present I was not allowed to leave -Bilsen, as I should run the greatest risk of being shot by German or -Belgian patrols, who were hidden along the road. He asked me to call -again the next morning. - -I availed myself of his benevolent mood and told him that my -fellow-prisoners were treated very unkindly by his soldiers, and -these people had lost their composure entirely in consequence. A calm -examination, I told him, undoubtedly would give him also the conviction -that these people had only fled into the fields because they were -afraid, but not with any criminal intent. He promised me to conduct the -examination himself, and to be as kind as possible. The next morning I -heard that they had all been released. - -I now tried to get something to eat in the town at an hotel. - -"Well, what have you got for me to eat?" - -"To eat, sir--to eat? A bit of bacon ... that's all." - -"Well, that's all right; and what am I going to have with it, bread, -potatoes, or...." - -"Bread, potatoes? Nothing. We have nothing." - -I went to various other places, but there I could not even get a bit -of bacon. So I made up my mind to starve for the present, and to make -inquiries here and there about families whose acquaintances or friends -had asked me to do so through the editor of _De Tijd_. - -Afterwards I sauntered through the very quiet little town, until I -suddenly saw something quite uncommon, namely two civilians who, like -myself, were walking about. When I came near, one of them recited a -rhyme: - - "Ah, there comes Mister Tijd, and he - Lost like ourselves his liberty!" - -I had not the faintest idea who they were, but then they introduced -themselves as van Wersch and Dasoul, both living at the time at -Hasselt. The first had been at Maastricht a couple of days ago and -had seen me there. He told me that that morning he had been "hooked" -and his companion only the evening before. He had come to Bilsen on a -bicycle, and got such a blow on his back from the butt of a German -rifle that the butt was cracked in two although his back was not -injured. - -He had been uneasy because he experienced no disagreeable consequences -of that blow, and had therefore consulted the doctor at Bilsen, who -thought that only his excited nerves had enabled him to withstand such -a blow. Both had been locked up a couple of hours and their bicycles -had been taken away, as also their papers. Mr. van Wersch, however, -had an acquaintance at Bilsen with whom he and his companion found -lodgings, and whither he was good enough to take me as well. - -After a bed had been promised me, my first request was for something to -eat, for I had not enjoyed anything as yet. But there was nothing left, -absolutely nothing. I scratched my head, and rubbed my empty stomach, -when suddenly I heard a fowl cackling outside. Negotiations about it -were soon finished; my companion was to kill the fowl, whereas I was -to call on Major Krittel and tell him that I liked my enforced stay in -Bilsen very much, but that he ought to see now that I got something to -eat. - -I returned with two large round "brown Georges"--soldiers' loaves. - -Never did I enjoy a meal so much; but not so the kind people who had -received us so friendly; they could not eat. The terror which reigned -among the population in those days was indescribable. One must have -seen it and gone through it with them, to realise it. They really -feared that at any moment the Germans would drive the population out of -the houses and set the town on fire. - -Men and women in the prime of life sat on their chairs, gazing vacantly -at nothing, lacking in the most literal sense of the word the strength -to stand or to walk. When at about six o'clock in the evening the -click-clack of rifle-fire was heard--for a Belgian patrol seemed to -have come near the town,--my hostess and her daughter pressed a couple -of papers against their breast, full of fear, ready to fly, but unable -to walk. - -That same afternoon also I made the acquaintance of the editor of a -local weekly, _De Bilsenaar_, which was not allowed to appear during -the occupation of the place by the Germans. He and others had a great -many things to tell me. - -Not half of the requisitioned meat was used by the Germans, and the -rest was simply left to rot, whilst the starving people were not -allowed to touch it. Two pigs and a cow were shot in a meadow, but no -part of these animals had been used, the order to bury them being given -when the smell became unendurable. In some places the Germans indulged -in such unspeakably filthy acts, that it is impossible to mention -details. - -When the Germans entered Bilsen for the first time, four persons were -shot in front of the town-hall; fifteen holes were still to be seen in -the wall. Amongst these four was also the brother-in-law of the editor -of the _Bilsenaar_. He was dragged out of his house, accused of having -shot, although he and his wife and children were at that moment saying -the rosary. His wife had got up that day for the first time after her -confinement. - -The unhappy man asserted in a loud voice that he was innocent, but -got the answer that he would have to prove that later on. But he never -had a chance of doing that. Arriving at the market-place, he and three -others were simply placed against the wall and shot. He could not even -have spiritual assistance. - -Frequently Protestant services were held in the market-place, conducted -by a parson, and the invariable beginning and end of that parson's -allocution was: "There is one God; there must also be one Kaiser." - -A good many lads had been able to escape from Bilsen and the environs -to Antwerp; in the aggregate, 500 from this district, and more went -every day. They were driven to the Belgian army by all they had seen -and experienced. Often one heard women and girls say: "Oh, if I were a -man, if I were a boy, I should be in the army to-morrow!" - -I was sitting comfortably in the home circle of the editor of _De -Bilsenaar_, with father, mother, and daughter. They had one son of -eighteen, who was at the Junior Seminary at Hasselt, and only the first -Sunday in August he had left for Heerenth in order to offer himself -as a missionary aspirant. The next Wednesday the would-be missionary, -an only son, enlisted as a volunteer in the Belgian army.... He was -already the sixteenth of his form of twenty-three boys at the college -at Hasselt. - -The father got up and went to a small cupboard from which he took some -papers, and his eyes, and those of his wife and daughter, became moist -at once; letters from their only boy, written on the battle-field! He -read them out with a broken voice, frequently interrupted by sobs. I -said nothing, could not utter a word. - -The boy also had been obliged to retire into France, had been -transported from Rheims to Havre, and from there, across the sea, -back to Belgium. "Five times already, my dear parents, I have been in -the fight; I have asked them not to let me wait long for the sixth. -Oh, you cannot imagine how glorious it is to be allowed to fight for -my country! Have confidence in the future, dear parents, and say a -paternoster for me and my comrades and also one for our Fatherland." - -Well, I could not keep calm when I heard such things read by a father -from a letter of his only son on the battle-field; that is impossible. - -The next morning was Sunday, and the bells summoned the people to -church. But nobody went, nobody dared to appear in the street, although -prayer-book and rosary are always in everybody's hands during these -days. I had decided to go to the second Mass, but as nobody had come -to the first, there was no second. The Dean himself said that the -people were quite right not to come to church. The previous Sunday -the Germans, who had entered Lanaeken suddenly, had posted themselves -in front of the church, where the believers attended Holy Mass, and -ordered the women and children to leave the church, but the men to -stay. When all the women and children had left, the Germans entered -the building and ... found not a single man, for all had left quickly -by the back door. A veritable battue was held in the whole district -for lads and young men, who were all taken away as prisoners by the -Germans, because during the last few days great numbers had escaped to -the north and enlisted as volunteers in the army. - -I went to the commander's office, and on the way copied the following -Proclamation:-- - - "PROCLAMATION - - "Private motor-cars, motor-bicycles, and bicycles are only allowed - to move about in the districts occupied by the German army if - driven by German soldiers, or the chauffeur possesses a licence. - These licences are only issued by the local commanders, and only in - urgent cases. The motor-cars, motor-bicycles, and bicycles will be - seized if this rule is infringed. Anyone who tries to push through - the German outposts shall be shot at, as also anyone who approaches - them in such a manner that he seems to be a spy. - - "Should telegraph- or telephone-wires be cut in the neighbourhood - of towns and villages, these places will be sentenced to pay a - war-contribution, whether the inhabitants are guilty or not. - - "The Governor-General of Belgium. - BARON VON DER GOLTZ, - _Field-Marshal_." - -At the station Major Krittel was engaged in examining a civilian -and his wife. The man had been found in a field; both shook from -nervous excitement and wept profusely. The major spoke calmly and -encouragingly, and after a short examination both got their liberty. -Major Krittel was also very kind to me again, but asked emphatically -whether I knew that writing false news exposed me to the danger of -capital punishment. I answered that I was firmly convinced of that. He -then gave me another proclamation to read in which this was mentioned, -and I asked and got permission to put the document in my pocket. It -runs as follows:-- - - "TONGRES. - "24.9.1914, - - "PROCLAMATION - - "Several cases which occurred in the Province of Limburg oblige me - to acquaint the inhabitants of a number of regulations: - - "According to Clause 58, Section 1, of the Military Penal Code, - sentence of capital punishment for treason will be pronounced - against those who, intending to assist an enemy army, or to injure - the German army: - - "1. Commit a punishable offence mentioned in Clause 90 of the - German Penal Code. - - "2. Injure or make useless roads or telegraphic instruments. - - "3. Serve the enemy as guides in a military undertaking against the - German allied forces, or mislead the latter when serving them as - guides. - - "4. Who in whatever way in order to harass or mislead the German - forces make military or other signals, urge to flee, or prevent the - reunion of straggling soldiers. - - "5. Who undertake to enter into verbal or written communication - with persons in the army or the fleet, of the enemy country at war - with Germany, about matters relating to the war itself. - - "6. Who distribute in the German army hostile incitements or - communications. - - "7. Who neglect necessary precautions which ought to be taken on - behalf of the army. - - "8. Liberate prisoners of war. - - "According to Clause 90 of the German Penal Code, sentence of penal - servitude for life will be pronounced against those: - - "1. Who surrender to the enemy, either German troops or fortified - bulwarks, trenches or fortified places, or defences, as also parts - or belongings of the German army. - - "2. Who surrender to the enemy of the German forces defensive - works, ships or transports of the fleet, public funds, stocks of - arms, munitions, or other war material, as also bridges, railways, - telegraphs, or other means of communication; or who destroy them or - make them useless on behalf of the enemy. - - "3. Supply men to the enemy or entice away others who belong to the - German army. - - "4. Who serve the enemy as a spy, lodge hostile spies, hide them or - aid them. - - "And it is also to be noticed that it is forbidden to distribute - newspapers and other printed matter published in the part of - Belgium not occupied by German forces. It is forbidden to take - communications of whatever kind from these parts of Belgium and - those that are occupied by the German army. These offences will be - punished with imprisonment. Serious cases, as, for example, any - attempt to assist the hostile forces, will be followed by sentence - of death. - - "STERZEL, - _Major and Commanding Officer_." - -I had also to promise the major that on my return I should bring with -me a copy of _De Tijd_ in which all I had experienced and seen in -Bilsen was described, and also a box of Netherland cigars, which he -promised to pay for; then I was allowed to go. - -As I went a patrol marched out--reinforcements had again come from -Tongres--whose task was to clear the district of the enemy. The patrol -consisted of six Death-head hussars, about forty bicyclists, and the -rest infantry, altogether about four hundred men, who were able to keep -together, because the hussars and the cyclists proceeded very slowly -and cautiously in the direction of Lanaeken. I went with them, chatting -with one of the officers. As soon as they had got to the road, the -greatest caution was observed. The hussars went in front, followed by -some of the infantry, all in loose formation, continually looking about -in all directions, with the finger at the cock of the rifle. - -Not a single person was seen on the road, and everything went -well until we got to the village of Veldwezelt. Suddenly, quite -unexpectedly, a violent rifle fire and a continued whistling of bullets -was heard from the neighbourhood of a house close by. Although the -soldiers later on asserted to the contrary, I was sure that the firing -did not come from the house, but from some underwood near by. - -After some firing one of the hussars was hit and fell from his horse, -which ran away. A few seconds later another hussar was hit in his arm -and his horse in its hind-part. Rider and horse flew away from the -fire. The Germans had, of course, immediately answered the firing, -and pulled me with them behind the bend of the road, where I lay down -with them flat on the ground. A Belgian soldier who came out of the -shrubbery with three others was shot, but as the firing went on for -some time and the hussars and cyclists began to take to their heels, -some order was given, and the Germans jumped up and ran away in the -direction of Bilsen. I was told to come with them, so I also ran, and -we all arrived at Bilsen out of breath. As soon as they had recovered -their breath they gave vent to their rage. - -They yelled and shouted and said that Bilsen and the whole district -must be burned down, that the major was far too kind, that they were -cowardly soldiers who hid themselves in houses and dared not fight -an honest fight in the open, that civilians had also been shooting, -and so on. I pointed out that the firing did not come from the house, -but from the shrubbery near the house; that nobody could have seen a -civilian shooting. As they insisted, I said with a laugh that they had -seen ghosts. That excited them so, that they came on to me in a rage, -and asked whether this was a laughing matter? And they would surely -have used violence had not the sergeant intervened. - -I went immediately to the major to give him a detailed report of the -occurrence, and I believe that I may say without boasting that owing -to my intervention Veldwezelt was not burned down, although other -frightful things happened there. - -The hussar who was first hit, died later on. The other appeared to be -only slightly wounded in the arm. - -Of course I had to remain at Bilsen after this adventure. The major -appeased his men somewhat, mounted a ridiculously small horse, and -marched out at the head of his men. Two hundred men who had just -arrived from Tongres were added as reinforcements to the major's -troops, who had now about six hundred men with him. Thus they went -again to Veldwezelt, but the few Belgians, who were no fools, had left -of course. - -Towards evening the major returned with his men, who in loud voices -sounded forth all sorts of patriotic songs, elated because they had -driven away the enemy. As he entered I addressed the major, who with -a grand sweep of his arm called out to me: "You may go now; I have -cleared the whole district." - -I was very curious to know what had happened in Veldwezelt. When I came -near the village, I noticed great activity; men, women, and children -were busy with saws and hatchets cutting down all the trees and shrubs -along the road. - -Beautiful hedges, which had been grown artificially in fine forms -for years, fell under the blows of the hatchets. The reason? Before -the day was over all hedges, all shrubs, and all trees had to be cut -down, or the village would be set on fire. Still shaking and trembling -in consequence of the terrors they had experienced during the day, -old men, women, and children with red flushed cheeks joined in the -work; they had not even taken time to change their Sunday- for their -working-day clothes. - -And if that had been all! But dozens of boys and young men had been -taken to Bilsen as prisoners. There had been a real hunt for all -able-bodied lads who might be of any use in the Belgian army. Women and -old men were compelled by threats to betray the hiding-places of their -sons or husbands, and if one of them was found hidden away under straw -or in barns, he was ill-treated or beaten with rifle-butts. Some fled -to Maastricht, others to the Campine, the northern part of Belgium. I -presume that both groups have at length arrived in Antwerp. - -Dr. Beckers, Government veterinary surgeon at Veldwezelt, had also been -taken to Bilsen as a hostage. The Germans asserted that the Belgians in -Lanaeken had taken prisoner a German military veterinary surgeon who -looked after the horses, and now intended to keep Dr. Beckers until the -Belgians should have released the German military veterinary surgeon. - -During the occupation a war contribution of 150,000 francs in silver -had been imposed on Bilsen, although there was hardly any silver left -in the place. This punishment was inflicted because Belgian soldiers -had destroyed the railway in two places. - -Near Lanaeken I met suddenly a Belgian soldier, who did not trouble me -after I had shown him my papers. I was quite astonished to find that -man there all by himself, whilst so many Germans were only a few miles -away. When I asked whether he knew this, he answered: - -"Yes." - -"Are you not afraid?" - -"No." - -"But when the Germans come!" - -"Then I shall shoot." - -"But that will mean death for yourself." - -"What does that matter? What do I care for life? I come from Dinant; -they have murdered my dear parents, burned our house. What good is it -to me to be alive? I requested them to give me this dangerous outpost. -When the Germans come, I'll shoot, and then my comrades at Lanaeken -will be warned. Then I'll kill three or four of them, but after that I -shall be ready to die myself." - -The man looked at me with glittering eyes full of the passion of -revenge. I pressed his hand and went on. - -Lanaeken seemed to have been reoccupied by the Belgians, after the -occurrences of the previous Sunday. When I entered the place, I found -the greater number of the men round about the station. - -The Belgians who had fired at the Germans near Veldwezelt had also come -back there. They were eleven motor-cyclists who had been reconnoitring; -when near Veldwezelt they saw the Germans approach and hid themselves -in the shrubberies, intending to attack them. The only wounded person -they had was only slightly hurt, and within a few days he would be able -to rejoin his comrades. - -Mr. van Wersch, whom I mentioned above, and who shared imprisonment -with me at Bilsen, had a rather disagreeable adventure a few days -afterwards, when he had the misfortune of being mistaken for the -war-correspondent of _De Tijd_. - -My letter to that paper about what had happened in Bilsen seemed to -have reached the German authorities at that place, and these gentlemen -were not at all pleased with it. When Mr. van Wersch came back to the -place a few days afterwards he was mistaken for myself, and arrested at -once. - -After having been searched all over, he was escorted by a sergeant and -two soldiers to Tongres, where they took him to Captain Spuer, the same -fat officer who, so kindly, had called me a "swine." - -When they arrived at Tongres, the captain happened to have returned to -Bilsen, whither the prisoner was brought back by the same escort. But -Captain Spuer seemed not to be found there either, in consequence of -which the major allowed Mr. van Wersch at last to go on. - -When he passed the village of Veldwezelt he met a motor-car ... in -which was Captain Spuer. He recognised his victim at once, and also -mistook him for the war correspondent of _De Tijd_. Mr. van Wersch -was immediately detained again, and taken to a farm-house in the -neighbourhood, where he was threatened with a revolver, and roared at: -"You are the correspondent of _De Tijd_." - -Mr. van Wersch denied this of course, but nevertheless they took him -to Bilsen in the motor-car. There he was searched once more, the -Netherland letters he had with him were taken away, as also 1,800 -francs. But when he was released they gave him back the money. - -Mr. van Wersch was told that they intended to send him to Tongres, but -after a deliberation between Captain Spuer and Major Krittel, a very -kind man as I have already remarked, he was allowed to stay at Bilsen -until the examination should be over. He was allowed to walk through -the townlet under military escort at first, but later entirely free, -and to sleep at the station under military guard. After another search, -he was at last allowed to leave for Maastricht on Monday morning. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -DURING THE SIEGE OF ANTWERP - - -MANY days before the Germans marched upon Antwerp I announced the siege -in my paper. In Louvain I had seen all the preparations and also the -arrival of the Austrian 30·5 c.m. which were intended to batter to -ruins the bulwark of the national defence. - -As soon as the siege had begun, I tried to join the Germans, viâ -Louvain, and left Maastricht again by motor-car. Only a few miles from -the Netherland frontier I met the first soldiers, Belgians. When they -saw the Orange flag with the word "Nederland," they let us pass without -any trouble. A little farther on the road walked a civilian, who, by -putting up his hands, requested or commanded us to stop. We took the -most prudent part, and did stop. The man asked in bad Dutch to be -allowed to drive on with us to Brussels, but the motor was not going -beyond Tirlemont; outside that place motor-traffic was forbidden. The -stranger got in all the same, in order to have a convenient journey at -least so far. - -My new companion tried desperately to speak as good Dutch as possible, -but failed in the most deplorable manner; every time pure German -words came in between. He told a story that he stayed at Maastricht -as a refugee, and now wanted to fetch his children from a girls' -boarding-school at Brussels. I pretended to believe every word, and -after he had forgotten the first story he made up another, saying that -he came from Liège, where some officers who were billeted on him were -kind enough to give him a chance of going to Brussels, to purchase -stock for his business. - -When we were stopped by German outposts he put out of the window a -paper at which they just glanced, stood to attention, and said that -all was well. They did not even want to see my papers. In a casual way -I asked what a miraculous sort of paper he had, and then he pretended -that, by the help of those officers who were quartered on him, he had -got a certificate from the Governor of Liège with the order to treat -him with great respect and also to allow him to travel by military -trains if the opportunity happened to offer itself. - -In Tongres it was necessary to get a passport signed, and pay three -marks each, and ten marks for the motor. But the office of the -commander was not open before three o'clock in the afternoon, according -to the soldiers who were doing sentry-go in front of the town-hall. -Wait till three o'clock? No fear! My companion showed his miraculous -paper again, and was allowed to go in, but only by himself. I gave -him my papers and those of the chauffeur, and also wanted to give him -sixteen marks, three each for the chauffeur and myself and ten for the -motor, but he said that that was unnecessary. Within twenty minutes -the fellow came back with our verified passports on which the words -"Paid: Free" were written. - -A lot of artillery and a great number of soldiers were in the -market-place ready to start. The commander sent one of his officers -to us, who addressed me, examined my papers, and then said that I -had surely met Belgian soldiers on the way. Of course I denied this -emphatically. - -"Don't you know then whether there are Belgian military in Vroenhoven?" - -"No." - -"And in Lanaeken?" - -"I know nothing about that." - -"Didn't hear either about it?" - -"No." - -Evidently he seemed to confide in me, and told me that they had been -ordered to clear the north-east corner of Belgium of enemies, and that -by and by they were going to march upon Lanaeken first of all. - -When he was gone I gazed for some moments in silence at all these -men and guns, destined to go and destroy by and by the heroes, who -have done so much harm to the Germans, under command of the brave -lieutenant Count de Caritat, burgomaster of Lanaeken. I thought of that -brave Belgian from Dinant whom I met on his solitary outpost outside -Lanaeken, and if I had acted according to my heart's desire, I should -have sneaked away to the threatened point in order to warn those -courageous men of the approaching disaster. - -My mysterious companion touched my shoulder and asked whether we -should not go on. "All right," I said, and we got in again. - -At Tirlemont they were very busy rebuilding the burnt houses, although -all day long the air shook from the heavy roar of the cannon near -Antwerp. - -I sent the motor back to The Netherlands, and went with my companion -to the commander's office, where we got a permit to go on by military -train. - -From the side of Brussels many soldiers arrived at the station, who had -all been wounded near Antwerp. - -After a long time we were able to enter a train taking numerous new -troops to Antwerp. We occupied a first-class compartment, which looked -like a cattle-truck: pieces of bread, paper, cigar-ends, and tobacco -were lying on the floor and the seats; the ledges of the windows were -full of candle-grease. - -We jogged on to Louvain at a rate of not quite three miles an hour. -Here and there we had to wait a half or a whole hour to let trains from -Brussels pass. The reason why the train went so slowly was because a -week before a Belgian patrol had daringly broken through the outposts -and destroyed the railway near Lovenjool. That village was then burned -down completely and the vicar made a prisoner. - -Near Louvain the train had to stop for another two hours, before it -was allowed to enter the station, which was quite close by. I thanked -my stars that at last I got rid of my companion, who travelled on to -Brussels, whereas I got out at Louvain. It was too late to be allowed -to walk in the streets, but the commander gave me an escort of two -soldiers, who were to take me to the mission house of the Fathers of -the Sacred Heart. - -It was very cold that evening, and the outposts at Heverlee had all -wrapped themselves up in blankets. Once or twice we were stopped, but -the password of my escort removed all difficulties. - -"Is it much farther?" one of my armed guides asked. - -"No, only a couple of minutes." - -"I am thirsty. I should like very much to have a glass of beer." - -"Yes," I replied, "but everything is closed." - -"Yes, yes, but we shall like it also to-morrow, hi, hi, hi!" - -It is as if the curse of drink always pursued the garrison in Louvain, -for when and wherever I met German soldiers in that town, or came into -touch with them, they were always drunk. That evening, also, I was glad -when I arrived at the mission house, tipped the men, and got rid of -them until the next day. - -The Fathers were already in bed, but I soon got them out again. Within -ten minutes I was enjoying what, in the circumstances, was a splendid -meal, and the Fathers were absorbed in the daily and illustrated papers -which I had brought for them. - -The conditions at Louvain were the same as some weeks ago: hunger -and misery. Some male prisoners had come back, and also over 150 -female prisoners, who for more than a month had been in captivity in -the Munster Camp. During the last days a real reign of terror ruled. -Hostages were continually claimed, and nearly always they took -clerics. The week before the people had feared a new destruction. It -was said that there had been shooting again, but happily the inquiry -showed that a German soldier did it, and he was punished. The shot had -been fired in front of the Josephite convent. - - * * * * * - -A remarkable strike had taken place in the Leo XIII Hospital. The head -of this institution, Dr. Tits, also had been taken as a hostage. It -was the most blackguardly act one can think of, to take away the man -who had spent night and day mostly nursing wounded Germans. Dr. Noyons -found it so harsh that he took counsel with the other doctors, and they -decided not to resume work before Dr. Tits came back. This of course -happened immediately. - -The man who bears the full responsibility for the destruction of -Louvain, General von Manteuffel, had left already when I visited the -town this time, and nobody has ever been able to find out what became -of him. The latest proclamations were all signed: "By order of the -General Government of Brussels--the Etappe-Commander." - -Louvain was of course on tenterhooks about the course of the siege of -Antwerp, but everybody was quite confident that this fortress would -withstand a long, long time, although they saw quite well that the -German attack was very fierce, for the tremendous roar of the cannon -never ceased for a moment. - -A walking excursion of one day took me to Brussels. I might have -done it in a few hours less, but I lost my way in the wood-paths near -Brussels, for at a certain moment I read on a finger-post, "Brussels -four miles"; and after walking for a long time, and wondering whether I -should ever finish those four miles, I read suddenly: "Brussels--eight -miles!" That gave me such a shock that once more I had nearly taken the -wrong way. - -I put all my hope on a car that loomed up in the distance. It was -assisting in the reprovisioning of Brussels, and only for that reason -had the carman got permission to use it. I signalled to him, and he -stopped--a big lout of a man who evidently had had a drop too much; he -would not allow me to ride on with him, because he preferred to remain -alone on his car than to help a spy. "I am a Belgian, a Belgian, and -not a traitor, not a traitor of my country," he assured me, with a lot -of beery tears. In any case the man meant well, and probably he had -tried to drown his troubles in drink. - -In other circumstances I should not have taken so much trouble, but I -was so tired that I gave the man all my papers to make him see that I -was a Netherland journalist. But according to him that didn't matter at -all, because the Netherlanders were quite as dirty as the Germans, for -they had allowed the enemies of Belgium to pass through their country, -and so on. In a torrent of words I told him that there was not a word -of truth in it, and that the Belgian Government would surely lose no -time in declaring the same as soon as the country was free again. At -last I appealed to his heart by relating all the Netherlanders had done -for the Belgians. This had the desired effect, and I was allowed to -drive home with him. - -At every inn he felt thirsty, and made me feel quite clearly that I -had every reason to treat him. And every time that we went back to our -seats he said again: - -"Yes, but now you see if after all you are a spy, you see, then, you -see, I'll knock you down, you see?" - -"Yes, yes, but now listen; I have told you already that...." - -"But don't you see if you should, don't you see, you see I am a -patriot." - -"Oh, but listen: my papers...." - -"Yes, but you see they may be forged, you see. They may shoot me, you -see, but a traitor, you see, no, then I would knock you down, you -see...." - -That happened each time that he started again, and I was more tired by -trying to convince this man than if I had walked all the rest of the -way to Brussels. But after all I got there. - -There was much more liveliness in the Belgian capital than during my -first visit; it was as if the bombardment of Antwerp had wakened the -people out of their slumber, an apparent slumber only, for no citizens -were ever more faithful to the Belgian cause than those of Brussels. - -There was shouting enough in the streets and on the boulevards; here -hawkers tried to sell maps of the Fortress of Antwerp; there women -and girls offered scarf-pins with the portrait of Burgomaster Max. -Everybody had such a pin, and I soon sported one too, for only then did -these lady-sellers leave me alone. - -The German proclamations in Brussels were nearly as numerous as the -Max pins. They showered them during the last days on the town, the -one more insolent than the other. After reading those things, a -proclamation by Burgomaster Max affected me beneficially, whenever I -could find one amongst the mass of other bills posted on the walls. -Such a document testified to a grand soul and a firm character, which -vindicated courageously the rights of the oppressed people. - -In the streets and in the cafés I saw a great many marines who had -taken part in the fights near Antwerp and were sent to Brussels for a -few days' rest. It was remarkable that so many of them who had only -lately looked death in the face, thought that they could not amuse -themselves better than by mixing with girls of the worst description. -Although I cannot, of course, always believe what soldiers, fresh back -from a fight, assert in their over-excited condition, I assumed that I -might conclude that things went badly with the defence of Antwerp. - -A trip from Brussels to the scene of the fight convinced me still -more. I passed some time with the artillery which had already silenced -Waelhem, and was now used against the other defences. The sight of such -an action was less interesting than one might think, as I could not get -to the places where the infantry were storming. Only the thunder of -all these guns overwhelmed and gave me an idea of the terror that was -created. - -From Antwerp, which I could see clearly from the positions of the -artillery near Waelhem, high columns of smoke rose up from the Belgian -artillery, which was harassing the German positions. - -Here I also saw in action one of the 30·5 cm. Austrian howitzers -mentioned before. The clumsy monster was constantly being shunted on -a rail forward and backward, and at long intervals sent a gigantic -projectile to the threatened quarters. The sound was terrific, and the -pressure of the air made people at a great distance tremble on the -ground. The Austrian artillerists were still equipped as if they had to -fight in a rough, mountainous country; the soles of their shoes were -all over covered with hobnails. - -The Red Cross Service was well arranged, the wounded were transported -regularly, a large number of motor-cars being used. - -All soldiers and officers took the siege of the great fortress calmly, -convinced that at the most it would be able to hold out for very few -days. Reliable information soon gave me the same impression, although -I had wished it might have been quite different. When I left the scene -of the fight all the forts from Waelhem to St. Cathérine-Waver had been -silenced and in the hands of the Germans, who would soon attack the -inner circle of forts. - -In Brussels the people seemed to be of a different opinion. German -reports about successes obtained were simply not believed, and people -persisted in their opinion that Antwerp would be invincible. The more -reports of victories the Germans posted on the walls, the more excited -people became, and palmed off upon each other all sorts of victories -of the Allies. - -At the Café Quatre Bras, near Tervueren, the innkeeper told me that the -Germans had asked the Netherland Government for permission to place a -42 cm. on Netherland territory in order to be able to shell Antwerp -also from that side, but that the Netherland Government had refused. -I tried as hard as possible to explain to the man that all stories of -such requests were mere gossip. When more and more people entered the -café I withdrew into a corner. They were all very excited, and some of -them had drunk more than was good for them. They related with violent -gesticulations that the Allies had surrounded Brussels and might be -expected to enter the town at any moment, that all was over with the -Germans, and so on. Shouts of "Vive la Belgique!" and "Vive notre roi!" -sounded until suddenly I drew their attention. They looked me up and -down critically, and one of them asked: - -"Who are you?" - -"A Netherland journalist, who is trying to get news for his paper." - -"What, a Netherlander!--a Netherlander! All traitors! You are helping -the Germans, but we are not afraid of either German or Netherlander." - -They crowded threateningly round me, getting more and more excited. - -I saw that I must act, and jumped on a chair. - -"What," I exclaimed, "you dare to say that the Netherlanders act with -the Germans? No, shall I tell you something? The Germans have asked -the Netherland Government for permission to place a 42 cm. gun on -their territory to shell Antwerp from that side, but the Netherland -Government have refused." - -"Lies, gossip." - -"Lies, gossip? Ask the proprietor." - -"Yes, men, what the gentleman says is true." - -The rest was lost to me, for the men crowded round the innkeeper, -who now aired his knowledge about the occurrence and evidently spoke -with true conviction. At the end of the conversation they took their -tankards from the bar, and shouted and cried: "Ah, well, if that is so, -vive la Hollande! vive la Belgique! vive notre roi!" Suddenly we were -the best of friends. - -In Louvain people would not believe that Antwerp was on the point of -surrendering, and persisted in the opinion that the fortress would hold -out much longer, and was in a better position than ever before. - -The German officers at the commander's office were elated in -consequence of the reports received, and also told me that Antwerp -would not be able to hold out for more than two days. They also tried -to explain this to the people in the hall who were waiting for their -passports. I followed the conversation, but not very closely, and one -of the officers explained on a map what he asserted. Willy-nilly, -because they had to get their passports, the waiting people listened to -him. Suddenly I heard him say: "And after all we might have surrounded -Antwerp also on the north by crossing Netherland territory, as we did -when we invaded Belgium." - -Those words gave me a shock, for I had heard that German officers -always tried to encourage the Belgians in their wrong opinion about the -alleged violation of Netherland neutrality, but I had not been able to -believe it. With an innocent face I asked the officer: - -"Where did the Germans cross Netherland territory?" - -"Near Maastricht. You know where Maastricht is?" - -And he summoned me to look at the map, where he pointed out to me where -Maastricht was. - -"Hullo!" I said, "but in those days I was in and about Maastricht, but -I never noticed anything of it." - -"And yet it is so. Are you perhaps a Netherlander?" - -"Oh yes, I am a Netherland journalist." - -"Is that so? I beg your pardon, but won't you come with me? I suppose -that you want a passport. I will take you to the commander." - -He was quite upset, and evidently thought that the best plan was to -muzzle me by taking me away from the others as quickly as possible. - -I asked and got the commander's permission to travel to Liège by -military train, and from there to The Netherlands, not only for -myself, but also for a Netherland girl of nine years, whose parents in -Amsterdam had repeatedly and persistently asked me to see whether there -would be any possibility of letting their little girl come back from a -Louvain boarding-school. The Sisters with whom she was let her go with -me when I showed them a letter from her father. That child had already -seen a good deal! The Sisters had fled with all the children at the -time of the conflagration, and hidden themselves for days in a farm in -the neighbourhood. - -During the last days hundreds of lads had left Louvain for The -Netherlands, and the migration went on throughout the whole occupied -part of Belgium. It was the exodus of the levies of 1914 and 1915, -who had been called up, and many of whom had been sent to Germany as -prisoners. The Germans themselves had not a little furthered the flight -of these crowds; by proclamations they had warned the lads not to try -to escape, for otherwise all of the levies of '14 and '15 would be -taken prisoners, and the parents of the fugitives would be punished. At -Heverlee and Louvain the lads of both levies had to present themselves -every Friday at this station. The consequence was that the following -Friday not one single boy of those levies was to be found in either -place. - -No more wounded were taken to the hospitals of Louvain, as it had -been decided to send them straight on to Germany for the present; yet -there were many wounded men who were being nursed there already, and -the doctors had their hands full attending to the wounded who passed -the town. Dr. Noyons told me that the previous Sunday a train with 600 -wounded had arrived from Northern France, and he and his assistants had -been requested "just" to dress the wounds again of some of them. The -condition of these unfortunate men must have been awful; not one had -a dressing less than eight days old. Most of them had had it on much -longer, and then these were merely emergency dressings. They were laid -on straw in cattle trucks, many of them even in filth, and infection -had worsened their condition to a great extent. Dr. Noyons and his -colleagues tried to give the poor fellows as much relief as possible, -but as a matter of course they could not do very much during a short -stay at a station. - -The general condition of the town was not calmer during these last -days. New hostages were taken continually, and generally, as before, -they were clerics, in consequence of which the religious services were -in a continual muddle, and sometimes on Sundays no Holy Mass could -be said. Burgomaster Nerinx had now posted proclamations in which he -called for volunteers to serve as temporary hostages, instead of the -priests, during the hours of religious service. As if it were office -work they mentioned: "The service begins in the afternoon at ... -o'clock and will end after ... days at ... o'clock." - -It was self-evident that very few were keen to offer themselves as -temporary substitutes for the clerics. - -I have, happily, not seen much of the distressing flight of the Antwerp -population, as I happened to be at Liège when the fortress fell into -German hands. I went to Zundert viâ Maastricht and Breda, in order -to go to the conquered fortress from that Netherland frontier-town, -north-east of Antwerp. - -A good many refugees were on their way to The Netherlands, but the -bulk of the crowd had passed before my visit along the long road which -I walked now in the opposite direction. I did not arrive in Antwerp -before nightfall and was then very tired. The town was dark, dismal, -and deserted, and only German soldiers went about in the streets, -apparently looking in vain for a shop or café where they might find -some diversion. I myself, exhausted by a walk of twenty-five miles, -sauntered along, constantly looking for some place or other to pass the -night. Not a shop or hotel was open, and yet my stomach was craving for -food, my body for rest. At last I met a policeman and told him of my -difficulty. - -"Yes, sir," he answered, "that will be difficult enough. Everybody has -fled, even my own wife and children. I remained because I thought it -was my duty, and now I have been tramping through the streets already -for over twenty-four hours, without being relieved. It seems that by -far the greater number of my colleagues fled also." - -"Don't you think you could find me some hotel, or private people who -might put me up?" - -"I am very much afraid I shan't be able, but come along, and we'll try -together." - -So we went from street to street, without any result. He rang the bell -at many houses where he knew that acquaintances lived, but always in -vain, and at last the kind man had to give it up. - -I went on by myself, and arrived at last in a street where I noticed a -light in a house. When I came near, I stood opposite a small café, with -"Lodgings" over the door. I was hardly able to go on, and did not care -whether it was "lodgings" or "hotel," if I could only get in somewhere. - -But I did not stop long, for after a good look round it seemed -the best to try and get away as quickly as possible, and in that -I succeeded. One understands, however, that it was a terrific -disappointment for a man so tired to leave again after thinking that he -had at last found a place for rest. At length I found an hotel near the -Central Station. - -Antwerp had suffered from the horror of war. The bombardment had -destroyed many beautiful quarters almost entirely, and even damaged -badly a number of hospitals. Of course the loss of many lives had to be -deplored. - -The next day I had the pleasure of an interview with Cardinal Mercier, -whose residence in Antwerp I had been able to find out at last. A -wealthy lady had offered his Eminence her grand house. In one of the -rooms I waited for the arrival of the cardinal, the Metropolitan of the -Belgian Church Provinces, who, both as a prelate and a patriot, had -been tried so sorely in this war, which ravaged both his university -town and his episcopal town. Although he was exceedingly busy, his -Eminence had the kindness to grant me an audience. - -As I was still musing about the tragedy of this venerable personality -in these hard days of war, the door was opened suddenly and his spare -figure stood before me. It was a moment full of emotion, and perhaps I -might not have recovered myself so quickly if the kind prelate had not -met me with so much kindness. - -After his Eminence had allowed me to kiss his ring, he asked me to -sit down. I had now a good opportunity to notice how grief dwelt on -his entirely spiritualised face, in its frame of white hair. But his -extraordinary kindness in intercourse did not leave him for one moment. - -In connection with the summons, which had been sent in the name of the -archdiocese to _De Tijd_, and had been proclaimed in all the churches -of Antwerp in the morning, his Eminence insisted that it should be -printed in its entirety, as very many priests had taken refuge in The -Netherlands, whose help was pressingly wanted in the arch-diocese in -many of the parishes. - -And he went on to say that he desired especially, most fervently the -return of the fled population. - -"Really, in all sincerity," he said, "no danger need be feared. I -should be very grateful if the newspapers in The Netherlands would draw -attention to the following promises which the German authorities gave -me, and authorised me to make in their name:-- - -"1. The young men need not fear that they will be taken to Germany in -order to serve in the German army, or be compelled to do any work. - -"2. Should the police regulations be infringed anywhere by some -individuals, the authorities will find the guilty parties and punish -them, without attributing the guilt to the entire population. - -"3. The German and Belgian authorities will do everything in their -power to prevent scarcity of food." - -"Your Eminence may permit me to remark that the second clause -especially is very important and much more comforting than a previous -declaration of the Imperial Governor, that owing to occasional -mistakes he cannot prevent the innocent population from having to -suffer with those who are guilty. May I ask, has this favourable result -been obtained by your personal intervention?" - -"That is to say ... yes. I have suggested these measures and they have -been consented to. I hope that they may induce all the refugees in -The Netherlands to return at once. A press bureau in your country has -circulated the report that I too had planned to fly. There was no truth -in it at all. It was my duty not to leave my people, is not that so? -The shepherd must stay with his sheep, the vicars must do the same, and -those who went away must therefore come back." - -"Your Eminence visited Malines last Tuesday, I have been told. I may -perhaps ask how you found the condition of the cathedral and the town?" - -The cardinal's face was overclouded suddenly, and quietly he answered: - -"Pardon me, it is perhaps better not to say a word about that for the -moment. We are living through difficult times." - -I understood and respected the restraint of the Belgian primate, who -went on then: - -"Tuesday of next week I hope to be at Malines again, and on the 20th -of this month the administrative service of the archdiocese will be -reinstalled." - -"Then you will stay again at the episcopal palace, your Eminence?" - -"Yes, certainly. It will take time of course, but the damage done to -the St. Rombout church and the palace is not irreparable; the church -has suffered very much, the spire is less damaged." - -"Much will be needed to repair what has been damaged in this -unfortunate country." - -"Yes, yes. An immense amount will be necessary. We are about to form -committees; but so much is needed. In England they are also forming -committees, and I have received money already from England, Scotland, -and Ireland, and The Netherlands...." - -For a moment he gave way to emotion. He hesitated for a few seconds, -and I saw tears in his eyes. He then went on with a trembling voice: - -"The Netherlands is a generous country. How grateful, how immensely -grateful am I to the Netherland people for what they have done for poor -refugees. I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude. I have received -reports from priests who came back, and I am deeply moved by them. They -told me how at Roosendaal the Netherland soldiers gave all their bread -to the refugees, knowing well that for some time they themselves would -not get any other. No! I can never be sufficiently grateful for such -sacrifices. And Catholics and non-Catholics all joined in it. That is -beautiful, very, very beautiful." - -"Your Eminence, what The Netherlands did for the poor Belgians came -from the heart of the people, and I know for certain that the Catholics -will be eager to contribute to the rebuilding of the destroyed churches -and houses." - -"The Netherlands has done already so much, but if it would come to the -assistance of our unfortunate people also in this way it would greatly -gladden the archiepiscopal government, who will be only too happy to -accept gifts in these difficult times; and perhaps the Right Reverend -Netherland bishops may be willing to send the gifts for this purpose -to us. We might then distribute those gifts among the parishes in the -country which have suffered most." - -"Well, in any case, your Eminence, I promise to bring it to the -knowledge of the Catholics in The Netherlands, and you may rely upon -their readiness. But now I will not take more of your valuable time, -which you give so zealously to the poor and the unfortunate. I thank -you very much for having granted me this audience." - -"It was in the interests of our suffering country, and we are those who -ought to be grateful. May I insist once more that you ask our refugees -to come back to Antwerp and don't omit to state the three favourable -regulations...." - -His Eminence then got up, kindly offered me his hand, the ring on which -I kissed, and escorted me to the door in the amiable, simple way of -which I shall retain the memory for ever. - -I can see now once more how little Germans care about the given word. -They asked and obtained from Cardinal Mercier his co-operation to -incite the population to return, but the cardinal, always anxious to -safeguard his compatriots, made conditions to which they consented. - -The first of them was that no young man should be taken to Germany, or -compelled to work. Now how many lads are not already in Germany, how -many have not been compelled, especially in both the Flanders, to do -work for the Germans? And were not loyal people who refused to do it -imprisoned? Yes! Did not these violators of law and right proclaim that -all appeal to international agreements would be useless? "We shall no -longer punish a whole population for the deeds of individuals," they -also promised Cardinal Mercier. But many communities have had fines and -taxes imposed upon them in consequence of the offence of one individual. - -And although they also promised to do everything in their power -to prevent lack of food in Belgium, they have bled to death the -unfortunate country by continuous impositions and taxes, and thrown -many into poverty and misery. - -Yes, in the most scandalous manner they have violated the promises -which the Germans gave Cardinal Mercier. But what signifies a word if -treaties are only "scraps of paper?" - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE ILL-TREATMENT OF BRITISH WOUNDED - - -I RETURNED from Louvain by military train. This one had had a most -adventurous journey before it reached Louvain. It had left Cambrai in -North France three days before, always going slowly and making long -stops, to spare the seriously wounded at least a little. I estimated -that in my train over 2,000 wounded had been loaded in a long, dismal -procession of wagons. Most of them had not had their bandages renewed -for a fortnight, and were still wearing the first emergency dressing; -all came from the neighbourhood of Arras. - -A little to the north of this town many had been lying wounded in the -trenches for over eight days, without being able to get their wounds -bandaged. They had to admit the success of the French field artillery, -which produced a most serious effect. - -The Germans all agreed that their right wing lacked artillery. The -German soldiers who fell there were all killed in their trenches by the -falling bombs, there was not sufficient field artillery to answer this -murderous fire efficiently, and they could not do anything with their -rifles against the invisible enemy. The artillery fire of the French -was most serious from the 1st to the 4th of October, and during those -days the German trenches must have been a real hell. On October 4th a -general "sauve qui peut" began from the trenches. - -But the shell-fire of the French overtook them then, as they were -retreating, while many others were killed by bombs from French -aeroplanes, which were in action in great numbers. The retreat -had not stopped before the Germans arrived in Cambray, where the -thousands of wounded could at last be put in long trains and sent to -Aix-la-Chapelle. A great many bombs from aeroplanes also hit these -trains and killed a great many; my own train was everywhere pierced by -fragments of those bombs. Within the carriages it was unendurable; the -wounded men and their malodorous bandages had occupied them such a long -time that the atmosphere was simply insupportable. Happily there was -a corridor, where I stood all the time, with the little girl, in the -company of some German military men who were sent home, not on account -of wounds, but because of internal complaints. - -Very slowly the huge monster sauntered along, stopping and waiting -everywhere to allow long trains with fresh troops to pass. These came -straight from Germany, with the youngest levies and volunteers who had -just finished their drill. These had decorated their trains all over -with green boughs and outside painted all sorts of caricatures, from -which especially King George had to suffer much. Then one read "To -Paris, to England," and similar hopeful devices. - -When their train approached ours they looked out of the windows, or -opened the doors, and waved and greeted and shouted at the top of their -voices. - -But as soon as these "tender-foots" came alongside our train and -were not met with the same impetuous enthusiasm as they displayed -themselves, but, on the contrary, saw sick, discouraged, exhausted -faces gazing at them distressedly, their boisterousness suddenly -extinguished, and a nervous, terrified expression pursed up their -mouths. And the trains were already at some distance from each other -before the young soldiers remembered that they ought to shout and to -wave to those who had already done so much for the Fatherland. - -We arrived at Landen, a place between Tirlemont and Waremme, where -we had a stop of forty minutes, in order to feed the wounded. Soup -was served from large washing-tubs, and I and my small companion were -also offered some of this soldiers' food. When I had finished my meal, -and walked up and down the platform in order to stretch my legs, my -attention was drawn to an uproar in front of one of the last wagons. I -went there, and shall not forget what I saw as long as I live; I wish -that I had never seen it. - -Amongst some Frenchmen, three British soldiers, seriously wounded, -were lying on some straw. They looked distressed, and I thought that -their condition was critical. I was told that these men had not had -any food for five days, and now there stood in front of the open wagon -doors two to three hundred German soldiers, partly slightly wounded, -who were well able to walk, partly German soldiers of the Landen -garrison, who had been told off for distributing the soup. These two to -three hundred men raged and jeered at those three unfortunate, heavily -wounded British soldiers, who had not eaten for five days, and lay -groaning helplessly on some dirty straw in a cattle-truck. The steaming -tubs with hot soup were shown them, and these Germans shouted at them: -"You want to eat, swine, swine; you ought to be killed! Beat them to -death!--beat them to death! Here, that's what you ought to get!" - -As they spoke these last words they aimed their rifles at the -unfortunate, bleeding, helpless, and hungry creatures. Others spat on -their clothes and in their faces, and the enraged Germans foamed at the -mouth. - -With weak eyes, eyes telling of approaching death, one of them gazed -at these cruel torturers, or looked hungrily at the steaming soup; the -two others had turned their heads on one side and closed their eyes. -But at last also the third turned off his head and closed his eyes, -sighing and groaning. In the meantime the Germans went on threatening -them, blurting out all sorts of filthy abuse, spitting or threatening -them with their rifles, while others were laughing and enjoying the -helplessness of those three. - -I stood still, dumb, aghast, unable to utter a word. Then I went to a -sergeant who was also looking on and laughing; and, trembling all over, -I said: - -"What is happening here is frightful; those men are also human beings, -who had to do their duty as much as you!" - -I couldn't say more, my voice stuck in my throat. - -And what was his answer? - -"What? Do their duty? No, they are swine--paid swine; they get money -for their dirty work, the swine!" - -I did not answer. I could not. Silently I looked a little longer at -the beastly scene, only sorry that I was not a giant who, with one -strong hand, might restrain the roughs, and refresh with the other the -burning, feverish lips of the wretched men. - -What distressed me most was that among those two to three hundred -soldiers in front of that open cattle-truck was not one man who wanted -to take the part of these unfortunate British; no, not one! - -When I reported the occurrence in _De Tijd_, I was fully conscious of -the frightful accusation implied by my information; but I am prepared -to confirm with the most sacred oaths that nothing in this accusation -is untrue or exaggerated. - -I was not afraid of an inquiry, but asked for it as a matter of fact, -by writing in my report:-- - - "And if the German authorities intend to institute a serious and - impartial inquiry, then I give them the following particulars: - - "It happened at Landen on Friday, October 9th, in the train with - wounded which arrived there from Brussels at about noon, when food - was being distributed." - -The German authorities have indeed made inquiries about the matter; I -shall deal with that in the next chapter. - -What happened at Landen made a very deep impression upon me; it -shocked me more than all the terrible things which I had seen during -the war and all the dangers which I went through. When the train went -on again, and the soldiers began to speak to me once more, I was unable -to utter a word and sat there musing. - -Before I witnessed this terrible event at Landen some Germans in the -train had already told me that they simply killed the British whom they -made prisoners. Others assured me that such a thing did not happen in -their division, but one asserted that by his company alone already -twenty-six had been killed. I did not believe them then, and thought -that they were better than they made themselves out, but after having -witnessed that scene at Landen ...! - -One hour before the arrival at Liège the engine of our train dashed -into another, and got so badly damaged that all the water from our -engine ran away. This caused a delay of another two hours, so that we -did not arrive at Liège before dusk, and could not think of reaching -The Netherlands that day. - -I took the little Amsterdam girl to my niece in the convent of the -Sisters of Mercy, and went to an hotel myself. A German newspaper, -bought at a bookstall, gave in gigantic type the information that -Antwerp might fall at any moment, and a recently posted bulletin -brought the feared-for news. But the people of Liège could not, and -would not believe it. - -I had expected it and believed the reports, but it hurt all the same. I -had had intercourse with German soldiers almost exclusively; but that -gave me a much better opportunity for observing their conduct, which -roused in me a deep sympathy for the poor, oppressed Belgian people. -That was why I was so sorry to hear of the fall of Antwerp, although -I was not discouraged. Right would triumph, and the day come when the -Belgian nation would shake off the foreign yoke of tyranny, and repair -in peace and prosperity, under the sagacious rule of their king, what -barbarians destroyed and pulled down. - -The next day I got to The Netherlands with my small protégée, after -a tiring walk from Herstal to Eysden, where we could take the train -to Maastricht. Here the father of the little girl came to meet his -daughter, and took her to Amsterdam, to her "Mummy," of whom she had -been speaking during the whole journey with so much longing. - -Only now did I hear what had happened to the village of Lanaeken after -I had seen the German preparations in Tongres for action against the -little Belgian army that was still about in the north-eastern part -of the country. The greater part of Lanaeken had been destroyed by -shelling, and of course a great many innocent victims had fallen in -consequence. - -By destroying the life and possessions of peaceful civilians the -Germans--who always boast so much about their military honour--gave -unconscious expression to their awe of the fearless heroes who still -stood their ground to the north of Liège, whilst the Germans were still -besieging Antwerp. - - * * * * * - -I have mentioned already that the German authorities had ordered a -so-called inquiry about what happened at Landen. As the result of -this inquiry the press of all neutral countries had the following two -official communications wired to them:-- - - "_Berlin, November 10th._ (E. B.).--A correspondent of _De Tijd_ - in Amsterdam has told a number of details about the so-called bad - treatment of British wounded at the station of Landen, according - to which the British had been left without food or drink, had - been spit in their faces, and our soldiers were alleged to have - aimed their rifles at them. The German Government had instituted - a thorough inquiry into this matter and publish the result: 'The - entire allegation of the correspondent is untrue. None of the - details is covered by the facts. The British have not been beaten - nor pushed nor spit at, but on the contrary warm food was offered - them, which was accepted by all except two. Store-inspector Huebner - and the landwehr-soldier Krueger have testified to this." - - "_Berlin, November 10th._ (W. B.) Official.--The _Norddeutsche - Allgemeine Zeitung_ writes: 'The daily newspaper, _De Tijd_, - issued at Amsterdam, published on October 16th a report from a - war correspondent at Maastricht, in which he asserted that on - October 9th a train in which more than two thousand wounded were - transported, arrived at the station at Landen in Belgium between - Tirlemont and Waremme. Here it was said that a stop had taken place - of forty minutes in which to provide the wounded with food. Walking - up and down the platform the reporter pretends to have seen two - to three hundred German soldiers, slightly wounded men and men of - the garrison of Landen, furiously abuse three seriously wounded - British, who were lying in one of the last carriages of the train. - They showed mugs full of steaming soup to the hungry British, whom - they left lying there miserable from starvation. They were also - said to have aimed their rifles at them, laughing roughly, and to - have spit on them. - - "'These allegations of the reporter of _De Tijd_ caused the - authorities to institute inquiries, and the following is now stated - with regard to the alleged events: - - "'On October 9th no train with two thousand wounded arrived at - the station of Landen, but only small transports whose number can - be checked accurately by the lists of wounded. Rioting by two to - three hundred soldiers near a carriage could not take place, as the - station guard was instructed to keep free a path along the train. - There is, moreover, always an officer of the station-guard present, - when a train with wounded leaves. It is impossible that the - soldiers could have aimed their rifles at the British, as the men - who get their food in the dining-hall, as also the serving military - personnel, are always unarmed. Other soldiers are not admitted to - the station. The British have neither been beaten, nor stabbed, nor - spit at; on the contrary plates full of hot soup have been offered - them which were refused by two of them. This has been confirmed by - the declarations of people who were present.'" - -Of course I did not withhold my answer, pilloried the hardly serious -inquiry of the Germans, and published immediately an extensive -contradiction in _De Tijd_. I quote the following from it:-- - - "Only about a month after the publication of my story about what - happened at Landen, the German Government and military authorities - considered that the time had come to contradict it, after ordering - an inquiry which in reality cannot be called an inquiry at all. - From their communiqués it is clear that some soldiers were heard - who probably were privy to the act, and in any case benefited by - a denial of the villainy committed at Landen. That is to say, men - who were counsel in their own cause, and who were believed the - sooner because their declarations were desirable for the support of - German credit. But it does not appear from these communiqués that - the German authorities also examined the wounded who were present, - nor the two Netherlanders who travelled by that train: the young - Miss de Bruin, from Amsterdam, and the present writer, as also - the civilian witnesses at Landen. In opposition to the evidence - of Stores-inspector Huebner and the landwehr-soldier Krueger, of - which evidence it has not been stated that they gave it on oath, I - declare myself prepared and willing, if a complete and impartial - inquiry be instituted, to declare upon oath either to a properly - qualified committee in The Netherlands or in Germany, or to a - thereto-appointed arbiter, the following: - - "'1. On Friday, the ninth of October, at noon, I stopped at Landen - about forty minutes after arriving from Louvain in a terribly long - train of passenger carriages and goods vans, with approximately two - thousand wounded. (This estimate may be wrong to the extent of a - couple of hundred, but that does not matter.) During this time the - wounded were fed. - - "'I saw how two to three hundred German soldiers, part of them - slightly wounded, who were well able to walk, partly soldiers of - the Landen garrison, who crowded about the open doors of one of the - last wagons, raging and jeering against three seriously wounded - British soldiers, about whom their French fellow-passengers told me - that they had had nothing to eat for five days. The wounded were - called "swine," were spit at, and some rifles were aimed at them. - When I told a sergeant that it was a disgusting scene, he answered: - "These British swine, they get paid for their filthy work." He - alluded to the pay which the British volunteers receive because - they enlist as mercenaries, Britain having no compulsory general - military service. Before I witnessed this awful thing at Landen, - Germans in the train had already told me that they simply killed - any British whom they made prisoners. Others said that such a thing - did not happen in their division, but one man contended that by his - company already twenty-six had been killed. I did not believe them, - and thought that they were better than they pretended to be. - - "'2. The soup had been offered to the British, but two refused to - take it, says the German Government. Yes, it was offered these - wretched people, but, as I have said already, the German soldiers - kept the steaming soup before them, shouting at them: "You want to - eat, you swine!--you swine! you ought to be killed! This is what - you may have!" And as they said the latter they aimed their rifles - at the unfortunate men, whilst others who were not armed lifted up - their fists and threatened them, or spat at them. - - "'In my report about the occurrence I had not even exposed in all - its harshness the treatment dealt out to the French soldiers. For - they too were not offered plates of soup, but only the mugs were - filled, forming part of their equipment. And there were many who - put out these mugs as if supplicating to have them filled once - more; as that was not done they constantly put the empty mug to - their mouth to try and lick off any remaining drops that might have - stuck to its side. Some Germans said: "Yes, the French may have - something, for they are soldiers, but those three there, well, they - are paid swine." - - "'3. I published the facts and insisted upon an impartial inquiry, - in order to prevent, if possible, that only guilty soldiers should - be heard should a complaint about the occurrence be lodged with the - highest military authority. - - "'Instead of facing such an impartial inquiry with an examination - of all available witnesses and punishment of the guilty, the German - government finds the courage only to call me, a month after the - event, "a liar," and the whole story a fairy-tale! - - "'If the German government had come somewhat earlier with their - contradiction, it might have been possible to cite another witness, - for--I have not reported that at first--among those who were - present there was a civilian, an inhabitant of Landen, who also - looked with anger at the cruel scene, and expressed his indignation - when he could no longer restrain himself. But then there was a - general outcry of: - - "'"What is this civilian doing here?" The young man could not - explain his presence satisfactorily, and a couple of soldiers got - hold of him, and, in the literal sense of the word, threw him away. - When he waited at a short distance a little longer, with an angry - face, one of the soldiers ran at him, threatening him with his - bayonet. I might have been able to find that young man at the time, - but now, a month later, this will be much more difficult. There - was also another group of civilians packed as densely as herrings - in a cattle-truck on another line; they must have seen the beastly - occurrence as well. - - "'I might quote another small detail. Before the train arrived - at Landen I had had a very pleasant chat in the corridor with a - German soldier, who seemed tolerably humane and civilised, even - in his talk. After the departure from Landen I again got into - conversation with him, and did not fail to express my indignation; - and then he gave me the following reply: "Oh well, one must - think of the position of our soldiers, who have been for days - in the trenches under the murderous fire of the enemy. Later on - they will themselves repent for what has happened." Perhaps the - German government may be able to discover who that soldier is, if - I add that he went home for good because he was suffering from - heart-disease. - - "'And then there is something else. The brakesman of the wagon - in which I travelled was a man who had enlisted only a couple of - weeks ago as a volunteer for the service on the railways, and, - if I remember correctly, hailed from Hamburg. He belonged to a - Trades Union which had already once made a trip to Amsterdam and - Rotterdam, and was for instance able to tell me that Krasnapolsky - at Amsterdam was a large hotel. I also spoke to that man about what - had happened, because I thought I had noticed that he was more - human, but he too gave me the cynical answer: "Oh well, the French - may have something to eat, they fight also for their country, - but not those British, they only fight because that is their - profession." - - "'4. With regard to the arms of the German soldiers, it is true - that the wounded men had none with them, but I have distinctly - stated that the crowd consisted of soldiers who belonged to the - lightly wounded and of soldiers belonging to the Landen garrison. - These latter had been told off to guard the station and the - platforms and maintain order. It is possible that they had also to - prevent the wounded from moving about on the platforms, but in that - case they did not stick to their task, because everybody was free - to go where he liked, and I myself did the same. That these guards - did not guard anything at all at the moment is proved by the fact - that the above-mentioned civilian was able to come near the riot, - although he had to pass a number of platforms. That the soldiers - belonged to the Landen garrison and had to do sentry-go is proved - by the fact that they had their bayonets on their rifles. - - "'Finally, the contention that no riot could have taken place - because the soldiers were fed in the dining-hall is entirely - incorrect. That dining-hall was nothing but a shed entirely open - at the front, in which there were a few seats. There the slightly - wounded soldiers were fed first, and when they had supplied - those, food was taken to the seriously wounded, who had to stop - in the train, as also to myself and my little companion. The - slightly wounded and the soldiers of the guard walked off with - the distributors of the soup along the train in order to have a - chat with their comrades in it. In that way they also came to the - British when the wagon-door had been opened. It will be evident - that I observed closely and retained in my memory all that had - happened there and in the neighbourhood. - - "'5. My pertinent declarations are now opposed by the German - official contradiction; but how weak is the argument! I have - already pointed out that only comrades of the accused men have - been heard, but not the accuser, nor, as is evident, the victims, - nor other witnesses. There is more: "Crowding of two to three - hundred soldiers near a wagon cannot occur"--thus says the - communiqué--"because the station-guard's duty is to keep free the - path along the train." Does anyone understand the weakness of this - contradiction? It is as if one should say: "It is impossible that - anything has been stolen in a town because it is the duty of the - police to guard it." "Moreover there is also always an officer of - the station-guard present at the departure of a train of wounded," - the communiqué proceeds. But again I ask: What does this prove? It - is a fact that this officer, if he was present, did not prevent - what happened. "It is impossible that the soldiers aimed their - rifles at the British, because the men who get their food in the - dining-hall, and those of the military who distribute it, are - always unarmed; no other soldiers are admitted to the station." - I see that the German government simply quote the military - regulations, and from them determine the facts. They cannot realise - that it might be possible for their regulations not to be obeyed - always. - - "'6. I am convinced that on the whole the treatment of the wounded - was generous and exemplary. But it is also a fact that the terrible - hatred of the Germans against the British, encouraged by their - military authorities (one has to think of the proclamation of - Prince Rupert of Bavaria) and their scandalous comic papers, which - disgust even decent Germans, induce to extravagances such as I - witnessed at Landen. Did not a German officer explain to an editor - of the _Algemeen Handelsolad_ (evening issue of October 18th): "The - unwritten order is to make everywhere as many French and as few - English prisoners as possible; we don't try to wound, but to kill - the British."'" - -I think that my answer left nothing to be desired for plainness, -and Germany cannot have derived much pleasure from its official -contradiction. Moreover, the editor of _De Tijd_ had also made -inquiries from the little girl whom I escorted from Louvain on the day -of the occurrence at Landen, and although I admit at once that not too -great a value can be attached to the evidence of a girl of nine, I -insert here what the editor wrote about that interview:-- - - "Our editor has moreover interviewed young Miss Antoinette de - Bruijn here, whom our correspondent brought from Louvain to - Maastricht. In the presence of her mother she told how she had - been in a train full of wounded, that there were armed soldiers on - the platform, and that some wounded soldiers had been teased by - offering them steaming soup which was not given to them. The father - of this girl, Mr. de Bruijn, also assured us that when he met his - daughter at Maastricht, our correspondent, Mr. Mokveld, was still - very much under the impression of what he had witnessed." - -My contradiction became known in Germany, and it was an eye-opener to a -great many people there. The editor of _De Tijd_ received many letters -from that country, and printed some of them with the name of the writer -added. From these it seems that even there it was acknowledged in some -circles that the German inquiry had been extremely one-sided, and that -it would have been wiser to admit what had happened at Landen, and -punish the culprits. - -The only purpose of my publication was to convince everybody of this, -and thereby prevent the repetition of such a scandalous scene. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -ON THE YSER - - -FROM the pretty town of Sluys in the Netherland part of Flanders I made -a good many trips to the Belgian coastal regions and the Yser, the -little river that will always be named in history, because there came -the end of the German advance, and there the Belgian army displayed all -its power, fighting with the courage of lions in defence of the last -bit of their native soil. - -Yes, Sluys will always live in my memory. How well have been received -the thousands of Belgians who went there for shelter and how much -misery have I seen relieved by the effectual mutual help of the -Belgians and that of the civil and military Netherland authorities. -The burgomaster in particular seemed to be the right man in the right -place, and it was chiefly due to his sagacity that everything went so -regularly in that small town, which had to maintain the proportionately -greatest number of refugees. - -In Sluys I also got to know by friendly intercourse the character of -the Belgians, so open, so straightforward, and so bright. - -From this town I got the best connections with the West of Belgium, -and as a rule I always made my first visit to ancient and pretty -Bruges, which was constantly strongly occupied by the Germans. In front -of the well-known Halls two small guns had been mounted, threatening -the market-square. The same was the case in front of the Palace of -Justice, where the commander's office was established. The Government -buildings in the market were entirely occupied by the naval staff -of Admiral von Schroeder, and dozens of sailors were sitting in the -offices, working at their typewriting machines. - -Soldiers came from and went back to the Yser, which river I saw three -times during the fierce fighting. - -The first time when the Germans had only been there for about ten days, -and huge masses were sent to the scene of battle, because they had -decided to break through at any cost. - -Along the coast the German line did not reach far beyond Mariakerke, -where a big German flag on a high dune indicated their most advanced -front. Thanks to the consent of a couple of officers I was allowed to -push on to the front lines, and did this in spite of the danger from -bursting shrapnel. The wounded had to walk back from there to Ostend, -very often suffering the most trying pains, because, according to what -they told me, the Red Cross Service was not able to help them all. They -were very dissatisfied on account of the waste of human life by which -the attacks were accompanied, and some made bitter remarks about the -staff which seemed to be mad, constantly sending new troops into the -murderous fire with such evident callousness. - -I have been able to assist a good many of these unfortunate people by -bandaging the wounds with the dressing they gave me, or getting some -water for them from some house in the neighbourhood; and one, who had -fallen down exhausted by pain, I carried into a house. - -I had more trouble with a wretch who, being heavily wounded in both -legs, lay on the top of a dune beyond Mariakerke. He was quite -alone, and when he discovered me his eyes glistened, full of hope. -He told me of his agonies, and beseeched me to take him to a house -or an ambulance. However much I should have liked to do that, it was -impossible in the circumstances in which I found myself. Nowhere, -even in the farthest distance, was a house to be seen, and I tried -to explain the position to him. But he turned a deaf ear to all my -exhortations, and insisted that I should help him. It was a painful -business, for I could not do the impossible. So I promised him, and -took my oath that I should warn the first ambulance I met, and see to -it that they came and fetched him. - -I went away urging him to maintain his courage for the time being, but -he had scarcely noticed that I was about to go, when his eyes began to -gleam and to roll in his head; then he took his rifle, which was lying -by his side, and I, seeing his intention, ran down the dune as quickly -as possible, whilst I heard the well-known click-clack behind me; the -man had fired two bullets at me.... - -I must not take that sort of thing amiss. Who knew with how much pain -and how long he had been lying there, facing death, but fearing it -too. At last someone came near, and he put all his hope in that man, -but a hope that vanished. Yes, I can quite understand that a man in -those conditions goes mad. - -I was not able to stay long at Mariakerke, but succeeded, by going -in an easterly direction, to get near Leke, where the fight was also -in full swing, and where evidently the same command had been issued: -"Advance at any cost." The German artillery stood south of Leke, but I -succeeded in pushing on to a hill near the road, where I could see the -columns of smoke of the Belgian artillery and the clouds of dust which -the German shrapnel threw up. - -The Germans advanced in a formation which I had never seen yet. The men -went at the double-quick in closed ranks three abreast, each of the -threefold files marching at a small distance from the other. - -They stormed the Belgian lines with lowered bayonets. The Belgians -quietly allowed them to come near, but as soon as they were at a -certain distance from the trenches they wished to take, I heard the -rattle of the mitrailleuses, and the thunder of the guns. The storming -soldiers then disappeared in a fog of smoke and dust, in which I saw -their shadows fall and stagger. This went on for about ten minutes, and -then they came back in complete disorder, still followed by the hostile -bullets and shrapnel. - -A period of calm followed, but not for long, for again and again new -attacks were made. - -I myself was not very safe either, for frequently bursting shells -fell near me. I therefore thought it safer to cross to a farm-house -a hundred yards farther on, where I might find shelter. Before I got -there an officer of a passing division took me violently by the arm -and asked who I was and what I was doing there? His eyes glittered -savagely, and he as well as his men seemed to be fearfully excited. - -I said in a few words who I was, and showed one of my German permits. -He had scarcely seen the many German stamps on it when he let me go -and went on with his men. I then pinned on my coat two permits which -had the greatest number of stamps, and in consequence had no further -trouble. - -From the garret-window of the farm-house I followed the fierce battle -for another half-hour, and saw that the Germans suffered enormous -losses, but achieved no gains. At last I had to leave this place too, -because shells fell again quite near to the house. I stayed another ten -minutes near an ambulance, where they were quite unable to attend to -the numerous wounded men. Most of them got an emergency dressing, and -were advised to go higher up and try to get better attention there. - -The battle I saw that day on the Yser was the beginning of the -trench-war in that district. Many Belgian troops had dug themselves -in, and later on this system was extended, in consequence of which the -Belgian line there became impregnable. - -In those days German Headquarters gave continuously the thoughtless -order: "To Calais, to Calais," and the Staff considered no -difficulties, calculated no sacrifices, in order to achieve success. - -What these frenzied orders have cost in human lives History will tell -later on. - - * * * * * - -As soon as the Germans were near the coast they began to fortify it -most formidably, in order to prevent eventual attempts at landing by -hostile troops. Guns were soon mounted in the dunes, as I noticed -during a trip which I made along the coast on Sunday, October 25th. - -Heyst was occupied by a small division of marines, although a few -days before the garrison had been larger, but on Saturday evening -all soldiers along the coast had been alarmed, and most of them were -ordered to proceed to the battle-field near Nieuwpoort, where matters -were at the time less favourable for the Germans. Near the dyke I found -five pieces of ordnance mounted, their mouths turned towards the sea, -and that they were quite right in taking precautions was proved by the -men-of-war riding on the distant horizon, without motion. - -In the centre of the town I was detained by three sailors, who called -out an angry "Halt!" seized my bicycle, and made me a prisoner, -"because I was an Englishman." Happily I could prove the contrary by my -papers; and the permit of the Bruges commander to go about on a bicycle -made them return it. - -There was a general complaint in that district about the very arbitrary -requisitions: for example, beds and blankets were extensively taken -away from the convents, a thing against which the burgomaster of -Bruges had already protested. Horses, cows, and other cattle were -simply taken from the stables and the meadows, and paid for with paper -promises. - -At Zeebrugge the conditions were not alarming. The houses of those who -had gone away, however, had been damaged most terribly, and looted. -Round the harbour guns were mounted, guarded by many sentries. I was at -first forbidden to cross the canal bridge, but my excellent credentials -at length made the sentries give in. Everything indicated that already -during the first days of the occupation the Germans had begun to -execute their plan to turn Zeebrugge into a station for submarines. - -The commander ruled with a strong hand. They issued not only the usual -proclamations about introducing German time, but the commander went -even so far as to dictate at what hour the Holy Masses had to be said. -In one of the proclamations I read, for example, that in future the -Mass of six o'clock, Belgian time, had to be said at the same hour -German time. Another proclamation said that skippers were forbidden to -sail, and that all boats, including fisher-boats, had been seized. - -In the dunes near Ostend I came across a level field fenced off by the -military, and in the centre I saw a large company of superior officers, -and a marine band. They were arranged round three big caves, into -which just then had been lowered nine military officers and ordinary -soldiers, who died in the nearly completed new Military Hospital of -Ostend in the neighbourhood. - -With a powerful voice, in order to drown the roar of the guns, a -German parson delivered the funeral oration, in which he spoke of the -heroic conduct of the fallen men, who had sacrificed their lives for -God, Kaiser, and Fatherland, and who, by God's inscrutable decree, -were not destined to witness the final victory of the powerful German -armies. The marines put their instruments to their mouths and played a -slow funeral march. It was really very touching, and all the spectators -came under the impression. - -Whilst yet the sweet strains of the music sounded over the dunes, the -dull booming of the heavy field-artillery was heard constantly, and -each boom meant the end of so many more human lives. The music went -on, and the officers approached one after the other to throw a handful -of sand on the corpses of their fallen comrades. I saw their nostrils -tremble, saw them bite their lips nervously, saw tears in their eyes. - -The ceremony wound up with a short silent prayer offered at the request -of the parson. - -The funeral had deeply moved me, and full of emotion I approached the -edge of the graves. I saw three corpses in each of them, simply wrapped -in a clean, white sheet. The only decorations were some green palm -branches ... the branches telling of peace. - -A little farther on I discovered a good many other mounds. A cross made -of two little pieces of wood stood on each, amongst pots with flowers -and small posies. On one of the crosses I saw written in pencil-- - - "Captain Count Von Schwerin, 19. 10.'14." - -It was very interesting, because a humble private had been buried by -his side. - -Of course I did not know this Count von Schwerin, but because I had -just witnessed that funeral, and because it was so striking that men of -every class were buried in the same manner, I reported what I saw to my -paper. And, tragic fate, in consequence of this, the wife of the late -Count heard for the first time of the death of her husband to whom she, -a Netherland baroness, had been married at the beginning of the war. At -the request of the family I made arrangements so that the grave might -be recognised after the war. - -In Ostend every place was full of wounded men, who all came walking -from the battle-field in groups. Even in those days the fierce fights -continued in consequence of the mad attempts to conquer Dunkirk and -Calais. Great losses were suffered also by the enormous effect of the -British naval guns, against which the German marines had mounted big -guns in Ostend and farther along the coast, in order to keep the fleet -at a distance. - -On the day of my visit to Ostend all sorts of conveyances had taken -more than 3,000 wounded into the town. Peasants from the neighbourhood -were compelled to harness their horses and transport the unfortunate -men. Such a procession was distressing to look at, as most men lay -on open carts, only supported by a handful of newly cut straw, and -long processions entered the town continuously. As reinforcements had -arrived, the divisions of the German army which had suffered most came -sometimes from the front to the town, in order to have a rest, and -then I saw a great deal of misery. - -Some of the soldiers were furious and others distressed on account -of the great number of comrades left on the battle-field, while they -hardly made any progress against the tenacity of the Allies. Those who -were not seriously wounded were not even put up in hospitals or similar -buildings, as there was only room for a few, although many private -houses had been turned into supplementary hospitals. In the streets and -the cafés I saw therefore hundreds of men in bandages. - -The condition of the civilian population was not too roseate. Most -of them were away, and from those who had stayed everything was -requisitioned. Staying in the town was not without danger, for two days -before my visit it had been bombarded from noon to one o'clock by the -British fleet, by which an hotel on the boulevard and some houses in -the Rue des Flamands had been damaged. - -From Ostend I went a few days later to Thourout, a townlet to the north -of the centre of the Yser-line. I was accompanied by two Netherland -colleagues whom I had met at Bruges. Everything was quiet there; the -commander of the naval region, Admiral von Schroeder, had made himself -slightly ridiculous, by informing the population in a proclamation that -he had ordered the British citizens in the coastal region to leave the -country, in order to protect them from their fellow-countrymen of the -British fleet, who, by bombarding Ostend, had endangered their lives. - -As we left through the Gate-of-Bruges towards Thourout we were -approached by a small military group, a few German soldiers who -escorted about a dozen French and Belgian prisoners of war. Until that -moment the street had been relatively quiet, but the inhabitants had -scarcely heard that the "boys" came, when each ran into the street, -forgetting all fear of the "Duuts," and, breaking through the escort, -they gave their "boys" an apple, or a pear, or a packet of cigarettes; -so we saw a huge round of white bread fly through the air and land in -the hands of one of the "boys." Such a thing touches one always, and -even the escorting Germans, who at first were very indignant on account -of the sudden and unexpected intrusion, left the citizens alone with a -generous gesture, as to say: "Well, have your way." - -The other eleven miles of the road to Thourout were quite deserted, and -only in one place did I see a man working in the field. We only saw -now and again a small escort which overtook us. From afar a trooper -approached us; after having heard who we were, he told us that he had -been on the way already three days and three nights from the trench -lines, and how fierce the fighting was there. The German losses had -been immense; he pointed to the unoccupied horse by his side, and said: -"My chum, whose horse this was, fell also." He took a couple of strong -pulls at his pipe, and, spurring his mount, rode off with a: "Keep -well." - -At Thourout all convents and large buildings had been turned into -hospitals, and the streets on both sides were full of big wagons. -Hundreds of soldiers went off, and large convoys of carts were -standing in the meadows and on the roads, where officers and men were -also practising riding. We were here in the rear, where there was a -continuous going and coming from the front. Most soldiers were in a -more or less excited mood; some did not hide their discontent, or sat -musing dejectedly, asking themselves how these terrible days would -end for them? Others again seemed to have got into a sort of frenzy -in consequence of the continuous fighting and were not able to think -logically at all. They told excited stories about the British whom they -had killed, and chased away from the 42 c.m. guns, who, according to -them, were also at work in the swampy soil near Nieuwpoort, and also -told about the shooting civilians, and those cursed Belgians, who cut -open the bellies of their poor wounded, or sliced off their noses, -hands, and ears. Of course pure fairy tales, but recited with much -power of conviction. - -The question of lodgings brought also many difficulties, for nobody -wanted to, or could put us up. At last we succeeded at the Hôtel -l'Union, where we first ate two roasted pigeons which were intended for -a couple of officers, who would return in the evening from the front -line. The three of us subsequently occupied one room, after having -written on the door with chalk that Lieutenants So and So were staying -there. For the landlady had told us that she was willing to put us up, -but that the officers who returned every night from the front line were -sure to turn us out. Indeed in the evening we heard heavy steps before -our door, but after a voice had read out that Lieutenants So and So -were passing the night there, they all went away again. - -The next morning the roar of the cannon woke us up, and soon we heard -how the fighting stood, for when we went to the commander for a permit -to go to Dixmuiden, the sympathetic major absolutely refused it, and -haltingly added that he himself did not yet know how things stood -there. Well, that was enough for us. At last he gave us a permit for -Ostend, and we noticed very soon that now we were in the rear of the -front. Whilst the guns were thundering on continuously and the shrapnel -exploded in the air, we passed continuously large contingents, who -actually formed one long line. The fight was going on only a few -miles away, and incessantly the unhappy wounded came out of the small -bypaths, stumbling on in their heavily muddied clothes. - -At the "Oud Slot van Vlaanderen," a large, ancient castle, there was a -lot of hustle and bustle of carriages and motor-cars. We had not gone -another two hundred yards, when someone came after us and stopped us as -suspects. We were escorted back to the castle, where a general command -was established, and an aviators-division, with the motor-section -attached to it. Happily our detention did not last long, and after -examination we were released. On the road was an infernal noise, as -the violent roar of the cannon was mixing with the roar of the wheels -of the heavily-loaded convoys and the whirr and hooting of the army -motors. Long processions of field-kitchens passed us also, most of them -brand-new; but it was remarkable that all carts arranged for a team of -two were drawn with great difficulty by only one horse, and also that -so many civilians have been compelled to act as drivers, or to gather -the wounded. - -Constantly new and large transports of wounded came along the road, and -here and there they were busy killing and burying wounded horses. The -inhabitants locked themselves in their houses, and expected with great -fear that any moment the military might arrive to claim their last -horse or cow. The requisitions went on continuously, and the cattle -were driven to the front in a long, desolate procession. - -As we went on towards Eerneghem French aviators were heroically -reconnoitring above the German lines. One came from Dixmuiden and one -from Nieuwpoort; both went to about half-way between these two towns, -where the centre of the battle was. The Germans kept up an unbroken -artillery fire at those birds in the air. I saw quite near to them -shells exploding right and left and discharging dense, black clouds -of smoke that disappeared slowly. There were moments when these black -stretches of cloud seemed to form a frame round the aeroplanes, but the -brave aviators knew how to escape from their assailants by all sorts of -tricks. They came down to go up again unexpectedly, entirely changed -their direction a moment later, and at last both disappeared undamaged. - -At Eerneghem we were not only stopped, but also sent back outright. -It was considered extremely impudent on our side that we had dared to -push on so far, because we were in the fighting-line. Even the permit -given by the commander of Thourout was of no avail. - -Back at Bruges we attended in the market the concert given by a -German military band near the statues of Breydel and de Koninck. At -the commander's office I witnessed a remarkable incident. A German -post-official and a soldier had just brought in a decently dressed -gentleman. The postman began to relate that he was taking away the -telephone instrument at that gentleman's house in order to fix it up at -the commander's office, and that the gentleman had said: "Why do you -steal that instrument?" As the postman said this the commander jumped -up in a fury, and called out: - -"What? What? Do you dare to call it stealing, what we Germans take here -in Bruges?" - -"Sir, I do not understand German, but----" - -"Not a word, not a word; you have insulted a German official, and -according to the proclamation you know that that is severely punished. -You are my prisoner." - -As he said this the commander put his hand roughly on the shoulder of -the trembling man, who again said in French: - -"I have not used the word 'steal' at all, but let me explain the -matter." - -"There is nothing to explain. Officer, you can take your oath on it?" - -"Certainly, captain." - -"Well"--this to a private--"you call the patrol; this man must be -arrested." - -The unhappy man bowed his head trembling, and with dull resignation he -left the office, strongly escorted. - -The man who had this experience was Mr. Coppieters, the District -Commissioner, a man who had given all his life to the service of -society and the good of the community. - -Happily the burgomaster intervened, and, as I heard later, got him -released. - - * * * * * - -These are some of the things I could tell about my trips in the West of -Belgium. By the end of November I was no longer allowed to move freely -behind the front, although from time to time I visited small Belgian -frontier-places. - -Yet I am glad to have witnessed the terrible fights near the Yser a -couple of times where the German invasion was stopped, and where we may -hope that soon victory may dawn on the brave Belgian army. - - -_Printed in Great Britain by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and -Aylesbury_ - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] The translator uses the words "The Netherlands, Netherlander," and -"Netherland" on purpose. The Germans call themselves "Deutsch," the -Americans call them "Dutch," the Flemish use "Duts" or "Duuts," and the -Netherlanders "Duitsch"; so it is desirable to exchange "Dutch" for -"Netherland." - -[2] See note on page 15. - - - - -=The Gods in the Battle= - -By PAUL HYACINTHE LOYSON - -Translated from the French by LADY FRAZER - -With an Introduction by H. G. WELLS - - -_SOME EXTRACTS FROM REVIEWS OF THE ORIGINAL_ - -=Le Mercure de France= (Marcel Rouff): - -"P. H. Loyson's book hunts down all the subterfuges of dubious -neutralities; it gives chase to all suspicious timidities; it combats -all the criminal cavils.... All this part of the book (on Romain -Rolland) is really grand and tragic." - -=Georges Renard= (Socialist, Professor at the Collège de France): - -"An old volunteer of 1870, like myself, cannot admit that a Frenchman -should lounge in a foreign country and hover 'above the battle' when -his country is threatened with death, together with all the human -ideals for which she stands. Therefore I applaud the shots fired by -this franc-tireur." - -=Le Progrès= (Athens): - -"Among the innumerable books which the great war has produced at Paris, -this is one of powerful interest by a great French patriot, who is at -the same time a writer of indisputable superiority." - -=Boston Evening Transcript= (Alvan F. Sanborn): - -"A striking contrast between the sturdiness, strenuousness, -and boldness of the _ante-bellum_ pacificism of Loyson and the -equivocalness and timidity of that of Rolland." - -=Le Journal des Débats=: - -"This masterly lesson, courageously given, will not be lost." - -=Le Radical= (Eugène Holland): - -"Inspired by his theme, the author soars to the heights of eloquence, -which thus far had only been reached by the grand lyric flight of -D'Annunzio. This book will live." - -=Cloth, 3s. 6d. net= - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON, NEW YORK AND TORONTO - - - - -=The Bloodless War= - - BY - EZIO M. GRAY - -Translated from the Italian by BERNAND MIALL - -THIS volume will interest the business man and politician as well as -the general public. It shows how Germany, by means of her industrial or -money-lending banks, obtained control of vast sums of Italian capital, -and of most Italian industries; ruining those which competed with her, -and making even those she favoured dependent on her for some necessary -item, so that war meant, or was intended to mean, the economic ruin of -Italy. What Germany did in Italy she has done elsewhere; and everywhere -her banking and commerce go hand in hand with espionage. Signor Gray -tells us what Italy is doing to shake off the German yoke, and what -remains to be done. - -=Almost Ready. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d. net= - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON, NEW YORK AND TORONTO - - - - -=_Third Edition in the Press_= - -The First Volume of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's History of the War - -=The British Campaign in France & Flanders 1914= - - BY - SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE - -With Maps, Plans and Diagrams. 6/-net - -=_SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON NICOLL in "The British Weekly"_= - -"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has given us a classic. His book on the British -Campaign in France and Flanders during 1914 will never be superseded. -It must be read by everyone and kept at hand for constant consultation -by all who make a serious study of the war.... Above all, his entire -work is animated by a noble love of liberty. His is a soul as true -as steel and as transparent as crystal. The power and sincerity of -his narrative have behind them qualities of moral sympathy and moral -indignation which sometimes draw the reader to his feet." - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON, NEW YORK AND TORONTO - - - - -THE TREATMENT OF ARMENIANS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE - -DOCUMENTS PRESENTED TO VISCOUNT GREY OF FALLODON - -_late Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs_ - -=WITH A PREFACE BY VISCOUNT BRYCE= - -THIS book is a body of testament from people who were either victims or -eye-witnesses of the Turkish atrocities. - -THE evidence was collected under the direction of Viscount Bryce. - -IS the destiny of all the Near Eastern peoples to be solved by the -crushing of small nations under the heel of the merciless and strong? - -WHEN the day of settlement comes the evidence in this book will have an -important bearing on the answer to this question. - -=Demy 8vo, cloth, 3/-net= - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON, NEW YORK AND TORONTO - - - - -=SOME IMPORTANT WAR BOOKS= - - -ENGLAND IN WAR-TIME. - -By ANDRE CHEVRILLON. - -With a Preface by RUDYARD KIPLING. - -A striking, impartial, documented and highly sympathetic study, by a -French scholar, well acquainted with England, of the internal evolution -of the country during the last two years. In seven brilliant and -life-like chapters, the author gives a vivid sketch of the initial -attitude of England to the war, of the progressive alterations in -her structure which have resulted from its stress, of the inevitable -opposition they have encountered, and examines the ultimate causes -alike of changes and opposition. The book is indispensable to all -who wish to obtain a clear and scientific view, undistorted by party -feeling, of the epoch-making crisis through which our country is -passing. - -=Price 5s. net.= - - -HURRAH AND HALLELUJAH: - -The Spirit of New Germanism. A Documentation. - -By J. P. BANG, D.D., - -_Professor of Theology at the University of Copenhagen_. - -"My purpose in writing this book is to describe a movement in Germany -which has been active for a long time, but which during the war has -recklessly cast aside all considerations. This movement is twofold: -New Germany's view of other nations, and her valuation of herself -and her supposed mission in the world. My book takes the form of a -comprehensive documentation showing the manifold forms, the wide scope, -and the strength of this movement, which, if its ideas prevail, will be -of the most fatal importance for Germanism and to the world at large." - -=Price 3s. 6d. net.= - - -COMRADES IN ARMS. - -By CAPITAINE PHILIPPE MILLET. - -Capitaine Philippe Millet, already known as the author of "Jenny s'en -va-t-elle en guerre," has written a number of stories illustrating life -in France to-day. Most of the stories vividly picture the actual life -in the trenches and the barrack room, and show in simple and direct -fashion the common bond that is being forged between the soldiers of -our country and those of France. These stories are a revelation of the -English Tommy as seen through the eyes of a French officer, and the -delightful vein of humour running all through will hold the reader -spellbound to the end. It is doubtful whether from any other source it -is possible to obtain such a series of realistic impressions of the -English soldier as seen by one of our Allies in actual warfare. - -=Price 3s. 6d. net.= - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - ST. PAUL'S HOUSE, WARWICK SQUARE, LONDON, E.C. - - - - -Transcriber's Note - -Variable spelling and hyphenation have been retained. Minor punctuation -inconsistencies have been silently repaired. - -On page 202, the underlined text was missing: - - "At last I appealed to his heart by relating all the Netherlanders - had done for +the Belgians. This had the desired effect, and I was - allowed to drive home with him. - - At every inn he felt thirsty, and made me feel quite clearly that I - had every reason to treat him.+ And every time that we went back to - our seats he said again:" - -It was completed from the copy of the Library -of Congress found in Internet Archive -https://archive.org/details/germanfuryinbelg02mokv/page/n8 - -Duplicated text on pages 203-204 was deleted. - -Corrections. - -The first line indicates the original, the second the correction. - -p. 75 - - I had to listen to a prolonged hymn of praise of the Netherlander, - I had to listen to a prolonged hymn of praise of the Netherlanders, - -p. 106, Footnote [2] - - See note on page 1. - See note on page 15. - -p. 178 - - to instruct the vicars in the eighteen parishers - to instruct the vicars in the eighteen parishes - -p. 180 - - but then they introducted - but then they introduced - -p. 202 - - There was shouting enough in the streets and on the boulewards - There was shouting enough in the streets and on the boulevards - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The German Fury in Belgium, by L. 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