es; that the
Kaiser has given up all hope and taken refuge in Switzerland; that the
United States had declared war on Germany and Austria; that the King and
Queen of the Belgians had fled to Holland, and that all was over. These
are just a few.

Troops have been pouring through the town steadily all day on the way to
Vilvorde, where the Belgians are still fighting, and to the south, where
there is heavy cannonading going on. The Belgians are making a big fight
on the Antwerp road, evidently to hold the attention of one German army
corps and lighten France's load by just that much. It is a hopeless
fight so far as they themselves are concerned, but it throws their
courage and fighting qualities into higher relief.

We are now the pampered pets of both sides. The German troops cheer our
flag when the motor noses its way through them. The people of the town
are equally enthusiastic, and many of them are wearing small American
flags in their buttonholes. How long it will last there is no telling,
but while it does, our work is made just that much easier.

Lunched at the Palace Hotel with Bulle and Blount. Riseis, the Italian
Secretary, came in and joined us. Bulle told him the story of our trip
to Louvain with embellishments that made my eyes start from my head. I
had not realised what a desperate adventure we had been on until I heard
it as it should be told. It made the real thing seem mild.

Before lunch we drove to Blount's to learn whether the cannonading to
the south was still going on. It was--heavy booming of German guns; no
French guns to be heard. Late in the afternoon Blount and I drove off
into the country to see whether we could locate the fighting to the
south. We got as far as Nivelles, but all was as peaceful as it should
be on a perfect Sunday afternoon. The people there were surprised that
anyone should have thought there was fighting there. It was still much
farther to the south. We drove around in search of evidence of fighting,
but could find none. And this after circumstantial accounts of
hand-to-hand struggle through all this part of the country!

* * * * *

_August 31st._--This morning began with a troop of people in to tell us
that the rough work was about to begin, and that Brussels was to go up
in smoke. There is a good deal of unrest in the lower end of town and
trouble may break out at any time. Bad feeling has grown a good deal in
the pas