es pres de l'endroit ou a eu lieu la
destruction des chemins de fer et lignes telegraphiques seront
punies sans pitie (il n'importe qu'elles soient coupables ou non de
ces actes.) Dans ce but des otages ont ete pris dans toutes les
localites situees pres des chemins de fer qui sont menaces de
pareilles attaques; et au premier attentat a la destruction des
lignes de chemins de fer, de lignes telegraphiques ou lignes
telephoniques, ils seront immediatement fusilles.

Bruxelles, le 5 Octobre 1914 _Le Gouverneur,_
VON DER GOLTZ

Translation:

In future, villages in the vicinity of places where railway and
telegraph lines are destroyed will be punished without pity (whether
they are guilty or not of the acts in question). With this in view
hostages have been taken in all villages near the railway lines
which are threatened by such attacks. Upon the first attempt to
destroy lines of railway, telegraph, or telephone, they will be
immediately shot.

The Governor,
VON DER GOLTZ]

[Illustration: Two illustrations titled "Views of the Fort of Waehlem
after its bombardment by the big German guns"]

I took several of the ladies of the corps down to the boat, which was to
take them to Ostend, which was to be the next stand of the Government.
They all took it coolly and went to bed, as though there were no
bombardment going on. The King and Queen, the Prime Minister, and the
representatives of the allies remained in town overnight.

On one of my trips out of the hotel I met the Queen coming in to say
good-bye to Princess Koudatcheff (wife of the Russian Minister), who was
ill. She stopped to greet us and make inquiries as to each one.

After dark the crowd began to melt. Winston Churchill came down with his
party, got into motors, and made off for Bruges. The Belgian officers
staying at the hotel got off with their units, and by ten o'clock the
staff of the British Legation, Fowler and I, were left in almost
undisputed possession of the hotel. The water-supply was cut. The lights
were out and the place was far from gay, particularly as nearly all the
servants had fled, and we could not get anything to eat or drink.

Most of the town repaired to the cellars for the night, but we decided
that