proprietor of the garage led us to the place where our car has stood
since the fall of Antwerp. The soldiers have removed two of the tires,
the lamps, cushions, extra wheels, speedometer, tail lights, tool box,
and had smashed most of the other fixings they could not take off. In
view of the fact that my return trip to Brussels at the time of the
bombardment was for the purpose of bringing the plans of the city to the
Germans, so that they would have knowledge of the location of the public
monuments and could spare them, it seems rather rough that they should
repay us by smashing our motor. I think we shall make some remarks to
them to this effect to-morrow, and intimate that it is up to them to
have the car repaired and returned to us in good shape.

The first group of Americans to work on the relief came into Belgium
this month. They are, for the most part, Rhodes Scholars who were at
Oxford, and responded instantly to Hoover's appeal. They are a picked
crew, and have gone into the work with enthusiasm. And it takes a lot of
enthusiasm to get through the sort of pioneer work they have to do. They
have none of the thrill of the fellows who have gone into the flying
corps or the ambulance service. They have ahead of them a long winter of
motoring about the country in all sorts of weather, wrangling with
millers and stevedores, checking cargoes and costs, keeping the peace
between the Belgians and the German authorities, observing the rules of
the game toward everybody concerned, and above all, keeping neutral. It
is no small undertaking for a lot of youngsters hardly out of college,
but so far they have done splendidly.

The one I see the most of is Edward Curtis, who sails back and forth to
Holland as courier of the Commission. He was at Cambridge when the war
broke out, and after working on Hoover's London Committee to help
stranded Americans get home, he came on over here and fell to. He exudes
silence and discretion, but does not miss any fun or any chance to
advance the general cause. Of course it is taking the Germans some time
to learn his system. He is absolutely square with them, and gets a
certain amount of fun out of their determined efforts to find some sort
of contraband on him. They can hardly conceive of his being honest, and
think his seeming frankness is merely an unusually clever dodge to cover
up his transgressions.

* * * * *

[Illustration: Jul