rg, the well beloved, the hope of Germany. He has already been
"done" by journalists and Senator Beveridge, but 70,000,000 are pinning
their faith to him, which makes him worth "doing" again--and again.

For a moment I nearly forgot that I was an American with "nerve," bent
on making him say something, preferably indiscreet; it seemed almost a
shame to bother this man whose brain was big with the fate of empire.
But, although I hadn't been specially invited, but had just "dropped in"
in informal American fashion, the Commander in Chief of all his Kaiser's
forces in the east stopped making history long enough to favor me with a
short but thought-provoking interview.

As to his past performances, the Field Marshal genially referred to the
detailed official summary; as to the future, he protested.

"I am not a prophet. But this I can say. Tell our friends in
America--and also those who do not love us--that I am looking forward
with unshakable confidence to the final victory--and a well-earned
vacation," he added whimsically. "I should like nothing better than to
visit your Panama Exposition and meet your wonderful General Goethals,
the master builder, for I imagine our jobs are spiritually much akin;
that his slogan, too, has been 'durchhalten' ('hold out') until
endurance and organization win out against heavy odds."

Then with sudden, paradoxical, terrific quiet earnest: "Great is the
task that still confronts us, but greater my faith in my brave troops."
One got indelibly the impression that he loved them all, suffered under
their hardships and sorrowed for their losses.

"For you, this war is only a titanic drama; we Germans feel it with our
hearts," he said thoughtfully.

The Field Marshal spoke warmly of the Austro-Hungarian troops, and cited
the results of the close co-operation between his forces and the
Austrian armies as striking proof of the proverb, "In union is
strength." Like all other German Generals whom I had "done," he, too,
had words of unqualified praise for the bravery of his enemies. "The
Russians fight well; but neither mere physical bravery nor numbers, nor
both together, win battles nowadays."

"How about the steam roller?"

"It hasn't improved the roads a bit, either going forward or backward,"
he said with a grim smile.

"Are you worrying over Grand Duke Nicholas's open secret?" I asked,
citing the report via Petrograd and London of a new projected Russian
offensive that was to take the