approaching land and Mr.
Herrick was again virtually a private citizen within the bounds of his
native country, this representative of the French Republic conferred
upon him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, the highest order in
the gift of France and one usually reserved for her rulers and her
victorious marshals. As far as I have been able to ascertain, this is
the only time that such an honor has ever been conferred upon an
American.

CHAPTER VIII

GERMANY AND BERLIN

_Berne, Saturday, November 28th._ Donait and I left Paris at nine last
evening for Lyons, Culoz, and Geneva with dispatches for Berlin. For
many reasons we are particularly anxious to see Germany and Austria in
war time, and look forward keenly to the experience which we face.

We arrived in Geneva at noon. We were very tired, for our train and
compartment were overcrowded and we had to sit up all night. The
responsibility of the sack of official papers which we carried, and on
which one of us had constantly to keep his mind, hand, and eyes, was
an additional element of fatigue.

* * * * *

We were forced to wait in Geneva until five o'clock for a train to
Berne, where we finally arrived at nine this evening.

* * * * *

_Sunday, November 29th._ This morning Donait and I presented ourselves
at the American Legation and delivered our dispatches. It is the
custom to send all mail for the American Embassy in Berlin to the
Legation in Berne, where it is opened, checked over, and re-forwarded.
In the afternoon we paid our respects to the Military Attache, Major
Lawton.

German newspapers are accessible to us this morning for the first time
since July. It is most interesting to view the reverse of the shield.

* * * * *

_Monday, November 30th._ Berne is almost as much in a state of war as
Paris. The whole Swiss army of 500,000 is mobilized and has been on
the frontiers since the end of July. The nation is on a war footing
and seems to be about equally suspicious of all the nations concerned
in the "present unpleasantness." A certain quiet confidence, however,
pervades Switzerland, a confidence which even a small nation may feel
when it has an effective army. Every normal Swiss citizen is a trained
soldier, for in his twentieth year he undergoes from sixty to ninety
days of intensive military instruction.

I speak of the efficiency of the