When I got back to the hotel, I found Eugene with news that the differential of my car had broken, so that we could not start. It was important that we lose no time in getting the plans of the town to the German authorities, so I got Baron van der Elst to go with me to the General Staff and explain the situation. General de Guise promptly wrote out an order that I should be given the best car to be found in the city. Armed with this, Eugene set forth and gathered in a very pretty little limousine to bring us back to Brussels. It was evidently a lady's car and almost too pretty, but we were not exacting and took it thankfully. However, it was too late to start out through the lines, so we gave up the idea of leaving before morning. We had thought of taking the route of the army and getting to Brussels by way of Ghent, but the people at the General Staff said the road was so crowded with transport that we would make little progress, and that the better course would be to take exactly the opposite direction and go by way of Tournhout. [Illustration: Graves of civilians shot by the Germans] [Illustration: A typical proclamation PROCLAMATION A l'avenir les localites situees 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.