A Journal From Our Legation in BelgiumGibson, Hugh
History
A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium
Gibson, Hugh
Belgium -- History -- German occupation, 1914-1918
When we got to the Porte de Namur, we heard frenzied cheering down by
the Porte Louise. The chauffeur is a regular old war horse who does not
want to miss a trick. He cast a questioning glance over his shoulder;
and, catching my nod, put on full speed down the Boulevard until we came
to a solid crowd banked along the line of march of more French cavalry.
The people in the crowd had bought out the nearby shops of cigars and
cigarettes and chocolate and small flasks of brandy, and as each man
rode by, he was loaded up with as much as he could carry. The defile had
been going on for over an hour, but the enthusiasm was still boundless.
All the cafes around the Porte Louise sent out waiters and waitresses
with trays of beer to meet the troops as they came into the Avenue
Louise. Each man would snatch a glass of beer, swallow it as he rode
along and hand it back to others who were waiting with empty trays a
hundred yards or so down the line of march. The men were evidently very
tired, and it was an effort for them to show any appreciation of their
reception, but they made the effort and croaked out, "_Vive la
Belgique!_" The French and British troops can have anything they want in
this country. They will be lucky, though, if they escape without acute
indigestion.
Yesterday afternoon, as I was coming out of the chancery of the British
Legation, a little cockney messenger in uniform came snorting into the
court on a motor-cycle. As he got off he began describing his
experiences, and wound up his story of triumphant progress--"And when I
got to the Boulevards I ran down a blighter on a bicycle and the crowd
gave me an ovation!"
More troubles to-day about the German Legation. The Etat-Major gave
orders that nobody but I should be allowed to enter. The laymen who have
the onerous duty of protecting the Legation held a council of war, and
decided that this precluded them from allowing food to go in; so when
the waitress from the Grand Veneur with the lunch of the crowd inside
came along, she was turned back and told I should have to go with her. I
went around to the Legation and fixed it up with the guard. A few
minutes ago the waitress came back with word that more bread and butter
was wanted, but that the guard had changed and that she was again barred
out. Monsieur de Leval and I went around again and fortunately found
some one from the Etat-Major who was there for inspection. He promised
to get proper orders issued and now we hope that we shall not be obliged
to take in every bite under convoy.
There are ominous reports to-day of a tremendous German advance in this
direction, and it is generally believed that there will be a big
engagement soon near Haelen, which is on the way from Liege to
Tirlemont. Communications are cut, so I don't quite see where all the
news comes from.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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