"Fight!" I exclaimed, much astonished. "Whom are you going to fight?" "The Russians and the French." "The two most powerful nations in the world! Are you strong enough to do that?" I said, amazed, and hardly able to believe that I had heard aright. "The Austrians are going to join with us, and we shall be in Paris in a month." I laughed--rather scornfully, I think. "Are you joking? Is not what you say absurd?" I asked. "Not in the least. You will see that what I say is correct." "But is war declared? Has the matter been discussed in the Press?" "In this country we do not permit the Press to make the announcement of such things. War is not declared yet, but it will be on Sunday next." "Against Russia, you mean?" said I, astonished beyond degree of expression. "Yes, and against France too," replied the officer. "But why? I have not heard that France has given cause of offence to your country." "She has been a standing menace to us for years, and will continue to be so until she is completely crushed." This is how I heard that the Great War was about to begin. I hardly believed it, but my friend read me certain passages from German newspapers, and the following day I received a batch of journals from my own country, which, together, showed that the political situation of Europe was rapidly becoming serious. On the 30th I noticed a change of countenance on the part of most of the officers who had been friendly with me. The young artillery officer I have mentioned and a Colonel Swartz, who was, I believe, a Landwehr officer of the 99th regiment, continued their friendly behaviour towards me. Swartz was shortly afterwards killed near Turek, where his battalion was destroyed. Early in the evening of the 31st, a lady came to my friend's house and strongly advised me to quit the country without delay. She gave as a reason that she had received a letter from her brother, an officer in the foot-guards at Berlin, in which he declared that it was well known that the Kaiser intended to send an ultimatum to England, and that a rupture with this country was the almost inevitable consequence. My friend backed the lady's advice, and my own opinion was that it would be wise of me to return home at once. But later that night Swartz and the young officer came and declared that it was almost impossible for me to get out of Germany by any of the usual channels before war was declared, as nearly all the lines were required for the movements of troops and material. Swartz said that it would take at least four days for a civilian to reach France by railway. I suggested a motor-car, but he thought that all motors would immediately be confiscated--at any rate, those driven by foreigners. The above circumstances and the date, of the correctness of which I am quite sure, show that the German Sovereign had preconceived war, not only with France and Russia, but also with England, before the actual declaration of hostilities.