Besides one civilian person, of whom we know nothing, there was no longer anyone in the hotel. The Commanding General then went, under escort of a company of infantry, through the streets to the station, and stayed there in order to conduct the whole affair. The motors of the General Staff had also taken up a position there. Temporary quiet reigned at the station. At about 11 o'clock p.m. some isolated shots were fired from the surrounding houses upon the troops stationed at the railway station, which was followed by continually increasing firing, so that the Commanding General ordered the house to be taken. The house was taken and, as armed resistance was encountered, it was set alight. The house was hardly alight when I saw personally the following incident: I was standing with my back to the station and looking at another house. I saw how the corner window on the top was lit up, a dark figure appeared at the window, and a shot was fired into the street. At the same moment when this shot was fired I saw how the tiles in the roof of the Hôtel Maria Theresa were raised, and a terrible fire was opened from the roof of this hotel upon the troops in the station square. We all immediately sought cover. Personally I had the definite impression that we were being fired on with machine-guns from the Hôtel Maria Theresa; the bullets were rattling down on us. On the following morning one was able to ascertain that we had been fired upon with machine-guns, because at the station one could distinctly see the rows of fire. The fire from the machine-guns lasted about four to five minutes, and was immediately replied to by our troops, who finally took the house and set it alight. In the meanwhile, a number of wounded were brought in. Definite instructions had been given to burn at once all those houses from which firing had taken place. Many Belgian civilians were taken with arms in their hands; they were to be shot by order of the General in Command. At about 2 o'clock the firing ceased. Stores of ammunition continually exploded during the burning down of the houses. The General in Command sat in a railway carriage from 2 till 4 o'clock at night. At 4 a.m. the army corps marched to the battle. We did not pass through the main streets, but drove along an avenue. Here I saw distinctly the following incident: As I sat in the motor several shots were fired out of a cellar on the left at a distance of 20 metres. We fired on this cellar-opening, whereupon the firing ceased. The Commanding General left the motor with loaded revolver and went to the open place just in front of the bridge. We then went to the battlefield. Behind us, infantry advanced. The officer marching at the head was shot by a civilian who sat on a tree at exactly the same place where we had left the car.