The Rising of the Tide: The Story of SabinsportTarbell, Ida M. (Ida Minerva)
General
The Rising of the Tide: The Story of Sabinsport
Tarbell, Ida M. (Ida Minerva)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Fiction
"We are still here at Namur, dearest one, and when the wind is
right we can hear the guns firing. It is the Germans at Liége. So
far the Belgians are holding them. Isn't it glorious? The people
are crazy with pride and joy. Of course we would not be here if it
were not for the trouble about money and the delay in getting back
our car. Mr. Laurence would not have waited for that, but Martha is
really ill and he was afraid that the journey to Brussels in the
over-crowded trains and with the delays and discomforts might be
serious for her. We couldn't be in a safer place, I suppose, if we
must stand a siege. The people say Namur has the strongest
fortifications in Belgium. There are nine great forts around the
town--not close--three or four miles off. There is a wonderful old
fortification on the hill above the river, and from there you can
see over the country for miles--a much better place for a fort it
seems to me than off out in the country, but I suppose that's my
ignorance.
"You would never believe the place was preparing for a siege. It is
more like a fête. There are flags everywhere--the French and
English with the Belgian. There are no end of soldiers. They are
building barricades in the streets, but people go on so naturally.
The old men and women are harvesting. Here and there on the river
bank you see a fisherman holding his pole as placidly as if there
was not a German in a thousand miles. The fussy little steamers and
boats with lovely red square sails go up and down the rivers just
as usual. And yet this moment if I listen I can hear a distant roar
that they tell me is the guns at Liége,
"Thursday--Later.
"We are going in the morning--if they will let us. The car has been
turned back. News has just come that yesterday the Germans were
seen in Dinant--looking for the French that they made their excuse
for invading Belgium, I suppose. It has frightened Mr. Laurence and
Henry and they want to get to Brussels. The news from Liége is very
queer. We can't tell how true it is, but the attack seems to be
heavier and to-day there flew over this town a great German
airplane! spying on us, of course. It was white, with a big blue
spot on each wing, and looked for all the world like a great
scarab, and such a racket as it made!
"I watched it from the street floating over the town so insolent
and calm, and I wanted to _kill_ it. I wasn't the only one. I saw a
Belgian workman do the funniest thing. He shook his fist at it,
screaming threats and then--spit at it!
"BRUSSELS, August 10.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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