"They fired at us," said Aurora. "We must be getting near the frontier. We must be a little more careful now." I looked at the compass. We were going due west. The speedometer registered 70. For the first time I had a real shock. Aurora saw it and smiled. "We were going 90 between Wetzlar and Wiesbaden," was all she said. Soon another red glow appeared in the west. "Thionville," said Aurora. "It must be crammed with troops." To my great surprise I observed that she made no attempt to avoid this town, as she had avoided the others. Our lamps were now lit and we were making straight for the fortress, whose walls mounted higher and higher into the sky. The car slowed down. We passed houses, suburbs. Then came an imperious, "Who goes there!" We stopped. A dozen soldiers surrounded us. All of them were wearing the grey-green uniform and covered helmet. "Your papers," said the rough voice of a non-commissioned officer. "I will show them to your officer," replied Aurora. "Please go and fetch him." He arrived in due course. He was a kind of blonde giant, very angry at being disturbed in his sleep. When he saw we were civilians, politeness vanished from his questions. "Lieutenant," said the Grand Duchess dryly, "I must first ask you to stop your men from breaking up my car with their rifle butts. Then perhaps you will be good enough to look at this." So saying she flashed the lamp upon the Lautenburg arms painted on the door. The officer started. "Have I the honour of addressing Her Highness the Grand Duchess of Lautenburg?" he said, stiffening to attention. "You have, lieutenant," replied Aurora. "I must ask Your Highness to excuse me," the man said in dismay. "Back there!" he bawled to his men, thrusting back the foremost. "How can I serve Your Highness?" "Very easily," said the Grand Duchess. "I presume General von Offenburg is still commanding at Thionville? I suspect His Excellency is not asleep on a night like this. Be so good as to take me to him. Lend me one of your men to come with us and show us the way." The officer at once did what was required. He bowed very low, expressing his regret that his duties did not permit him to conduct us himself. The General in command of the fortress was not at headquarters, but in the end we found him at the station with his staff. He was watching the detraining of the troops at the platforms, which were literally black with them. In the great square an enormous mass of guns projected their antediluvian silhouettes on the night. I received an impression of sheer numbers and brute force which made me shudder.