“Deutschland, Deutschland uber Alles!”

The only other music that echoed up along those river cliffs came from a full-throated Saxon regiment.

Evidently the Belgians from Vise to Liege had not roused the ire of the invaders as furiously as had the natives on the other side of Vise.  They had as a whole established more or less friendly relations with the alien hosts.

On the other side of Vise nothing had availed to stay the wrath of the Germans.  Flags of truce made of sheets and pillow-cases and white petticoats were hung out on poles and broom handles; but many of these houses before which they hung had been burned to the ground as had the others.

One Belgian had sought for his own benefit to conciliate the Germans, and as the Kaiser’s troops at the turn of the road came upon his house, there was the Kaiser’s emblem with the double-headed eagle raised to greet them.  The man had nailed it high up in an apple tree, that they might not mistake his attitude of truckling disloyalty to his own country, hoping so to save his home.  But let it be said to the credit of the Germans, that they had shown their contempt for this treachery by razing this house to the ground, and the poor fellow has lost his earthly treasures along with his soul.

I now came upon some houses that were undamaged and showed signs of life therein.  Below Argenteau there was a vine-covered cottage before which stood a peasant woman guarding her little domain.  Her weapon was not a rifle but several buckets of water and a pleasant smile.  I ventured to ask how she used the water.  She had no time to explain, for at that very moment a column of soldiers came slowly plodding down the dusty road.  She motioned me away as though she would free herself from whatever stigma my presence might incur.  A worried look clouded her face, as though she were saying to herself:  “I know that we have been spared so far by all the brigands which have gone by, but perhaps here at last is the band that has been appointed to wipe us out.”

This water, then, was a peace-offering, a plea for mercy.

As soon as the soldiers looked her way she put a smile on her face, but it ill concealed her anxiety.  She pointed invitingly to her pails.  At the sight of the water a thirsty soldier here and there would break from the ranks, rush to the pails, take the proffered cup, and hastily swallow down the cooling draught.  Then returning the cup to the woman, he would rush back again to his place in the ranks.  Perhaps a dozen men removed their helmets, and, extracting a sponge from the inside, made signs to the woman to pour water on it; then, replacing the sponge in the helmet, marched on refreshed and rejoicing.

A mounted officer, spying this little oasis, drew rein and gave the order to halt.  The troopers, very wearied by the long forced march, flung themselves down upon the grass while the officer’s horse thrust his nose deep into the pail and greedily sucked the water up.  More buckets were being continually brought out.  Some of them must surely have been confiscated from her neighbors who had fled.  The officer, dismounting, sought to hold converse with his hostess, but even with many signs it proved a failure.  They both laughed heartily together, though her mirth I thought a bit forced.