On account of the speed with which the surprise movement was made our halts were more frequent, and so exhausted were the men that when these “thank you, ma’ams” arrived, instead of standing at ease and adjusting their accoutrements, as though they had been struck with a club they dropped to the stones.  Some in an instant were asleep.  I do not mean that some sat down; I mean that the whole column lay flat in the road.  The officers also, those that were not mounted, would tumble on the grass or into the wheat-field and lie on their backs, their arms flung out like dead men.  To the fact that they were lying on their field-glasses, holsters, swords, and water-bottles they appeared indifferent.  At the rate the column moved it would have covered thirty miles each day.  It was these forced marches that later brought Von Kluck’s army to the right wing of the Allies before the army of the crown prince was prepared to attack, and which at Sezanne led to his repulse and to the failure of his advance upon Paris.

While we were pushing forward we passed a wrecked British air-ship, around which were gathered a group of staff-officers.  My papers were given to one of them, but our column did not halt and I was not allowed to speak.  A few minutes later they passed in their automobiles on their way to the front; and my papers went with them.  Already I was miles beyond the environs, and with each step away from Brussels my pass was becoming less of a safeguard than a menace.  For it showed what restrictions General Jarotsky had placed on my movements, and my presence so far out of bounds proved I had disregarded them.  But still I did not suppose that in returning to Brussels there would be any difficulty.  I was chiefly concerned with the thought that the length of the return march was rapidly increasing and with the fact that one of my shoes, a faithful friend in other campaigns, had turned traitor and was cutting my foot in half.  I had started with the column at seven o’clock, and at noon an automobile, with flags flying and the black eagle of the staff enamelled on the door, came speeding back from the front.  In it was a very blond and distinguished-looking officer of high rank and many decorations.  He used a single eye-glass, and his politeness and his English were faultless.  He invited me to accompany him to the general staff.

That was the first intimation I had that I was in danger.  I saw they were giving me far too much attention.  I began instantly to work to set myself free, and there was not a minute for the next twenty-four hours that I was not working.  Before I stepped into the car I had decided upon my line of defence.  I would pretend to be entirely unconscious that I had in any way laid myself open to suspicion; that I had erred through pure stupidity and that I was where I was solely because I was a damn fool.  I began to act like a damn fool.  Effusively I expressed my regret at putting the General Staff to inconvenience.