Among the cavalry were the famous Brunswick Death’s Head Hussars and their companions on many bloody fields, the Zeiten Hussars.  But where was the glorious garb of the German troops, the cherry-colored uniforms of the horsemen and the blue of the infantry?  All is greenish, earth-color gray.  All the hel- [Transcriber:  Text missing in original.] are painted gray.  The gun carriages are gray.  Even the pontoon bridges are gray.

To the quick-step beat of the drums the Kaiser’s men march to the great Square Charles Rogier.  Then at the whistling sound of the word of command—­for the sonorous orders of the German officers seemed to have gone the way of the brilliant uniforms—­the gray-clad ranks broke into the famous goose step, while the good people of Liege and Brussels gazed at the passing wonder with mouths agape.

At the railroad station the great procession defiled to the boulevards and thence marched to encamp on the heights of the city called Kochelberg.  It was truly a sight to have gladdened the eyes of the Kaiser, but on the sidewalks men were muttering beneath their breath:  “They’ll not pass here on their return.  The Allies will do for them.”

Many of the younger men in the great array seemed exhausted after the long forced march, but as a man staggered his comrades in the ranks held him up.

It was a great spectacle and an impressive one, but there were minor incidents that were of a less pleasant character.

Two Belgian officers, manacled and fastened to the leather stirrups of two Uhlans, made a spectacle that caused a low murmur of resentment from the citizens.  Instantly German horsemen backed their steeds into the closely packed ranks of the spectators, threatening them with uplifted swords and stilling the momentary revolt.

At one point of the march a lame hawker offered flowers for sale to the soldiers.  As he held up his posies a Captain of Hussars by a movement of his steed sent the poor wretch sprawling and bleeding in the dust.  Then from the crowd a Frenchwoman, her heart scorning fear, cried out, “You brute!” so that all might hear.

There was one gross pleasantry, too, perpetrated by a gunner who led along a bear, evidently the pet of his battery, which was dressed in the full regalia of a Belgian General.

The bear was evidently intended to represent the King.  He touched his cocked hat at intervals to his keeper.

This particularly irritated the Belgians, but they wisely abstained from any overt manifestation or any unpleasant feature of behavior.  The soldiery as they passed tore repeatedly at the national colors which every Belgian lady now wears on her breast.

A more pleasant incident was when a party of Uhlans clamored for admittance at a villa on the Louvain road.  They disposed of a dozen bottles of wine and bread and meat.  The non-commissioned officer in command asked what the charge was and offered some gold pieces in payment.  The money was refused.