in uniform or any titled person.
The political horizon was clouded en the date I have mentioned. Austria had taken the field against Servia, and Germany was mobilising. Ominous rumours were in the air as to the attitude of Russia. South German troops were known to be moving across the Rhine into Alsace. Was the storm averted in 1911 and 1912 about to burst at last? Leading artioles in the ‘Times’ and ‘Westminster Gazette’ assured me that whatever complications arose on the Continent our Government proposed to remain neutral. I was lulled into an entirely unjustifiable security by these papers, whilst the net was already closing around myself and others. No further mails from England were delivered to me by the post office,—a faet which, of course, only became obvious a week later. Meanwhile the state of anxiety and tension prevailing absorbed my attention, so that I gave no thought to my own security.
On July 31 a state of siege was proclaimed. Hostilities with Russia had commenced. Needless to say, the press informed the people that it was the Czar whe had attacked his peaceful western neighbours without any provecation whatsoever from the latter, and everybody was satisfied that such was indeed the case. Immense enthusiasm prevailed everywhere. A manufacturer, on seeing the proclamation, rubbed his hands
and remarked, "Thank God, now we shall get rid of the 100 Socialist members in the Parliament.” There is little doubt in my mind that he was echoing the sentiments of the Conservative party in Germany, who deliberately planned a great war in order to suppress all democratic sections of the people, and obtain complete mastery over them with the aid of martial law. The catchwords, "the Cossacks are coming with fire, sword, and knout to destroy the Fatherland and its civilisation,” worked like a charm. Socialism, pacifism, and internationalism vanished, and were replaced by patriotic masses clamouring to follow their old leaders, the Prussian aristocracy, to conquest and viotory. It was the most extraordinary transformation I have ever witnessed.
Vast masses of troops were pouring both eastward and westward on the main line, Train followed train at ten minutes’ interval, at a speed of about twenty miles an hour. This stream continued day and night, until I was no longer in a positien to observe it. It was a veritable tide of men of all arms, all in brand-new grey uniferms. Not a strap of the accoutrements had been used before. The quantity of heavy guns was particularly striking. The men were full of enthusiasm and confidence. Their physique seemed to be splendid. The bulk of this impressive traffic was going westward, and the rumour soon spread that Franoce was to be over-
