the
Legation.

When we got back to the Legation I decided that I ought to see all I
could, so Blount and I went back in his car. First we worked our way
through to the lower town and got a look at the Grande Place. There were
a little more than two full battalions resting there, with their field
pieces parked at the lower end of the square. Small squads were being
walked around doing the goose step for the delectation of the _bons
Bruxellois_, who were kept a block away up the side streets leading to
the square. The men had their arms stacked in the centre of the square,
and were resting hard--all but those who were supplying the spectacle.

From there we went down to Luna Park, an amusement place on the edge of
the city. The stream was pouring by there just as steadily as it had
earlier in the afternoon. We watched the passing of great quantities of
artillery, cavalry and infantry, hussars, lancers, cyclists, ambulance
attendants, forage men, and goodness only knows what else.

I have never seen so much system and such equipment. The machine is
certainly wonderful; and, no matter what is the final issue of the war,
nobody can deny that so far as that part of the preparation went, the
Germans were hard to beat. The most insignificant details were worked
out, and all eventualities met with promptness. The horses were shod for
a campaign in the country, and naturally there was a lot of slipping on
the smooth cobble pavements. The instant a horse went down there was a
man ready with a coarse cloth to put under his head, and another to go
under his forefeet, so that he would have some grip when he tried to get
up and would not hurt himself slipping and pawing at the cobbles. The
moment he fell, all hands rushed to the rescue so effectively that he
was on his feet again in no time, and the procession was barely
arrested. The men's kits were wonderfully complete and contained all
sorts of things that I had never seen or heard of, so I turned for
explanation to Davis, who had come along and was lost in admiration of
the equipment and discipline. He said he had been through pretty much
every campaign for the last twenty years, and thought he knew the last
word in all sorts of equipment, but that this had him staggered. I began
asking him what a lot of things were for, and he frankly admitted that
he was as much in the dark as I was.

A great many of the officers wore, upon their chests, great electric
searchlights attached