he cannon from Liege, that showed the fortress
was still holding out. They rode for several miles with this man,
until he had to turn off. Then they began walking again. And now,
before them, directly in their path but still some considerable
distance away, they saw smoke rising on the horizon, a pall heavy,
brownish smoke with patches of black. It was not at all like the faint
haze that hung over Liege, the result of smokeless powder.

"There must be a fire," said Arthur.

"I should think so," said Paul, grimly. "The Uhlans are ahead of us,
Arthur."

CHAPTER XIII

THE CIVIC GUARDS

That this was no mistaken guess they soon learned. Half a mile of fast
walking brought them to a small village, and there they met a stream of
panic-stricken refugees, fleeing from their own burning homes a little
further on. The people of the village swarmed about the newcomers,
exclaiming in horror and anger at their stories. Paul and Arthur
listened.

German cavalry, it seemed, had ridden in early that morning, and posted
notices, in German, French and the Walloon dialect that many of the
peasantry still used. These notices warned all the people that the
German army had occupied the town or village, and that no act of
violence against the invaders must be committed. All arms, it read,
were to be surrendered, and certain rules about keeping lights in every
window and having all doors unlocked must be strictly obeyed.

If obedience were given, said the Germans, no harm would be done to the
occupied places or any of their citizens.

"Then they rode away," a woman was saying. "And presently foot
soldiers came in their places. And--a shot was fired. It struck an
officer. Then they went into the house where the man who fired the
shot had been, and they brought out every man they found in it, and
killed them right before all of us, before they set the house on fire.
And they set other houses on fire, too, where they said they found guns
and pistols! They said we were murderers! Is it murder to defend
oneself in time of war? My man is with the army! Is he a murderer?"

Arthur was panting with anger as he listened. Paul, seeing this, drew
him aside.

"I suppose you think she's right, don't you, Arthur?" he asked, quietly.

"Of course! If you were in your home and you saw German soldiers
coming, wouldn't you shoot as many as you could?"

"Perhaps. But I'd expect them to take me out and shoot me, when they