et him
some sort of a paper, through the Belgian Legation in London, which will
enable him at least to cross the frontier to Holland, whence he might be
able to pay for his way to England.

I hope you will publish the boy's letter, _but it is necessary that you
suppress both his and the writer's name_. Should either be given and the
boy remain in Belgium, _it may cost him his life_. The mention of my own
may later on cause me difficulties with our German friends of liberty.
Yours truly,

---- ----.

[Inclosure.]

Translation of letter received from one of my employes, a young Belgian
boy of about 16 years of age. Received in England Sept. 28, 1914.

ANTWERP, Sept. 23, 1914.

Dear Sir: As you correctly said in my testimonial when you were closing
the office, the war has isolated Belgium. Really I can well say that I
have been painfully struck by this scourge, and I permit myself, dear
Sir, to give you a little description of my Calvary.

Your offices were closed in the beginning of August. As I did not know
what to do and as the fatherland had not enough men to defend its
territory I tried to get myself accepted as a volunteer.

On Aug. 10 I went to Aerschot, my native town, to get my certificate of
good conduct. Then I went to Louvain to have same signed by the
commander of the place. This gentleman sent me to St. Nicholas and
thence to Hemixem, where I was rejected as too young. I then decided to
return to Brussels, passing through Aerschot. Here my aunt asked me to
stay with her, saying that she was afraid of the Germans.

I remained at Aerschot. This was Aug. 15. Suddenly, on the 19th, at 9
o'clock in the morning, after a terrible bombardment, the Germans made
their entry into Aerschot. In the first street which they passed through
they broke into the houses. They brought out six men whom I knew very
well and immediately shot them. Learning of this, I fled to Louvain,
where I arrived on Aug. 19 at 1 o'clock.

At 1:30 P.M. the Germans entered Louvain. They did not do anything to
the people in the beginning. On the following Saturday, Aug. 22, I
started to return to Aerschot, as I had no money. (All my money was
still in Brussels.) The whole distance from Louvain to Aerschot I saw
nothing but German armies, always Germans. They did not say a word to me
until I suddenly found myself alone with three of the "Todeshusaren,"
(Death's Head Hussars,) the vanguard of their regiment. They arrested me
at the point