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 of the revolver, demanded where I was going, and why I had
run away from Aerschot. They said that the whole of Aerschot was now on
fire, because the son of the Burgomaster had killed a General. Finally
they searched me from head to foot, and I heard them discuss the
question of my fate.
Finally the non-commissioned officer told me that I could continue on my
way; that they would certainly take care of me in Aerschot, as I had
been firing at Germans, and they would shoot me when I arrived.
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