moving in the direction of the Dutch border. With the rising sun on
Friday morning the German Taubes again swept over the city. When
the Germans saw that the whole British and Belgian army had got
away from them they moved up their 42 cm. guns and literally gave
us hell. This time they had no mercy on the few remaining
noncombatants.

The intelligence officer's baggage delayed us a long time. When we
got up nearly as far as Fort St. Philippe, we separated. We saw a
barge anchored in the river and he had an idea it would leave about
seven o'clock, and that we might be able to get on it. I gave him my
knapsack containing my gold belt, which, in the confusion, I had not
had time to strap on, and started to make a dash back to the
Queen's, because I considered that I ought to let the other fellows
know what had happened to us.

I had fifteen minutes to cover the distance.

I ran. The shells, at that time, were falling at a rate, I should
judge, of five a minute. Opposite the Castle Steen I had a narrow
escape--just concussion, I suppose. Directly above me came a crash of
thunder. A few moments later I found myself lying in the street, head
pointing north--dazed. A bomb crashed through the eaves and tore a hole
as big as a small cellar in the street directly before the old castle,
bursting with the concussion of a tornado. For a few moments I sat on
the street feeling weak in the legs and unable to move.

Again I started back to the Queen's. Two hundred yards east of the
bridge some soldiers held me up.