"Then you are a Belgian?" asked Alfred.
"Yes; and I must leave you, for it is necessary that I report in Brabant," he replied.
"And where is Brabant?" asked Ralph.
"This side of Antwerp; northeast of Liège," answered Pierre.
"How far are we from Liège?" asked Alfred.
"About forty miles; possibly fifty," said Pierre, at a venture.
"Then we can go with you," said Ralph, enthusiastically.
"I had that plan in my mind," answered Pierre. "But for the present we must find a place for the night."
They soon found that this was not an easy matter. Every place was crowded to its utmost. People were coming in from all directions in every kind of conveyance, the railway lines from Liège, to the east and north, and the main highways being crowded with soldiers and war equipment. Hundreds of soldiers were detailed to unload the cars, and they were all busily at work when the bugle gave the signal for the evening meal.