"Oct. 12, 6 P.M.
"Through the whole of last week the Germans occupying London suffered great losses. They are now hemmed2 in on every side.
"At three o'clock this morning, Von Kronhelm, having withdrawn3 the greater part of the troops from the defence of the bridges, in an attempt to occupy defensive4 positions in North London, the South Londoners, impatient with long waiting, broke forth5 and came across the river in enormous multitudes, every man bent6 upon killing7 a German wherever seen.
"The night air was rent everywhere by the hoarse8, exultant9 shouts as London—the giant, all-powerful city—fell upon the audacious invader10. Through our office windows came the dull roar of London's millions swelled11 by the 'Defenders12' from the west and south of England, and by the gallant13 men from Canada, India, the Cape14, and other British colonies who had come forward to fight for the Mother Country as soon as her position was known to be critical.
"In the streets are to be seen Colonial uniforms side by side with the costermonger from Whitechapel or[260] Walworth, and dark-faced Indians in turbans are fighting out in Fleet Street and the Strand15. In the great struggle now taking place many of our reporters and correspondents have unfortunately been wounded, and, alas16! four of them killed.
"In these terrible days a man's life is not safe from one moment to another. Both sides seem to have now lost their heads completely. Among the Germans all semblance17 of order has apparently18 been thrown to the winds. It is known that London has risen to a man, and the enemy are therefore fully19 aware of their imminent20 peril21. Already they are beaten. True, Von Kronhelm still sits in the War Office directing operations—operations he knows too well are foredoomed to failure.
"The Germans have, it must be admitted, carried on the war in a chivalrous22 spirit, until those drastic executions exasperated23 the people. Then neither side gave quarter, and now to-day, all through Islington, Hoxton, Kingsland, and Dalston, right out eastwards24 to Homerton, a perfect massacre25 of Germans is in progress.
"Lord Byfield has issued two urgent proclamations, threatening the people of London with all sorts of penalties if they kill instead of taking an enemy prisoner, but they seem to have no effect. London is starved and angered to such a pitch, that her hatred26 knows no bounds, and only blood will atone27 for the wholesale28 slaughter29 of the innocent since the bombardment of the metropolis30 began.
"The Kaiser has, we hear, left the 'Belvedere,' at Scarborough, where he has been living incognito31. A confidential32 report, apparently well founded, has reached us that he embarked33 upon the steam-trawler Morning Star at Scarborough yesterday, and set out across the Dogger, with Germany, of course, as his destination. Surely he must now regret his ill-advised policy of making an attack upon England. He had gauged34 our military weakness very accurately35, but he had not counted upon the patriotic36 spirit of our Empire. It may be that he has already given orders to Von Kronhelm, but it is nevertheless a very significant fact that the German wireless37 telegraph apparatus38 on the summit of Big Ben is in constant use by the German Commander-in-Chief. He is probably in hourly communication with Bremen, or with the Emperor himself upon the trawler Morning Star.[261]
"Near Highbury Fields about noon to-day some British cavalry39 surprised a party of Germans, and attempted to take them prisoners. The latter showed fight, whereupon they were shot down to a man. The British held as prisoners by the Germans near Enfield have now been released, and are rejoining their comrades along the northern heights. Many believe that another and final battle will be fought north of London, but military men declare that the German power is already broken. Whether Von Kronhelm will still continue to lose his men at the rate he is now doing, or whether he will sue for peace, is an open question. Personally, he was against the bombardment of London from the very first, yet he was compelled to carry out the orders of his Imperial master. The invasion, the landing, and the successes in the north were, in his opinion, quite sufficient to have paralysed British trade and caused such panic that an indemnity40 would have been paid. To attack London was, in his opinion, a proceeding41 far too dangerous, and his estimate is now proved to have been the correct one. Now that they have lost command of the sea, and are cut off from their bases in Essex, the enemy's situation is hopeless. They may struggle on, but assuredly the end can only be an ignominious42 one.
"Yet the German eagle still flies proudly over the War Office, over St. Stephen's, and upon many other public buildings, while upon others British Royal Standards and union Jacks43 are commencing to appear, each one being cheered by the excited Londoners, whose hearts are now full of hope. Germany shall be made to bite the dust. That is the war-cry everywhere. Many a proud Uhlan and Cuirassier has to-day ridden to his death amid the dense45 mobs, mad with the lust46 of blood. Some of the more unfortunate of the enemy have been lynched, and torn limb from limb, while others have died deaths too horrible to here describe in detail.
"Each hour brings to us further news showing how, by slow degrees, the German army of occupation is being wiped out. People are jeering47 at the audacious claim for indemnity presented to the British Government when the enemy entered London, and are asking whether we will not now present a claim to Germany. Von Kronhelm is not blamed so much as his Emperor. He has been the cat's paw, and has burned his fingers in endeavouring to snatch the chestnuts49 from the fire.[262]
"As a commander, he has acted justly, fully observing the international laws concerning war. It was only when faced by the problem of a national uprising that he countenanced50 anything bordering upon capital punishment. An hour ago our censors51 were withdrawn. They came and shook hands with many members of the staff, and retired52. This surely is a significant fact that Von Kronhelm hopes to regain53 the confidence of London by appearing to treat her with a fatherly solicitude54. Or is it that he intends to sue for peace at any price?
"An hour ago another desperate attempt was made on the part of the men of South London, aided by a large body of British regulars, to regain possession of the War Office. Whitehall was once more the scene of a bloody55 fight, but so strongly does Von Kronhelm hold the place and all the adjacent thoroughfares—he apparently regarding it as his own fortress—that the attack was repulsed56 with heavy loss on our side.
"All the bridges are now open, the barricades57 are in most cases being blown up, and people are passing and repassing freely for the first time since the day following the memorable58 bombardment. London streets are, however, in a most deplorable condition. On every hand is ruin and devastation59. Whole streets of houses rendered gaunt and windowless by the now spent fires meet the eye everywhere. In certain places the ruins were still smouldering, and in one or two districts the conflagrations60 spread over an enormous area. Even if peace be declared, can London ever recover from this present wreck61? Paris recovered, and quickly too. Therefore we place our faith in British wealth, British industry, and British patriotism62.
"Yes. The tide has turned. The great revenge now in progress is truly a mad and bloody one. In Kilburn this afternoon there was a wholesale killing of a company of German infantry63, who, while marching along the High Road, were set upon by the armed mob, and practically exterminated64. The smaller thoroughfares, Brondesbury Road, Victoria Road, Glendall Road, and Priory Park Road, across to Paddington Cemetery65, were the scene of a frightful66 slaughter. The Germans died hard, but in the end were completely wiped out. German-baiting is now, indeed, the Londoner's pastime, and on this dark and rainy afternoon hundreds of men of the Fatherland have died upon the wet roads.[263]
"Sitting here, in a newspaper office, as we do, and having fresh reports constantly before us, we are able to review the whole situation impartially67. Every moment, through the various news-agencies and our own correspondents and contributors, we are receiving fresh facts—facts which all combine to show that Von Kronhelm cannot hold out much longer. Surely the Commander-in-Chief of a civilised army will not allow his men to be massacred as they are now being! The enemy's troops, mixed up in the maze68 of London streets as they are, are utterly69 unable to cope with the oncoming multitudes, some armed with rifles, and others with anything they can lay their hands upon.
"Women—wild, infuriated women—have now made their reappearance north of the Thames. In more than one instance, where German soldiers have attempted to take refuge in houses, these women have obtained petrol, and, with screams of fiendish delight, set the houses in question on fire. Awful dramas are being enacted70 in every part of the metropolis. The history of to-day is written in German blood.
"Lord Byfield has established temporary headquarters at Jack44 Straw's Castle, where Von Kronhelm was during the bombardment, and last night we could see the signals exchanged between Hampstead and Sydenham Hill, from whence General Bamford has not yet moved. Our cavalry in Essex are, it is said, doing excellent work. Lord Byfield has also sent a body of troops across from Gravesend to Tilbury, and these have regained71 Maldon and Southminster after some hard fighting. Advices from Gravesend state that further reinforcements are being sent across the river to operate against the East of London and hem1 in the Germans on that side.
"So confident is London of success that several of the railways are commencing to reorganise their traffic. A train left Willesden this afternoon for Birmingham, the first since the bombardment—while another has left Finsbury Park for Peterborough, to continue to York if possible. So wrecked72 are the London termini, however, that it must be some weeks before trains can arrive or be despatched from either Euston, King's Cross, Paddington, Marylebone, or St. Pancras. In many instances the line just north of the terminus is interrupted by a blown-up tunnel or a fallen bridge, therefore the termination of traffic must, for[264] the present, be at some distance north on the outskirts74 of London.
"Shops are also opening in South London, though they have but little to sell. Nevertheless, this may be regarded as a sign of renewed confidence. Besides, supplies of provisions are now arriving, and the London County Council and the Salvation75 Army are distributing free soup and food in the lower-class districts. Private charity, everywhere abundant during the trying days of dark despair, is doing inestimable good among every class. The hard, grasping employer and the smug financier, who had hitherto kept scrupulous76 accounts, and have been noteworthy on account of their uncharitableness, have now, in the hour of need, come forward and subscribed77 liberally to the great Mansion78 House Fund, opened yesterday by the Deputy Lord Mayor of London. The subscription79 list occupies six columns of the issue of to-morrow's paper, and this, in itself, speaks well for the openheartedness of the moneyed classes of Great Britain.
"No movement has yet been made in the financial world. Bankers still remain with closed doors. The bullion80 seized at Southminster and other places is now under strong British guard, and will, it is supposed, be returned to the Bank immediately. Only a comparatively small sum has yet been sent across to Germany. Therefore all Von Kronhelm's strategy has utterly failed. By the invasion, Germany has, up to the present moment, gained nothing. She has made huge demands at which we can afford to jeer48. True, she has wrecked London, but have we not sent the greater part of her fleet to the bottom of the North Sea, and have we not created havoc81 in German ports?
"The leave-taking of our two gold-spectacled censors was almost pathetic. We had come to regard them as necessities to puzzle and to play practical jokes of language upon. To-day for the first time we have received none of those official notices in German, with English translations, which of late have appeared so prominently in our columns. The German Eagle is gradually disentangling his talons82 from London, and means to escape us—if he can."
10.30 P.M.
"Private information has just reached us from a most reliable source that a conference has been arranged between[265] Von Kronhelm and Lord Byfield. This evening the German Field Marshal sent a messenger to the British headquarters at Hampstead under a flag of truce83. He bore a despatch73 from the German Commander asking that hostilities84 should be suspended for twenty-four hours, and that they should make an appointment for a meeting during that period.
"Von Kronhelm has left the time and place of meeting to Lord Byfield, and has informed the British Commander that he has sent telegraphic instruction to the German military governors of Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, Northampton, Stafford, Oldham, Wigan, Bolton, and other places, giving notice of his suggestion to the British, and ordering that for the present hostilities on the part of the Germans shall be suspended.
"It seems more than likely that the German Field Marshal has received these very definite instructions by wireless telegraph from the Emperor at Bremen or Potsdam.
"We understand that Lord Byfield, after a brief consultation85 by telegraph with the Government at Bristol, has sent a reply. Of its nature, however, nothing is known, and at the moment of writing hostilities are still in progress.
"In an hour's time we shall probably know whether the war is to continue, or a truce is to be proclaimed."
"Midnight.
"Lord Byfield has granted a truce, and hostilities have now been suspended.
"London has gone mad with delight, for the German yoke86 is cast off. Further information which has just reached us from private sources states that thousands of prisoners have been taken by Lord Byfield to-day, and that Von Kronhelm has acknowledged his position to be absolutely hopeless.
"The great German Army has been defeated by our British patriots87, who have fought so valiantly88 and so well. It is not likely that the war will be resumed. Von Kronhelm received a number of British officers at the War Office half an hour ago, and it is said that he is already making preparations to vacate the post he has usurped89.
"Lord Byfield has issued a reassuring90 message to London, which we have just received with instructions to[266] print. It declares that although for the moment only a truce is proclaimed, yet this means the absolute cessation of all hostilities.
"The naval91 news of the past few days may be briefly92 summarised. The British main fleet entered the North Sea, and our submarines did most excellent work in the neighbourhood of the Maas Lightship. Prince Stahlberger had concentrated practically the whole of his naval force off Lowestoft, but a desperate battle was fought about seventy miles from the Texel, full details of which are not yet to hand. All that is known is that, having now regained command of the sea, we were enabled to inflict93 a crushing defeat upon the Germans, in which the German flagship was sunk. In the end sixty-one British ships were concentrated against seventeen German, with the result that the German fleet has practically been wiped out, there being 19,000 of the enemy's officers and men on the casualty list, the greatest recorded in any naval battle.
"Whatever may be the demands for indemnity on either side, one thing is absolutely certain, namely, that the invincible94 German Army and Navy are completely vanquished95. The Eagle's wings are trailing in the dust."
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1
hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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3
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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4
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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5
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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invader
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| n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者 | |
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11
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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12
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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13
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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14
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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15
strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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16
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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19
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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20
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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21
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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22
chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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eastwards
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| adj.向东方（的），朝东（的）；n.向东的方向 | |
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25
massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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26
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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atone
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| v.赎罪，补偿 | |
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wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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incognito
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| adv.匿名地；n.隐姓埋名；adj.化装的，用假名的，隐匿姓名身份的 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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34
gauged
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| adj.校准的；标准的；量规的；量计的v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的过去式和过去分词 )；估计；计量；划分 | |
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accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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40
indemnity
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| n.赔偿，赔款，补偿金 | |
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41
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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42
ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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43
jacks
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| n.抓子游戏；千斤顶( jack的名词复数 )；（电）插孔；[电子学]插座；放弃 | |
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44
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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45
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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46
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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47
jeering
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| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
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48
jeer
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| vi.嘲弄，揶揄；vt.奚落；n.嘲笑，讥评 | |
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49
chestnuts
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| n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马 | |
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50
countenanced
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| v.支持，赞同，批准( countenance的过去式 ) | |
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51
censors
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| 删剪（书籍、电影等中被认为犯忌、违反道德或政治上危险的内容）( censor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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52
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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53
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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54
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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55
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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56
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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57
barricades
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| 路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 ) | |
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58
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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59
devastation
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| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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60
conflagrations
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| n.大火（灾）( conflagration的名词复数 ) | |
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61
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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62
patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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63
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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64
exterminated
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| v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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66
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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67
impartially
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| adv.公平地，无私地 | |
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68
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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69
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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70
enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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72
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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73
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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74
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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75
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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76
scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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subscribed
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| v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意 | |
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78
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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79
subscription
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| n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方） | |
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80
bullion
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| n.金条，银条 | |
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81
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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82
talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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83
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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84
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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85
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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86
yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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87
patriots
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| 爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 ) | |
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88
valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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89
usurped
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| 篡夺，霸占( usurp的过去式和过去分词 )； 盗用； 篡夺，篡权 | |
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90
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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91
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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92
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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93
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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94
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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95
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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