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VIA GHENT AND BRUGES TO OSTEND 267
Captain Tägert, a refined and conscientious man, im-
mediately ordered that a room (by the way, the last available
at the Littoral) be placed at my disposal forthwith. I took
possession at once. The corridor on the second floor led
straight into the apartments overlooking the sea, the inner
doors being already furnished with the name-plates of the
German naval officers occupying them. The outer glass doors
led to balconies with comfortable basket chairs. From these
balconies we had an uninterrupted view of the sea and could
watch the British squadron and its movements.
From my splendid point of vantage I could enjoy at leisure
the varying phases of a wonderful sunset. In the west the
great ball was shining with a curious pink glow now and then
running into yellow. The fleecy clouds near by were fringed
with gold reflected in the glittering sea. The rest of the sky
was overcast and a thin drizzle fell fitfully, whilst the windows
on the front gleamed as if the houses were on fire. The British
ships lay in the centre of the patch of sea turned golden by
the rays of the setting sun. They had been bombarding the
German positions all day and I could see the flashes from the
guns, followed a long while after by the roar of the report.
Now, at 5.20 p.m., German time, the thunder from the guns
was so loud and insistent that the windows of the Kursaal
shook and rattled. Half an hour later the firing ceased. We
assumed that the squadron had gone north to replenish its
ammunition. By this time the beam of light had shrunk and
the golden tint had faded from the water. Twilight descended
upon the sea and the blinking of a couple of gas buoys began
to assert itself. They are there to guide the shipping, but now
the fairway was empty and deserted.
During the day I had seen many civilians about, but
towards evening they gradually disappeared. Nobody was
allowed out after g p.m. or before 5 a.m. The streets them-
selves were not lighted, but several shops were kept with their
lights burning until the former hour. On the promenade at
the front there was not a single lamp alight—here one wandered
in darkness among the German soldiers. Light issued, how-
ever, from many windows facmg the sea. This was not
thought risky, as the enemy vessels well knew their bearings
in any case. It was not thought that the British ships would
bombard Ostend, as the killing of a hundred or two of Germans
and the evacuation of the place would not make up for the
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