82 The Great J Far gres-St. Trond, Tuesday at Hasselt-Landen, but on Wednesday and Thursday were back at Haelen, Tirlemont, Diest and Eghezee. The unmistakable fact was that the Germans were slowly, methodically but steadily advancing through Eastern Belgium between the French and the Dutch frontier. So far as despatches yet disclosed the ad- vance was almost exclusively cavalry, and it was sweeping before it a screen of Belgian infantry and cavalry which was gradually retiring fighting upon Brussels, Namur and Louvain. Obviously the German cavalry screen preceded an advance of the Army of the Meuse in great force and the reports from Holland of the construction of a railroad line round the forts at Liege and of the passing of strong divisions of German troops near the frontier pointed to an eventual offensive through Eastern Belgium toward Brussels and thence to France. Precisely this way Marlborough came twice from Liege in the wars of Louis XIV. The first time he broke through French lines stretched from the Dyle to the Meuse at Tirlemont, where there already had been fighting. The second time he broke through at Ramillies, destroying Villeroi's army on a field which in part was fought over at Eghezee on Wednesday, August 12. A great deal of nonsense was written in the first two weeks of the war about " battles " and prospec- tive battles in Belgium. In point of fact the Eng- lish War Oflice finally declared that there was but