Monsieur Segotin's Story
none of the victuals. Finally the German Government offered to act as mediator between ourselves and Switzerland in this delicate affair.
"Such things speak for themselves. It is hard to say where in this war the Germans have touched the height of their impudence, but surely this is a sufficiently remarkable instance of it. So Switzerland was to be invited by us to ally herself with Germany by feeding us in her place! And you will notice that disclaimer of responsibility for our nourishment. We were to be invaded—I will not say in breach of what solemn promise on the invader's own part—we were to be massacred, our towns were to be burnt, our property was to be exported en masse into Germany, our money was to be taken from us, our food was to be seized for the German Army, yet no responsibility for us was to attach to Germany. Let Switzerland, the generous, the convenient, step in to save the situation and keep the breath in those bodies which Germany already destined for her factories. Bah! Bah! It is to be sick to think of such things. Truly the hardest thing to stomach about these people is their cant. For it is not even dexterous cant. Ah! this gives me a bad taste in the mouth. Let us pass on.
"The posters and notices and proclamations were daily multiplied.
"I suppose it was with some idea of reconciling us to their domination, by causing us to believe that it could never be shaken off, that our masters quickly began to set up bulletins of war news in
39
