7th October 1914. I told the Emperor of our visit to Warsaw, where the G.O.C. invited us to join him at the theatre, the idea being to re-establish the confidence of the public, who were somewhat alarmed by the proximity of the Germans. La Guiche had been equally amused by the 'French Army,' but in their gallant soldiers there was no display of legs, as they were so smothered in tricolours that they could hardly move. We were each called to stand up to receive the plaudits of the assembly at the compliment to our countries. A little Cossack officer was attached to us there, very young, his mother an Armenian, and he looked like a Persian girl, with most beautiful sympathetic eyes, but he was a bloodthirsty little fellow, and told me he had killed five Germans yesterday with his own hand.
Some people are very optimistic.
One general told me he thought we should be in Berlin in four months. Aviation matters are a very weak point here. 7th November 1914. When I was at Lodz the other day an officer commanding a Siberian corps told me he was twenty-three days in the train en route to his headquarters, and his men, of course, longer. It gives some idea of the time it takes Russia to put all her forces into the field.