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Four white-washed walls, a door opposite the altar, two 

 small arched windows, a large wooden crucifix, a square 

 air hole stopped up with hay ; in a corner, on the 

 ground, an old window sash with the panes all broken. 

 Such is the chapel. Near the altar is a wooden statue 

 of St. Anne, belonging to the 15th century ; the head 

 of the Infant Saviour has been carried away by a shot. 

 The French, masters for a moment of the chapel, and 

 then dislodged, set fire to it. The flames filled the 

 building and it became a furnace ; the door burnt, the 

 flooring burnt, but the wooden Christ was not burnt ; 

 the fire nibbled away the feet, of which the blackened 

 stumps can now be seen, and then stopped. It was a 



miracle, say the country people 



On leaving the chapel you see a well on your left 

 hand. As there are two wells in this yard you ask 

 yourself why this one has no bucket and windlass ? 

 Because water is no longer drawn from it. Why is it 

 not drawn ? Because it is full of skeletons. The last 

 man who drew water from this well was a man called 

 Willem van Kylsom ; he was a peasant who lived at 

 Hougomont, and was gardener there. On June 18th, 

 1815, his family took flight and concealed themselves 

 in the woods. The forest round the Abbey of Villers 

 sheltered for several days and nights the dispersed, 

 luckless country people. Even at the present day certain 

 vestiges, such as old burnt trunks of trees mark the 

 spot of these poor encampments among the thickets. 

 Willem van Kylsom remained at Hougomont ' to take 

 care of the chateau,' and concealed himself in a cellar. 

 The English discovered him there : he was dragged 

 from his lurking place, and the frightened man was 

 forced by blows with the flat of a sabre to wait on the 

 combattants. They were thirsty and this Willem 

 brought them drink, and it was from this well he drew 

 the water. Many drank there for the last time, and 

 this well, from which so many dead men drank, was 



