It was one of a long train of similar vehicles, and in it he rode to the border, where he was transferred to a military train.
He was able on the trip to see what was going on, since no attempt was made to keep him from doing so.

And everything he saw served only to impress him more and more with the utter hopelessness of his position.
The roads were choked with dense masses of advancing Russians.

Troops, horse and foot, hospital trains, ammunition and provision trains, guns--all were moving up; evidently in preparation for the striking of a heavy blow at the German power in East Prussia on a new line of attack.
For the first time Fred saw a country that was really in the grip of a modern army.

The swift movements of the German army around the Suvaroff house had not given this impression.

There were not so many Germans, relatively speaking at least, and their movements were made with less confusion and greater speed, owing to their possession of railways that had been built with an especial view to their being used in time of war.
Here the railways had all been destroyed by the Germans who had retreated before the advancing Russians.