A gramophone was continually playing there, grinding out shrill songs to which the guests responded in roaring chorus.

When war news favorable to the German Empire was received, the songs and drinking would redouble until midnight and the shrill music-box would never stop for an instant.

On the walls were portraits of William II and various chromos of his generals.

The proprietor of the bar, a fat-legged German with square head, stiff hair and drooping mustache, used to answer to the nickname of _Hindenburg_.
The sailor grinned at the mere thought of putting that _Hindenburg_ underneath his own counter....

He'd just like to see this establishment where his name had been uttered so many times! At nightfall, his feet took him toward the bar with an irresistible impulse which disdained all counsels of prudence.
The glass door resisted his nervous hands, perhaps because he handled the latch with too much force.