(Qarnell HniusrHitg Slihrarjj Stifata. ^tm f nrit CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GIFT OF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF 1876 1918 Cornell University Library DS 771.V36 St. Geprge.and,the,Chlnese ^dragon "3 1924" 023 T94 545 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023194545 'O^M^-^ St. George and the Chinese Dragon \:Bourite & Shepherd. A.D.C. Lieut,- General Sir A. Gaselee, ICC.B., S,C. [Frontispiece. St. George and the Chinese Dragon A.n Account of the Relief of the Pekin Legations by an Officer of the British Contingent By ''-■ ' Lieut. -Colonel H. B. Vaughan 7th Rajputs Illustrated by the Author London C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd. Henrietta Street 1902 y H^J^ SOME NEW AND NOTABLE BOOKS The Eldorado of the Ancients An Account of the Discovery of the Gold Mines of King Solomon in the Land of Ophir. By Dr. Carl Peters. With 2 Maps and about loo Illustra- tions. Demy 8vo, price ais. nett. Among Swamps and Giants In Equatorial Africa An Account of Surveys and Adven- tures in the Southern Sudan and British East Africa. By Major H. H. Austin, R.E., C.M.G., D.S.O., Fellow of the Royai Geographical Society. With 2 Maps and many Illustrations. Demy 8vo, price 15s. nett. Second Edition The Siege of KumassI By Lady Hodgson. Demy 8vo, cloth, price 21s. North American Indians of To- Day By George Bird Grinnbll, Ph.D., Author of *' Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk Tales," &c. &c. Illustrated with 35 Full-page Portraits of Living Indians. Price ;£i, is. nett. Abyssinia By Herbert Vivian, Author of " Tunisia," " Servia," Sec. With many Illustrations and Map. Demy 8vo, price 15s. Wooings and Weddings In Many Climes By LooiSE JoKDAH MiLN, Author of " When we were Strolling Players in the East;" &c. Profusely Illustrated. New Edition, 6s. nett. C. ARTHUR PEARSON, Limited Introduction Having kept a diary during the advance on Pekin, I had begun to write it up for pub- lication, when it occurred to me that a general account of the advance, which in- cluded the doings of the other corps present, would be more interesting to the public. The Officers commanding the ist Sikhs and 24th Punjab Infantry, Lieut-Colonels Pollock and Ramsay, have kindly supplied accounts of the movements of their regiments. Most of the sketches were made on the very ground where the incidents depicted occurred, and truthfulness was aimed at rather than artistic effect. My best thanks are due to Officers commanding corps, who have allowed me to make use of their men as models, H. B. V. July 1902. 7 Contents CHAP I. At Duty's Call II. Through Hostile Hordes HI. Under Hot Skies IV. The Dragon's Lair . V. The Legations Relieved VI. The Forbidden City . VII. The Temple of Heaven VIII. Colours in the Field IX. Broken Bits of China 13 35 59 87 "5 133 147 165 181 APPENDICES A. Summary of British killed and wounded 205 B. Extract from Sir Claude Macdonald's despatches 206 List of Illustrations A.D.C. Lieut.-General Sir A. Gaselee, K.C.B., S. C Frontispiece PACE 24TH Punjab Infantry; Naich (Corporal), MARCHING ORDER ; AfRIDI SePOY, PLAIN clothes; Sepoy, review order . . . 27 Peitsang, August 5, 1900 49 7TH Rajputs at Hata-men Gate, Pekin, August i4i i960 77 1ST Sikhs entering Chien-men Gate, Pekin, August 14 103 No. 12 F.B.R.A. shelling Forbidden City walls, August 14 123 British Force entering Forbidden City, Au- gust 28 139 Bird's-eye View of chief buildings in the Temple of Heaven 155 Sowar, ist (D.Y.O.) Bengal Lancers (Skinner's Horse) . • ■ ■ • ■ • .171 7TH (D.C.O.) Rajput Infantry ; Sepoy Mounted Infantry, marching order, review order . 189 II CHAPTER I AT DUTY'S CALL CHAPTER I AT duty's call The 7th Duke of Cbnnaught's Own Bengal Infantry, known as the 7th Rajputs, stationed at Fort William, Calcutta, was warned for active service on June 19, 1900. We were to be re-armed with the Lee-Metford rifle before sailing, and were to take a Maxim gun with us. When this order arrived a large number of the men were on leave and furlough, and most of the British officers were away on various duties. The regiment sailed for China in the British India Steam Navigation Company's ships Nerbudda and Palamcotta, which started, one on the 25th, the other on the 29th of the same month. After an uneventful voyage, we arrived IS At Duty's Call off Taku on the 14th and 15th of July, and anchored close to the allied fleets, which numbered over thirty war vessels, and formed a magnificent sight. Amongst them lay a Chinese war-ship, the breech blocks and sights of whose guns had been con- siderately taken charge of by the admirals of the allied fleets. A remarkable ship was an American transport which had conveyed cavalry, and had two tiers of horse boxes built one above the other on the upper deck. The naval transport officer came on board of us, and it was decided that we should embark in lighters, and be towed up the Peiho River to Tientsin on the following day. We had three months' stores on board, and the captain of the ship derided the idea of our being able to un- load the vessel and fill the lighters in less than seventy-two hours. However, every- body set to work with a will, and by the afternoon of the next day we had loaded up and started. 16 At Duty's Call Crossing the bar,, we steamed up past the Taku Forts, on which the flags of the different nations were flying. The marines and blue-jackets turned out and cheered us as we passed a fort on our right, where our flag was flying. We passed several gunboats lying in the stream, manned by English and Russian crews, who all cheered. At Sinho, a few miles up the river, a light draught tug, armed with a Maxim in charge of blue-jackets, took us in tow. The river, very dirty and full of mud, was swift, and the banks were low, with rushes growing in many places. We steamed on long after darkness had set in, and then anchored in the stream. Early on the 17th we got under way. As we progressed, we passed many dead bodies of Chinese in the river, and the stench was most unpleasant. At one point we met crowds of men, women, and children streaming along the road near the river bank, A Chinese sailor on board told us 17 B At Duty's Call they were flying from the Russian troops; clouds of smoke were seen rising from burn- ing villages on the left bank of the river. Soon after, we passed two armed Russian soldiers moving through the crops by them- selves, while the natives were flying in all directions from them. They appeared to be searching the houses, and to be trying to get close up to the Chinese to catch them, for if they had wanted to shoot them they could easily have done so, being within two or three hundred yards. I can only con- clude that they were trying to catch some of their women, by no means a difficult job, as with their small deformed feet, unless assisted, they can't possibly get away. We passed villages burning by the water's edge. None of the people seemed to mind us at all, and in one place where we ran aground they brought us vegetables. The whole country is one level fertile plain,, covered with luxuriant crops, and thickly studded with villages. i8 At Duty's Call Towards midday we reached Tientsin, and to get to it had to pass the Russian bridge of boats, which opened to let us through. After lunch at the "Orlando" Mess, we were quartered in a large cor- rugated iron warehouse of Messrs. Jardine and Matheson on the left bank. After leaving the sea we found the heat oppressive, and the warehouse was so hot during the middle of the day that the officers shifted into tents near it, which were much cooler. The noise, too, in the warehouse, with 350 Sepoys in it, all talking at the same time, and each trying to talk louder than his neighbour, was simply deafening. The other wing of the regiment arrived by rail from Sinho on the i8th. We arrived at Tientsin two days after the last shot had been fired, and learnt to our sur- prise that the Legations at Pekin were still supposed to be holding out. We were busy for several days unloading the supplies in 19 At Duty's Call our lighters, during which we held parades, practising the men in the attack across country. They were told to use far more independent fire than is usual, and advancing by driblets from the flanks of companies, as well as by the whole company advancing simultaneously, was practised. There were many signs at Tientsin of the severe fighting that must have taken place. Houses were much damaged by shell fire, and barricades were still standing in many of the streets. Tientsin was filling fuller every day with troops of all nationalities. We were warm friends with the Americans, and it was asto- nishing to see how well the troops of all the other Powers got along with each other. There was a large Russian encampment close to us, and their men were much in- terested in watching our Sepoys at their duties. The Russians strike one as being a fine, sturdy, well-developed body of men, but there 20 At Duty's Call is considerable room for improvement in their sanitary arrangements. I was amused one day at seeing my old bearer (Hindu servant) in a field trying to dig up some vegetables. A burly Russian came along, and after watch- ing for a time his efforts with his bare hands, promptly set to work, and dug up a quantity with his bayonet fixed on the end of his rifle, and handed them to him. The Japanese are pleasant little men, always cheerful and happy looking, and very like the Ghurkas in appearance and manner. Our men mistook them for Ghurkas at first. As time passed there were many conflicting rumours regarding the Legations at Pekin, and the general opinion gradually grew stronger that they must have fallen. It was rumoured at one time that the Boxers were advancing again on Tientsin City, and we were ordered to send out a picket of a hundred men. We posted night sentries round the north and west faces of our enclosure, and a lookout on a platform by day. The south face of 21 At Dut/s Call our camp was protected by the river, and the east face by the Russian camp. Preparations soon began for the advance on Pekin. Orders were issued that regi- ments were only to take 500 rifles, and the remainder of the men with two British officers from each regiment were to remain to garrison Tientsin. It was interesting to see the crowd watch- ing the drums and pipes of the ist Sikhs while they played in front of their quarters — Russian, French, German, American, Japanese, and Italian officers and men were there in numbers. I doubt if any of them had ever heard the bagpipes before, or seen an Indian soldier. Many rumours were current at this time. One was that General Gaselee was going to advance with his force and the Americans and Japanese, but that the others were un- willing to start, alleging that there were insuf- ficient troops for the undertaking. General Gaselee says in his despatches : 22 At Duty's Call "On my arrival at Tientsin I at once put myself into communication with the general officers commanding the American and Japan- ese forces, and soon came to a satisfactory understanding. We decided to impress col- lectively upon the allied commanders the absolute necessity of pressing forward towards Pekin at the earliest possible moment, and happily our views were eventually accepted." A boat column was formed, two boats being allotted to my regiment ; these contained the field service, kits of officers and men, ten days' rations, and the second reserve of ammunition. No tents were taken. There were hospital boats, engineer boats, and others. A guard of four men was told off to each boat, and distinctive flags were hoisted on them. Ours carried a yellow flag, on which a large 7 was displayed. The column consisted of about fifty-five boats; Commander G. Barrett, R.N., was naval officer in charge, and Captain H. O. Parr of the 7th Rajputs was in military charge. 23 At Duty's Call There were boats also containing the naval i2-pounder quick-firing guns, and the 4-inch quick-firing gun; the guns belonging to the Hong-Kong Singapore Artillery were also carried by water during a portion of the advance. Chinese coolies were employed under a military guard to work the boats, which were poled and hauled up the river by them, and Japanese coolies were also employed on this work, but they occasionally proved obstrepe- rous and quarrelsome. When this occurred, it was found that the best way of bringing them to reason was to fling them into the river, after which, on again reaching the boats, they resumed their work quietly, but for a short time only. Then the sterner persuasion of the stick was resorted to. The boats had to be lightly laden, so as to draw not more than i| feet of water. There was also one steam-boat with the flotilla for towing hospital boats, but she 24 At Duty's Call proved to be of little or no use, and only got as far as Yangtsun. The length of the boat column was generally six miles. The following is a brief account of its ad- vance : — After the second march, that is, after leaving Yangtsun, the relieving force was marching on Pekin by a route that was straight as compared with the circuitous windings of the river; consequently the boats in order to keep up had to travel night and day. The river fell sixteen inches in one night while the boats were at Yangtsun, owing to the enemy having cut the river bank higher up. This caused great anxiety, as had the water con- tinued to fall, the boats would have been unable to advance. The Japanese, however, discovered the breach and repaired it early next morning. There were also the boat- flotillas of other nationalities, and at difficult reaches, corners, &c., the boats of the various columns were mixed up, and the tow-lines 25 At Duty's Call twisted together, so that in some cases they had to be cut, which caused still further delay. At Nuschia, some distance beyond Tsai- sun, a Chinaman came and gave information that the river banks were mined. The boats were stopped, and the train to the mines was followed up to a temple in the village, where an electrical apparatus for discharging it was found. The train was taken up and carried away. Had the mines been exploded, as was the intention of the Chinese, the boats when passing them would have been sunk, forming an obstruction to the navigation, while the mines placed in the river bank would have blown it open and let out the water. The boats must have arrived at Tungchow some time on the 13th of August, as Captain Parr rejoined us a few hours before we entered Pekin. The composition of the Pekin relief force was, as nearly as can be ascertained, as shown 26 2A,ih Punjab Infantry i Naich [Corporal), marching order; Afridi Sepoy, plain clothes ; Sepoy, review order. [p. 27. At Duty's Call on the following pages. The total force was approximately as follows : — 10,000 Japanese with 24 guns. 4,000 Russians „ 16 „ 3,000 British „ 12 „ 2,000 Americans „ 6 „ 800 French „ 12 „ 100 Austrians and Italians. Total — 19,900, with 70 guns. COMPOSITION OF THE PEKIN RELIEF FORCE. BRITISH TROOPS. Commanding. A.D.C. Lieut.-General Sir A. Gaselee, K.C.B., S. C. A ides-de-camp. Capt. B. T. Pell, R. W, Surr. R. Lieut. R. A. Steel, 17th B. L. Chief of the Staff, Major-General E. G. Barrow, C.B., S. C. Assist. Adjt. and Q.M.-G. Lieut.-Colonel G. H. O. Sullivan, R.E. Dep. Assist. Adjt. and Q.M.-G. Capt. I. Phillips, I St Batt. 5th Gurkhas. 29 At Duty's Call Dep. Assist. Q.M.-G. for Intelligence. Capt. E. W. M. Norie, Middlesex R. Commanding Royal Artillery. Major G. F. W. St. John, R.A. Commanding Royal Engineers. Lieut.-Colonel K. G. Scott-Moncreiff, R.E. Assistant Field Engineer. Lieut. S. G. Loch, R.E. Principal Medical Officer. Lieut-Colonel Rainsford, R.A.M.C. Provost-Marshal. Capt. R. B. Low, D.S.O., gth B. L. Chief Commissariat Officer. Major Koe, A.S.C. 1ST Infantry Brigade Staff. Major-General Sir Norman Stewart, Bart., S. C. Orderly Officer. Major A. W. Leonard, Sth Infantry, H. C. Dep, Assist. Adjt.-General. Capt. T. Jermyn, 2nd Sikhs. Brigade Commissariat and Transport Officer. Capt. R. E. Vaughan, S. C. 30 At Duty's Call Naval Brigade. * Blue-jackets, 140 men with four 12-pounder quick- firing guns, f Royal Marine Light Infantry, 300 rifles. Land Forces. No. 12 Battery Royal Field Artillery, 6 guns. J Hong-Kong Singapore Artillery, two 12-pounder quick-firing guns, 12 cwt., mounted on captured Krupp carriages drawn by mules, and driven by Japanese coolies engaged as soldiers. Four Maxims. Detachment Royal Engineers. 1st Bengal Lancers, 400. * 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 300. 7th Rajputs, soo. 24th Punjab Infantry, 300. 1st Sikhs, 500. * Hong-Kong Regiment, 100. * Chinese Regiment, 100. Total — 3000 men, with 1 2 guns. * Present at Tientsin during the siege. t Most of them were with Admiral Seymour during his attempt to relieve Pekin. t These used smoke powder during the siege, and I hear that on one occasion they opened fire in the vicinity of a battery employing smokeless. This gave away the battery at once, and the enemies' shells immediately began to fall fast and thick about them. The Maxims were then politely asked to move a little farther off. 31 At Duty's Call The United States Army consisted of the following troops : — Commanding^-General Chaffee. 12 Companies 9th U.S. Infantry. 8 „ 14th U.S. „ 2 Battalions U.S. Marines. Light Battery "F" ("Riley's" 5th U.S. Artillery), and detachment of Engineer, Signal, and Hos- pital Corps, U.S. Army. I Troop 6th U.S. Cavalry. Total — 2000 men, and 6 field guns. Several reconnaissances were made towards Pei-tsang about the end of July and begin- ning of August, and from these it was ascer- tained that the enemy was in position with guns in considerable force in that direction. The rains had apparently failed so far, but the question was — might they not break in August with an extra heavy downpour to make up for the deficiency during June and July ? Several people who knew China well replied, in answer to inquiries, that they didn't see how any advance could take place 32 At Duty's Call till the autumn. "The rainy season will set in in a few days," they said, " and the whole place will be under water ; the hollow roads by which you will have to advance will be full of water and mud." Others said that there were not enough troops to advance with, and that, were we to start, another expe- dition would have to be sent to relieve us ; that we couldn't expect to get through with such a small force. 33 CHAPTER II THROUGH HOSTILE HORDES 3S CHAPTER II THROUGH HOSTILE HORDES At last the advance was ordered to take place, each officer and man to carry two days' reserve rations ; the men had prepared theirs. On the afternoon of August 4, 1900, headed by our drums and fifes, we marched out, crossed the Russian bridge, and fell in our place in the column as we passed the Temper- ance Hall. A few Europeans gathered to see us off. We marched about four miles, passing through Tientsin native city. Then heavy rain fell for a short time. We bivouacked in a field behind an embankment ; no fires were allowed. General Sir A. Gaselee, at his quarters in the village close by, explained to us the plan of attack for the next day. 37 Through Hostile Hordes From the reconnaissances already referred to, and other information, the Chinese were believed to occupy a strong position near Pei-tsang astride the Pei-ho. It was decided to force this position, and push on to Yang- tsun, so as to secure the passage of the river at that important strategical point. We, i.e. the British, were to form the second line of the left column of the allied forces operating on the right bank of the Pei-ho River — first line, Japanese ; second line, British and Ameri- can forces : Americans on the right, British on the left. Object, to turn the enemy's right flank. Movement might commence at I A.M., but the British force would probably not be required to move till about 3 A.M., but to be ready to move at 2 a.m. After a scratch dinner we lay down ; regi- ment in column of companies in front, officers and hospital next, and mules in rear. Rain fell during the night, and it wasn't at all pleasant. Saddles were used as pillows, and with our great-coats spread over us we lay 38 Through Hostile Hordes on the bare ground. Our doctor, however, was in clover, as he slept in his hospital doolie, a litter to carry a man lying at full length, with a waterproof roof and curtains. We stood to arms at 1.30 a.m. on 5th August, and finally marched at 4 a.m., along a track on the south side of the bund embankment. Firing was heard ahead of us to our right front ; the rattle of musketry and booming of big guns, which as we advanced grew louder. Dawn now commenced, and I saw one or two men of the ist Sikhs and 24th P.I. who were leading sitting down by the roadside pressing their hands to their legs or arms. When I asked them what was the matter, they said they had been hit by bullets. I then realised that we were under fire ; wounded Japanese soldiers began to streani past, and dead horses were passed lying on the road- side. After going some distance we were ordered to halt, and lay down on the south slope of 39 Through Hostile Hordes the embankment and charged magazines. Our field-battery now came up, and we closed to the right to make room for them. Two gunners came up and began taking the range. I stood up and looked over the embankment to see what object they were taking the range to. At that moment a shell whirred past me, and burying itself in the ground about ten yards behind, burst with a dull report in the high crops. " A narrow shave that, sir," remarked one of the range-takers, who was close alongside. I went and lay down on the left of our line. A few minutes after an officer of the Hong- Kong Regiment came up and said, " Three of your men are lying wounded just behind you." I went down and looked, and saw three of our signallers lying on the ground groaning, and saying, " Gole laga, doctor bhejdo" — "We are wounded, send a doctor." Our doctor arrived, then the battery came up and unlimbered, but one gun couldn't fire till our wounded were removed, as otherwise it would 40 Tkrough Hostile Hordes have run on to them during the recoil. There was a fair amount of shell-fire ; some struck short, but most of them fell about thirty yards behind us. The Chinese evidently had the range of the embankment. All their shells appeared to be common shell with percussion fuse. Our guns fired indirect fire, aligned on iron rods driven into the top of the bund for some time. Then they limbered up and moved on ahead, and we were ordered to follow. The regiments in front of us — the 24th P.I, and I St Sikhs — advanced through the crops to the north on the villages there in succession. At 6 A.M. the chief of the staff — General Barrow — ordered us to advance to the attack on the left of the Sikhs. Captain Bingley started with his double company, and ten minutes later we followed with the next one. I told Captain Robin to take his double com- pany still farther to the left and advance, covering our left outer flank. The 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers advanced in support of us; 41 Through Hostile Hordes the crops were very high, but we could see our shrapnel bursting over the villages in front, one of which was in flames, and towards which we advanced, through intense heat and crops about ten feet high. We could not hear the enemy's bullets owing to the rustling made by our progress through the crops, but in the patches of open ground we heard them patting on the ground, and the soil jumping, and so many struck in one place, that though I had a sprained ankle I thought it advisable to dismount. After moving some distance, the troops lost touch, and I found myself alone with about fifty men of the regiment. Captain Jermyn, D.A.A.G., ist Brigade, now galloped up and told us to move more to the left to clear the line of fire of our battery, which was going to re-open fire. We did so, and crossed some open ground, and then some Chinese trenches cleverly screened with straw, and came on three or four companies of Japanese in close order with two field guns. Their officer rode 42 Through Hostile Hordes up, and by signs gave us to understand that our guns had killed some of their men. I gave him a note saying so, and moved up on the Japanese right. Bullets were falling thick here, and I saw some of the ist Sikhs lying down on my right, and moved up to them. Several shells were bursting just in front of and behind us, while we were in a small clearing. We now moved to the right, reached a road, and halted. The Sikhs also had lost the rest of their regiment. After a rest and a look round with some scouts to see where we were, we returned to the road and marched up it with the Sikhs and a Japanese regi- ment, and found the rest of our force, after going about half a mile. The Japanese cavalry and 1st Bengal Lancers had been on our left outer flank the whole time, but we didn't know this until we saw their lances over the high crops, just before we met the Japanese column with two guns. Heat now became terrific ; after a halt, we crossed the Pei-ho 43 Through Hostile Hordes River by a bridge of boats, together with the rest of our force ; threw out outposts, sent out reconnoitring parties, and bivouacked. Let us see what despatches say. "As arranged, in the early hours of the 5th inst., the turning movement commenced. At day- break the column came under a heavy fire from the right front, and the action began with a vigorous forward movement of the Japanese against the entrenchments, supported on the right by the British. The brunt of the action fell on the Japanese, who attacked and stormed line after line in the most gallant manner. Our troops, in consequence of their position, scarcely fired a shot, and I readily accord to the Japanese the whole credit of the victory. Their loss was, I understand, about three hundred killed and wounded, while ours was only twenty- five. The Chinese rout was complete, and before noon they had entirely disappeared, having fled to the left bank of the river. The other allied forces were scarcely engaged at all, and practically had no loss. After the 44 Through Hostile Hordes victory at Pei-tsang, we pushed on for a mile or two along the right bank, but being stopped by inundations, were compelled to return to Pei-tsang, and cross over to the left bank, where we bivouacked for the night, covered by a strong outpost two or three miles in advance." The 1st Sikhs went on a reconnaissance, and the ist Bengal Lancers, when reconnoit- ring, fired on some Russians by mistake, and were fired at in return. Explanations were given, and the Russian commander, on being informed that one Lancer ^was wounded, re- plied, " I also have one man wounded. It is all right ; we are quits." A small defensive post was formed here, consisting of British, Ameri- cans, and Japanese. Lieutenant Meadows, Subadar Gujraj Sing, and fifty rifles of the 7th Rajputs, formed the British portion. I went to General Stewart's camp that evening, where the situation was explained, and orders were issued for the next day. On August 6 we rose and marched early. 45 Through Hostile Hordes Owing to the bad state of the road, the naval i2-pounders had to be placed in junks, and towed up the river as far as Tung-chow, from which place they reached Pekin by road. After going some distance we met a large force of Russians moving by another road on our left, probably that along the river bank. Captain Jermyn, D.A. A.G., rode up and said, " The General's orders are for you to halt and allow the Russians to pass (cross, he said, as well as I can remember) our line of march." The Russians, however, instead of crossing, followed on the same route, and were succeeded by the French. They took one hour to pass, and then piled arms, blocking the road. We were thus separated from the head of the column. However, we moved on, and leaving the French and Russians to follow the short main road, took the more circuitous track along the river bank, and in this way recovered much lost ground, and halted at a village on the river bank. Suddenly guns began firing to our front, and we could see smoke rising in 46 Through Hostile Hordes clouds at a distance estimated to be about three or four miles away. The road being still blocked, we struck across the fields, and by dint of hard marching across country towards the sound of the guns, at length reached a village, where we could see the staff were, by two long ladders fixed upright and locked together perched on a mound, with men standing on them. As the whole of our staff appeared to be there, I left the regiment, galloped forward, and was met by Captain Pell, A.D.C. He said : "The orders are for you to double up your men and advance in extended order. The Americans are on your right, and the Russians on your left. You will come under shell fire about 400 yards farther on." I turned and signalled the regiment to join me, and as they arrived, formed them up in quarter column behind the brow of the hill. Magazines were charged. The men badly required a short rest before going into action, as they were already dead beat, every one of 47 Through Hostile Hordes them. The heat was now 105 degrees in the shade, but the situation would admit of no delay. General Gaselee ordered us to advance on a village ahead, over which we could see our shrapnel bursting. Captain Bingley was told to extend his companies to form our right, and Captain Robin our left ; our left being on the road leading to the village, and our right near the railway line. As we advanced, we saw two of our Maxims on the top of the railway embankment blazing away to the north-west, and werspgssed a battery of English and Russian gunk in action on our left. A shell burst occasiorially here and there, and we passed a lot of wounded being brought back, and men exhausted by the heat were lying about. Our advance was consequently very slow, as many of our men could hardly move owing to the heat and want of water. When we reached the village the firing had ceased ; it was all over. We then formed up in the shade, and waited for orders, and drank muddy water. After resting about 48 Through Hostile Hordes half-an-hour, the Russian Infantry came up and marched on without halting. One of their men fell down as they were passing us, evidently overcome by the heat, and our doctor, Captain Walton, I. M.S., went to his assistance, and taking a cap from off a Russian soldier's head, began fanning the prostrate man, and looked after him till the Russian medical officer arrived. Although the 7th Rajputs were in rear 49 Through Hostile Hordes during this fight, and although I was not an eye-witness of what occurred, yet I think the following account taken from the despatches^ and from the descriptions of those actually present, will be of interest. The allied forces marched by the right bank of the river with the exception of about 6000 Japanese, who continued to advance by the left bank. The British troops were leading when Yang-tsun was sighted, the Russians and French as already described following them. The American troops were on the right flank. The enemy's main position was apparently along the railway embankment, with one flank resting on a village close to the Pei-ho railway bridge. The troops advanced in the following order : — American troops, the 14th Infantry, on the right; British in the centre; and Russian Infantry on the left. On the extreme right were the ist Bengal Lancers; the ist Sikhs formed the first line of the British troops ; the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers and the 24th SO Through Hostile Hordes Punjab Infantry formed the second line. The artillery of the British force took up a position to the left ; whence they covered the advance, and where they were joined by a Russian battery later on. The American guns were to the right of the railway ; the advance was rapidly conducted over the level plain, the distance traversed being about 5000 yards. The ground was covered with high crops, but not quite so thickly as at Pei-tsang. After passing rather more than half this distance, the troops came under a hot shell and musketry fire, but owing to the open order in which the British force worked, their losses were com- paratively slight. During the advance, owing to the nature of the ground, the front gradually narrowed, and the British and American lines overlapped. When close to the position the order to cease fire was given, and as soon as the Russians on the left stopped firing, the order to charge was given, and the Sikhs and Americans charged, the men of both forces being mixed up together. The 24th Punjab SI D Through Hostile Hordes Infantry were in the second line, which was formed of three extended lines fifty yards behind each other, and the first of these three lines was up in time to join in the charge on the left of the ist Sikhs. The Welsh Fusiliers, owing to the conformation of the ground, were rather wedged out of the assaulting line. The Chinese held the villages on the left, south side of the railway, until the troops charged. The troops on the right carried the railway embankment, and those on the left cleared the villages. As the Chinese ran, they turned and fired at our troops, who were clearing the first village. Then they fled over the embankment, and their guns being in a retired position escaped capture. The fight was now practically ended, and the troops rallied and formed up near the second village, and under cover of the railway embankment. The following officers were mentioned in despatches as having specially distinguished themselves : — 52 Through Hostile Hordes Major T. E. Scott, D.S.O., ist Sikh Infantry. Lieut. W. F. Bainbridge (Adjutant), ist Sikh Infantry. Captain J. H. Gwyne, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The names of the following American officers were also mentioned for the same reason : — Major W. Quinton, and Captain J. R. M. Taylor, 14th U.S. Infantry. No. 4995, Private Jackson, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, was also mentioned for the following act : — " Some shells from one of the batteries engaged were taking our troops and the Americans in reverse. Private Jackson vol- unteered to get up on the embankment, and tried to communicate with the battery, and while doing so, was exposed to fire from both sides." The 2nd battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers S3 Through Hostile Hordes had two killed and eight wounded. The Sikhs had five men killed ; one British officer and nineteen men wounded. The 24th Punjab Infantry one man killed and ten wounded. It was during this action that an unfortunate incident occurred. The British field battery had taken up its position, and were shelling the enemy, when a Russian battery came up on their left and got into action. The Russian officers took the range from the British bat- tery, but owing to some mistake, our gun sights being sighted in yards and theirs in metres, they fired short, and several of their shells exploded amongst the ist Sikhs and U.S. Infantry, who were advancing in attack formation against the Chinese position, killing several men. Firing over the heads of ad- vancing infantry during the attack and up to the last moment is excellent, but when, as in this case, the troops are advancing through high crops, and the guns, owing to the flatness of the country, have but little command of view, accidents are always likely to happen. S4 Through Hostile Hordes Most soldiers would prefer to take the risk of advancing during the last few hundred yards without the aid of their own guns, the enemy thereby gaining an advantage for this short period, than face the possibility of being shot by their own side. While halted here and waiting for orders, I climbed up on to the lofty railway embank- ment close by, and stood on the site of the station, which had been utterly destroyed by the Boxers ; even the very foundations of the houses had been dug up. Our field battery now came up, and from this elevated position opened fire on the villages through which the enemy were retreating. Many dead China- men lay about. Close by was the railway bridge over the Pei-ho, an iron girder bridge supported on concrete piers. The Boxers had partially destroyed the pier on the farther bank, and the girder was still resting on the piers, but so displaced that trains could not cross it. Had they completely destroyed the bridge piers, letting the girders fall into the 55 Through Hostile Hordes water, it is difficult to see how the boat column could have continued its advance until the removal of the obstacle, which would have taken some time. The railway embankment and the culverts were standing, but rails, sleepers, rolling-stock and tanks were de- stroyed. Orders soon came to bivouac, and the men were told off to it, a simple process. The staff show you your frontage, and tell you how deep your bit of ground is, while you set to work and make the best of it. This time it happened to be crops. The regiment is marched up, and each company piles arms on the site allotted to it. The positions for the hospital, transport, and quarter-guard are indi- cated, and the officers' bivouac ; and sentries are posted. Then off into the nearest village we go to lay hold of anything in the way of a bit of matting, a blanket, or a door that will afford some shelter from the piercing rays of the sun. In about an hour's time we are all more or less sheltered ; the officers under a 56 Through Hostile Hordes "lean-to" of matting, and the doctor "babu," the hospital assistant or native apothecary, is sitting in a shelter made for him by his Kahars, a structure of long maize stalks plaited together, the roots being in the ground, and a roof of poles thatched with large green leaves. A Sepoy has twisted some maize stalks together, spread his coat on the top, and is happy. There is a stir and commotion in the next camp ; men running and tumbling over each other, and from the midst of them a ha,re escapes and rushes into our territory, where he is collared, and appears later on in the mess kettle. On August 7 we halted to allow supplies to be brought up. The boat column arrived, mooring near the camp, and we were able to indulge in the luxury of a wash and change of clothes. The Pei-ho water, however, is so muddy that it is almost like pea-soup, and after drying one's self, the towels appeared as if made of khaki-coloured material. 57 CHAPTER III UNDER HOT SKIES 59 CHAPTER III UNDER HOT SKIES The sights one saw during the advance were curious. One day we passed a long train of Russian baggage. The officer of the baggage escort was sitting in a rickshaw and driving a mule which he had ingeniously harnessed into the vehicle in the place of the ordinary coolie. On another occasion we passed a quantity of abandoned Chinese umbrellas lying strewn along the road, where they had evidently been left by the Chinese troops in their hasty flight. As the sun was very hot at the time the men picked them up as they passed, and opening them, held them over their heads, when the column presented the curious sight of a mass of troops moving with umbrellas ; but not for long, for though shady, they gave extra weight to carry, and 6i Under Hot Skies were soon thrown away. One officer, how- ever, wiser than the rest, retained a couple, and regularly bivouacked under them for the rest of the march. My old bearer managed to secure a cart and a mule and drove along in triumph, but not for long. The cart and mule were claimed and taken by their rightful owner the next day, but we managed to secure another mule, which we kept for the rest of the advance. An interchange of accoutrements occasion- ally took place ; foreign officers would be seen wearing our putties, and British officers wear- ing American gaiters, but this occurred more extensively after our arrival in Pekin, when kits and baggage had come up. Stowhasser gaiters, putties, and warm coats, British, were in great demand by the German officers, also our riding-breeches ; while American gaunt- lets, both fur-lined and unlined, were eagerly sought after by the Britisher, as was the American head-gear for wear in quarters. If a committee on clothing had sat in Pekin 62 Under Hot Skies during the occupation, by taking one article of kit from one nation and another from another, they would probably have evolved the most perfect dress and equipment for a soldier that the world has yet seen, for each equipment had some good point in which it excelled the others. On some of the hottest days during the advance, we passed numbers of soldiers of other nations who had fallen out owing to fatigue or sunstroke. Most of those we ob- served were Americans and Japanese, the troops who were ahead of us. Whenever the Japs fell out, they collected together and formed small parties, who bivouacked along the side of the road, the men taking off their accoutrements, piling arms, and cooking. When rested, they moved on again. The Americans acted in much the same manner ; in places the roads were strewn with articles of soldiers' equipment, haversacks, great-coats and blankets which, in the terrific heat which prevailed, the men found themselves unable 63 Under Hot Skies to carry. Occasionally an American cart, looking something like a waggonette with an awning, and drawn by four mules, would come down the road from the front to pick up stray pieces. At one point we marched through an American detachment ; the men were marching slowly along at about two miles an hour, with heads bent and eyes half closed, as though sleeping or dead tired, and though utterly knocked up by the heat, yet determined to stick to it and come into camp on their own feet. I don't think they eVen noticed us as we passed them. We used to spread out on the march as much as possible, as a rule taking the two edges of the road and the narrow smooth track in the middle. If one looked back from the head of the column, one could only see for about twenty yards ; the rest was a cloud of dust. The signal to halt was a whistle blown and a hand held up over the head. The men then halted, and without any word of com- mand sat down on the sides of the road. A 64 Under Hot Skies blast on the whistle and a wave of the hand set them in motion again. This was the usual procedure, but in the vicinity of the enemy the men were kept closed up and lookouts were posted. The men wore their coats unbuttoned at the neck, their shoulders and the lower parts of their pugarees being black with sweat. Putties were worn as the wearer preferred, usually inside the boot to prevent its chafing above the ankle. Shoes in lieu of boots, if a man had them, were worn. Water - carriers (bhisties) marched alongside each company with two empty kerosene tins, one at each end of a pole, over their shoulders. These they filled at the various wells we passed, while the water- mules with their water-tanks followed close in rear of the regiment. Water to a man marching in a hot sun is as fuel to an engine, neither can get along without it. Many times I saw men who were done up and unable to proceed, after drinking water and bathing their faces get 65 Under Hot Skies up and march on. All boots were greased or oiled after landing in China, and blacking, whose chief use is show, was discarded. On August 8 we resumed the march, and passed through several lines of Chinese en- trenchments all abandoned. A few dead bodies were lying about. We then crossed the Pei- ho by the bridge of boats, and found the place crowded with Japanese troops. As we en- tered one village we saw the head of a China- man hanging by the pigtail from a post by the road-side. The field telegraph was laid as we went, and surveyors were busy surveying the route. The heat, as usual, was excessive, and very oppressive, owing to the crops, about ten feet high, which prevented any circulation of the air. On the 9th we advanced to Hoshiwu, a long, tedious, and dusty march, without a breath of air stirring, as usual. As we drew near the village we saw a number of Chinese standards guarded by sowars of the ist Ben- gal Lancers. Two squadrons of these, under 66 Under Hot Skies Major Hayes and Lieutenant Sproule, with Lieutenant Keeble, M.L, as interpreter, were ordered to form part of a mixed force, with one squadron Japanese cavalry and one sotnia Cossacks, the whole under command of a Japanese colonel. The squadrons ist B.L. left camp at 3 a.m. on the 9th, and joined the rest of the force, which had bivouacked in advance, at daybreak, when orders were issued as follows : — " The enemy is supposed to be in force at Hoshiwu, The Japanese division will attack him. The cavalry force will cover the left flank." The force moved off through densely- cultivated country, in line, covered by ad- vanced patrols. About 11 a.m. a high embankment stretching right across the country was encountered. The ist B.L. halted on the farther side of this, and the rest of the cavalry on the near side. The country ahead was flat and covered with high crops, villages being dotted about. 67 E Under Hot Skies After about half- an -hour a few mounted men were seen to issue from a village about a mile farther on ; these were soon followed by many armed men on foot. It was decided to advance on them. The Japanese squadron, with the two squad- rons ist B.L., trotted towards the village. One troop ist B.L., under Jemadar Khuda Baksh Khan, covered the • advance of the Indian cavalry. As the main body neared the village heavy firing was heard, and scouts from the Jemadar brought back word that he was being hard pressed on the farther side. Upon this the two squadrons broke into a gallop, and moved round the village to the right. Nothing was seen at first except the Japanese, who had dismounted and were firing on the village, while the enemy were running about in all directions. When our force had cleared the trees, which were thick near the vil- lage, a number of tall standards came in sight, and gave a point for attack, which was at once taken advantage of. The enemy 68 Under Hot Skies made but feeble resistance. In a couple of minutes they were dispersed, and fled in all directions. In their flight they passed through another large village full of armed men, who opened a weak fire on the Indian squadrons. This also was cleared, and the enemy completely scattered, many men and horses being killed, and various standards captured. As it was unknown what further forces might be at hand, and as the horses were exhausted, the rally was sounded. The force of the enemy probably consisted of about 250 horsemen and a number of men on foot. The dead principally wore the uni- form of Chinese regular troops, and were armed with magazine rifles and carbines. Our force was about 150 Indian and 80 Japanese cavalry. Our casualties — two horses killed, and two men slightly wounded. After resting, the force proceeded without further incident to Hoshiwu, a Japanese in- fantry battalion which meantime had come up 69 Under Hot Skies clearing off the enemy's infantry, with some little loss to themselves. The Chinese cavalry were, I hear, utterly demoralised after this, and the sight of a few lance-heads appearing over the crops was always sufficient to make them clear out. The enemy had apparently intended to make a stand at Hoshiwu, as the village there was loopholed and partly entrenched, the crops in front of it having been cut low to afford a field of fire ; but our rapid movements upset his calculations. The Chinese had made an immense cutting at this place, intending to inundate the country on our line of advance, and lower the level of the river, so that it would be impossible for our boats to get up, thus stopping our advance. We found the cutting nearly completed, and the workmen's tools and baskets lying in it, so precipitately had they fled. However, although the thing didn't come off, the Chinese general informed his government that he had cut the 70 Under Hot Skies banks of the Pei-ho, and inundated the coun- try, drowning 25,000 of the foreigners, at which, he naively concluded, " they are much dis- heartened." We read this account of our being drowned some months later in a Chinese paper, and were much amused. The boat column came up that evening and moored by our bivouac, and we enjoyed a bathe. The river was about three feet six inches deep in the deepest part, with a very strong current and sandy bottom, and so swift that one couldn't walk up stream against it. The troops had been much exhausted during the day's march, and we passed numbers of Japanese and American troops overcome by the heat. Many of the British fell out too, and groups of men were seen lying by the roadside in places. Blankets and accoutre- ments were passed lying here and there, and several men were lying apparently senseless, and were twitching their legs. However, the Europeans stuck to it pluckily till they could hold on no longer, and even Sepoys fell out 71 Under Hot Skies overcome by the heat. The universal cry- was "Water, water." The cavalry, as well as the artillery, lost several horses that day, siinply from the heat. It fell to the lot of the British force to march the next day by night. We accordingly started in the afternoon, the men cheering as they left camp, according to their custom. After clearing the village we passed a French force bivouacked among some trees on our left. This was one of the only two occa- sions during the advance on Pekin on which I saw French troops ; the other was on the morning of the sixth, before Yang-tsun, when they were following in rear of the Russian army. The Russians, or at any rate a portion of them, arrived on the scene of battle ; the French did not. The French troops present during the advance, unlike other regiments of the French contingent, were of puny stature and inferior physique. They were marines, I believe, from Tonkin, and were apparently unable to keep up with 7■ '.v. In the Dragon's Lair the enemy. This man was never seen again alive. The 24th Punjab Infantry were ordered to march to the Temple of Heaven, situated in the southern portion of the Chinese city, and secure its enclosures as a camping-ground for the troops. Major Parsons, interpreter to the 1st Brigade, undertook to show the way. As they passed through the streets, accompanied by a small body of the ist Bengal Lancers, a few shots were fired at them from the houses ; but the temple was soon occupied, those inside the enclosure offering no serious opposition. Later in the day four guns of the Field Battery arrived and opened fire on the south gate of the city, which was still held by the Chinese, and a company of the 24th was sent to cut off the enemy's retreat towards the east. The fire of the guns drove the Chinese out of the gatehouse, and many were killed and wounded by shell fire as they fled west- ward along the city walls. The main body, con- sisting of the General and staff with two guns los In the Dragon's Lair of the Field Battery, the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, the Hong Kong Maxim guns, and the I St Sikhs proceeded along the road which runs due west through the Chinese city from the east to the west gates. On reaching what was judged to be a point nearly south of the sluice gate, the Lieutenant-General with his staff and an escort of a company and a half of the I St Sikhs under Major Scott branched off to the north to endeavour to reach it, while the remainder of the column, under General Sir Norman Stewart, continued their advance to the west up to the Chien-men Gate, The gate was closed, and the Chinese opened fire on the column from the walls. This was replied to. Now, to return to the besieged Legations. As soon as the defenders of the barricades on the Tartar city walls saw the relieving troops arriving, and heard the cheering, a party of the Legation Guards, headed by Mr. Squires, charged out of their barricade and took the Chinese position close by them ; 106 In the Dragon's Lair then, keeping the Chinese on the run, they cleared the whole of the wall right up' to the Chien-men Gate. Some of them then got down and opened one of the outer side gates. The Hong Kong Maxims, a party of the ist Bengal Lancers under Lieutenant Macaulay, and the ist Sikhs got through the gate, but were twice attacked while doing so. The enemy were so close that they actually laid hands on a carbine and a box of ammunition while the Maxim guns were being brought through. Lieutenant Bainbridge with a party of the ist Sikhs hurried up on the west ramp of the Chien-men Gate and round on the outer wall, and cleared off the Chinese, who were firing at the column from the wall. This party also drove off the other Chinese attack, which was made from the direction of Legation Street, killing about fifty Chinese. An immense number of Chinese from the direction of the Legations were now seen cross- ing the front — cavalry, infantry, and people in carts — all moving to the west, and on the route 107 In the Dragon's Lair that runs past the south gate of the Imperial Palace by the Five Marble Bridges. The Maxims and infantry opened on these, the distance being about 800 yards, and men were seen falling in every direction. The column then proceeded down Legation Street, clearing the houses on both sides, and after scrambling over three barricades built across the street, entered the Russian Legation, and passed on through that to the British, General Stewart, with two guns and the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, proceeded along by the road under and out- side of the walls of the Tartar city in an easterly direction from the Chien-men Gate, until he reached the sluice gate, which was entered. The guns were drawn up out of the ditch by hand up a ramp, and one of them, being taken across the bridge in Legation Street along the sides of which high walls were standing, was run out from the shelter of this and fired at two guns mounted on the walls of the Imperial city. Three shells were put into each embrasure, and the gun, which 108 In the Dragon's Lair was under the enemy's musketry fire, with- drawn. The small number of casualties that occurred during the entry into the city, considering the number of projectiles of all sorts that were flying about, was remarkable. The Chinese for the most part aimed badly and fired high ; one feels bound, therefore, to place some credence in the prevalent rumour that the Chinaman thinks the higher he raises his back sight the greater the force with which the bullet will go. With the men besieging the Legations, however, it was a different matter ; they were said to have become excellent shots owing to constant practice, and any one exposing him- self to view above a wall or through a loop- hole was pretty sure to be hit. A sepoy of the 7th Rajputs, posted to a loophole in the redoubt covering the main entrance to the Legation, withdrew the brick in it, and was immediately struck in the face by a bullet. This occurred soon after our arrival. 109 In the Dragon's Lair The United States troops were on our right during the advance on Pekin. They advanced along the south bank of the Tung- chou Pekin Canal, and attacked the Tung- pien-men or north-east gate of the Chinese city. It was their shells that we saw burst- ing with such good effect on the south-east corner tower of the Tartar city. The posi- tion of the gate they attacked was a very strong one. It was situated in a re-entering angle, and the advance of the attacking force was restricted to the space between the north wall of the Chinese city, and the canal was on a very narrow frontage. On reaching the outer of the two gates of the city, they found the Russians in possession of it, but making no attempt to go any further. They fired about twenty rounds at the inner gate, within a range of forty or fifty yards, and finally burst it open ; but on getting into the city they found that the direct line of their advance to the Legations was fianked the whole way by the Tartar city walls. The Americans no In the Dragon's Lair here were engaged for about two hours in silencing the fire of the Chinese sharpshooters, who were stationed on the walls and on the tops of houses, and were extremely difficult to dislodge. The 14th Infantry and the Marines had six men wounded at this place. The troops then advanced along a street, removed by one or two rows of houses from the Tartar city walls, and parallel to it they passed the Hatamen Gate, and pressing on, entered the Legations by the sluice gate. " On August 1 2 it was decided at a con- ference to send forward strong reconnoitring parties on the 13th, to concentrate on a line about five miles from Pekin on the 14th, and to attack on the 15th. On the 14th, however, owing to the premature advance of a battalion of one of the allied forces, the intended con- centration was abandoned, and the troops all hurried forward to assault the city of Pekin." (Extract from despatches.) The heavy fire heard during the night of the 13th was caused, according to camp III In the Dragon's Lair rumour, by the Russians attacking that night. If they attacked prematurely in the hopes of stealing a march on their allies, and thereby increasing their prestige, they were disap- pointed. However, they conferred one benefit on us, which was unintended. As their attack went on hour after hour, the Chinese concluded that our main assault must be from that quarter, and the probability is that a large portion of their force was drawn away from the direction of the British advance to oppose them ; otherwise, it seems difficult to account for the enemy holding the Chinese city so weakly. The Legations had been relieved, the first troops to enter being the British under General Gaselee. Thanks to the stimulus imparted to the leaders of the foreign troops by our Lieu- tenant-General, they had started in time. One shudders to think of what might have happened had they been too late. Sir Claude Macdonald, in his despatches referring to the 112 In the Dragon's Lair night of August 13th, says, "Three times during the night it was necessary to call up the reserves in support of the firing line, the attacks being more frequent than on any previous night." All certainly looks as if the Chinese in the city, aware of the approach of relief, had made a last effort to overwhelm the besieged. It rained pretty hard during the night, and the lawn became uncomfortable, so I went into the shelter in front of the British Lega- tion, packed full of guests and missionaries ; a French priest, sitting up in his bed, pushed a cushioned chair towards me, in which I sat down and passed the rest of the night. Our officers lay on the lawn in front of the Lega- tion for the night, while our men slept in the enclosure containing the Hanlin Library. The way I procured dinner that evening was peculiar. I was lying on the lawn on the flat of my back, when one of the Legation officials came up and asked me if I was ill. I replied that I was all right, except that 113 In the Dragon's Lair I was frightfully hungry. He went off, and later on he and his wife made their appear- ance, very kindly bringing me something to eat and drink. 114 CHAPTER V THE LEGATIONS RELIEVED "S CHAPTER V THE LEGATIONS RELIEVED During the night of August 14 the Legation Guards were relieved by the 7th Rajputs and others of the relieving force. They then made a hole through the wall of the Imperial Carriage Park, which formed the west boundary of the British Legation, and occupied it. It was the custom of the enemy to occupy the park during the day and harass the Legations by musketry fire, withdrawing regularly each night. The 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers were sent to hold it, and at dawn, when the Chinese came in to their barricades ignorant of our fresh position, they were allowed to come up to them, and were shot from the reverse side by the men awaiting them there. Later in the morning we were sent to the 117 The Legations Relieved Carriage Park to be quartered there, and posted our quarter guard at the main entrance facing north. Whilst standing there the sentry pointed out several Chinamen carry- ing arms, who were coming out from the houses on the north side of the British Lega- tion. The guard turned out, as well as the officers present, and opened fire on them, and four were dropped in their tracks, the distance being 200 to 250 yards. Heavy firing went on all the morning of the 15th to the west, as the Americans attacked the south gate of the Winter Palace, which they finally took. Captain Riley, 5th U.S. Artillery, was killed during the attack. As the day wore on the firing gradually slackened, and the residents of the Legation, who had been confined for so long, came out into the park. They examined the State carriages in our quarters with interest, and some said that the last time they were used was at the marriage of the young Emperor. 118 The Legations Relieved Curious antediluvian looking affairs they were, probably after a pattern designed by Con- fucius. The dragon-embroidered yellow satin hangings in them were very handsome. There was also the harness of some elephants lying about. It is said that at one time the Emperor possessed several of these animals, but as their arrival coincided with some national calamity, the wise men declared that as long as the animals remained the country would never prosper; so it was decided to put them to death. They were accordingly led outside the city, and there fastened up without food until they died. There were several lofty buildings in the Carriage Park, and it was a matter of wonder to some of the besieged why the Chinese had never occupied the tops of their roofs, which commanded a considerable portion of the Legation. A Chinese mine was found in the park, which, if carried a few feet to the east, would have run under the western defences of the Legation, and when exploded 119 H The Legations Relieved must have caused great disaster. The story is that the Chinese ran their mine towards the wall, and hearing us countermining, be- came afraid, and ran their mine off in another direction. The mandarin in charge of the mine never went down it to inspect, but as he saw earth being regularly brought out, concluded it was all right. We found a large number of embroidered silk cushions and mattresses in the Carriage Park, which came in very handy, as we had nothing with us except what we wore and carried on our chargers. The day was spent in various duties, escorts, guards, &c., and in getting the place into shape by removing barricades and so on. A large store of gun- powder was found in the rooms occupied by our quarter guard. On the 1 6th we went out into the city, and found the foreign troops hard at work looting'; men straggling about in every direc- tion with boxes, furs, and ornaments. Parties were sent out under command of ofificers with 120 The Legations Relieved orders to bring in what they could find to "the Prize Committee, which was now started. One of these found a mandarin's house, and the store of wine and tinned provisions in it formed a welcome addition to the commissariat rations we had been living on for so long. Large quantities of furs and silks were also found, which went to the Prize Committee. Looting on the part of the British troops was carried on in the most orderly manner, and the houses of all those known to be friendly were protected. It should be remembered that it is one of the unwritten laws of war that a city which does not surrender at the last and is taken by storm is looted. Numberless instances could be quoted, and considering the cowardly and unprovoked attack on the Legations, and the murder of Europeans, including helpless women and children, under circumstances of the most revolting cruelty, the Chinese were treated by us far better than they deserved. Many reports were current that the troops of 121 The Legations Relieved other Powers, one in particular, shot every person they saw, armed or unarmed, whether man, woman, or child ; but no instance of this ever came under my observation, beyond the fact that corpses of unarmed peasantry were seen lying about. The city was divided off into quarters, each of which was assigned to a European Power to police and look after. On the 1 6th a detachment of my regiment, under Captain Parr, started with some guns, the Marines, and a body of French soldiers, to relieve the Peitang Cathedral, which had been holding out in the western portion of the city for several weeks, and from which no news had been received for many days, all communication between it and the Lega- tions having been cut off. The place was taken during the day after some street fight- ing, in which our detachment had only one man wounded. The garrison of the cathedral consisted of a few French and Italian marines, and the place contained nuns, priests, and numerous 129 The Legations Relieved converts. The Chinese exploded two mines under the walls of the defences ; one destroyed about eighty people, and the other one was nearly as disastrous. The defenders were running short of food when relieved. The place was held with the greatest gallantry by this small body of troops, assisted by Chinese Christians armed with sharpened sticks. This expedition practically cleared the western portion of the city of Chinese troops and Boxers. 123 The Legations Relieved It was stated at first that the Empress left Pekin two days before we entered, but later intelligence states that she did not leave the palace until the 1 5 th, the day after our arrival. The Empress and Court, in common with other Chinese, believed that it was impossible we could ever enter Pekin, and I hear it was only when she saw the shells of the allies bursting in the courtyards, and her Chinese guards being struck down by bullets, that she realised that the game was up, and that it was time to bolt, which she is said to have done through the western gate of the palace, with only one attendant, travelling in a Pekin cart, and disguised as an ordinary individual, her journey for the first day or two being northwards. On entering the hills they turned south and made for Shansi. It was not until she had been travelling for several days that she reached her attendants, or had any personal comfort. I believe the Chinese idea was that on the allied forces arriving before the city, they 124 The Legations Relieved would demand its surrender, and halt while awaiting a reply. Instead of this, we forced our way in. The Chinese say that the people who looted Pekin were the Boxers, and that the European troops got but a small share. This is quite true. When the Boxer dis- turbances broke out, many people either re- moved or buried their valuables ; the Boxers had the pick of what remained, and the allied forces got their leavings, except, of course, in the case of the houses of rich Boxers, temples, and Government buildings, which were found practically intact. The following incident is, in its way, instructive : — The 24th Punjab Infantry were quartered in the Tartar city in the house of a wealthy Chinaman of rank. They had heard rumours that there was treasure buried in the vicinity, and searched, but did not find it. Six months later, when things had become more settled, the owner, with his wives, visited the house, and produced an order from the British headquarters authorising him to remove his 125 The Legations Relieved property. On this he was allowed access. Proceeding to the room where the mess ha)ril- dar lived, he began to dig up the " koung," a raised platform at one end of the room, on which the havildar slept, and from under the tiles extracted numbers of silver shoes, blocks of silver worth about £4. each. The wives went off and dug in other rooms, and brought out small boxes, any amount of silver, and amongst other things a heavy iron safe. One wife dug and dug, but it was of no avail, nothing was there. After digging frantically for some time, she threw down her spade and sobbed heavily. Some one had anticipated her, and taken away what she had hidden. After this unaccustomed labour the ladies were rather fatigued, so the party repaired to the ofificers' mess and partook of some refreshment, and finally departed with their findings. Later on, in the same vicinity, the colonel of the regiment issued orders that a certain well was to be cleaned out, and some Indian 126 The Legations Relieved followers were told off to do it. Beneath the . surface-rubbish at the bottom of the well a quantity of silver was found. On August i8 a force, consisting of the 1st Bengal Lancers, one and one-half com- panies of the 7th Rajputs under Lieutenant Cutler, about two companies of the 24th Punjab Infantry, and two guns 12th Field Battery Royal Artillery, with whom were a detachment of the Hong Kong Maxim Bat- tery, the whole under command of Lieutenant- Colonel Gartside Tipping, ist Bengal Lancers, left the south gate of the Chinese city at 5 A.M. The force marched south towards the hunting park, and after entering and ad- vancing about five hundred yards, halted. Half a company of the 7th Rajputs was left at the gate as a guard. The cavalry were sent out to the front and flanks to scout, and a party of them were charged by about a dozen Boxers who appeared from behind a fold of the ground. The cavalry killed about half of these, and the remainder fled, 127 The Legations Relieved and joined a large body of the enemy, who appeared some eight hundred yards to their rear. The cavalry then cleared away from the front, the guns came into action, and one half company of the 7th Rajputs fired volleys at them. The enemy, after being fired at for some time, retired and disappeared towards the south. The cavalry then advanced to reconnoitre, and burnt a village which had been occupied by the enemy, but did not come into contact with them. They were reported to be about a thousand strong, and to have had some twenty casualties. The force then returned to Pekin. The hunting park is a large open space of ground uncultivated, and surrounded by a wall with gateways, about ten miles in length from north to south, and from six to eight miles in breadth. It is known as the Imperial Hunt- ing Park, being a game preserve of the Em- peror's, distant about three miles from the south gate of the Chinese city. The Chinese kept a large number of troops in encampments 128 The Legations Relieved there. Watered by one or more streams, it contains a number of villages. There are deer in the park, said to be of a rare species ; they are spotted like the Indian Cheetul, or spotted deer, and have horns like a Ghooral's, an Indian wild goat, only rather longer and more massive, and are about, the size of a fallow deer. There are some temples in the park. A Japanese ofificer and a soldier, who were out in these grounds sometime after the recon- naissance just described, were murdered there, upon which the Japanese troops came down and destroyed twenty-one villages, the charred ruins of which are still standing. The Chinese understand drastic measures of this sort, and the result is that now were any stray Japanese to be belated by night in villages anywhere in the neighbourhood of Pekin, the villagers would probably help to defend them against any stray Chinese armed band that might come across them. The following incidents, though but indirectly connected with the relief of Pekin, are too interesting to be omitted. 129 The Legations Relieved On 15th August, during a cavalry recon- naissance near Tientsin, while retiring before a large . body of Boxers, the horse of one of the American troopers suddenly came down, throwing its rider heavily. The Chinese sol- diers dashed forward to secure him, when Lieutenant Gaussen, ist Bengal Lancers, see- ing how matters stood, at once rode back in the face of a heavy fire, took the American trooper on his horse, and brought him back into safety. A German column under Major Von Hoepf- ner marched out on the i ith September to attack Liang-Hsian, about ten miles south of Liukachao, a half squadron ist Bengal Lancers, and two Maxim guns ; Hong-Kong and Singa- pore artillery co-operated. While the German infantry attack was developing, and while the city was under a heavy artillery fire, Captain Griffin moved forward on a flank, and came upon the Boxers streaming out of the city. He and his Lancers charged the enemy several times, his horse being shot under him; and 130 The Legations Relieved while extricating himself from this position he was attacked by five Boxers. Trumpeter Sher AH Khan of the ist Bengal Lancers stood by him and shot four of them, thus saving the captain's life. The trumpeter was awarded the second class of the Order of Merit for this brave act. News came early in September that an American force had been cut up between Tientsin and Pekin. Captain Browne, hearing of this, collected some twenty sowars, ist and 1 6th B.L., and set oif in aid. Before long the advanced scouts came in sight of two or three hundred armed men, shouting and waving swords and spears. Order was given to charge, and the enemy darted back into their village, which they had barricaded against mounted men. Captain Browne, however, effected an entrance on the farther side, and the enemy were cleared out and cut to pieces. The American patrol were found to have taken refuge in some high crops, having lost one man. 131 CHAPTER VI THE FORBIDDEN CITY 133 CHAPTER VI THE FORBIDDEN CITY On 28th August, a triumphal march of the allied forces through the Imperial Palace, known as the Forbidden City, took place.^ There was much controversy as to what Power should take precedence of the others, and it was finally decided, so as to put an end to further disputes, that the troops should take precedence according to the strength of their respective armies in Pekin, Rumour asserts that on this being settled at the council of generals, the Russian general turned to the Japanese commander and said, "How many troops have you?" "Eleven thousand," replied the Japanese, who, unfor- tunately for himself, had imbibed Western 1 The salute on this occasion was fired by the 12th Field Bat- tery Royal Artillery with Chinese gunpowder recently unearthed. 135 I The Forbidden City truthfulness with its civilisation. " I have fourteen thousand," replied the Russian, "and that settles it." Whether this be true or not, the Russians led the advance, and the Japanese with a more numerous force came second, the British third, followed by the Americans. A few days later it is said a council was held, at which military operations were discussed. "How many men have you ? " asked a distin- guished general of the Russian commander. "Five thousand men," was the reply. " I am profoundly astonished to hear it," was the rejoinder. " And why are you astonished ? " asked the Russian. "I am astonished," he replied, " to hear that you have sent away as many as 9000 troops from Pekin within the last few days without our hearing anything about it." The Russian general was silent, and looked, or strove to look, as if nothing unusual had happened. The palace is situated about the centre of Pekin, and is surrounded by high walls. By international agreement it was settled that no 136 The Forbidden City troops were to enter. The troops, therefore, seized and occupied the gates giving access to the palace and the guard-rooms above them. In the interior buildings were a number of Mandarin court officials, eunuch attendants, and probably some of the body-guard. It was given out before we went through that the Chinese officials inside would commit suicide on the hated foreigner entering the sacred precincts. However, instead of this gory spec- tacle meeting us on our entry, we found Man- darins and attendants clad in their best clothes, politely pointing out the way for us. True, they had a dejected, doleful aspect, but this may be accounted for by the fact of the officers having their swords drawn, and the men bayonets fixed, and their feeling doubts as to how the " foreign barbarian " would conduct himself on the occasion. Very different, indeed, were they to the lively, laughing attendants who, a few months later, conducted parties of officers and ladies round the buildings, occa- sionally making jokes. 137 The Forbidden City The interior of the Winter Palace was in- teresting. Entering at the south gate, one passed through two extensive courtyards, sepa- rated by massive walls, which were connected by arched gateways. Over the gates which divided the two courts was a large building filled with racks, on which were thousands of bundles of arrows, ready feathered, and done up in tens, thousands of swords packed away in boxes, quivers, and other accoutre- nnents for the archer, and numbers of bows. These formed, I hear, the equipment of the Imperial Palace Guard, who were not per- mitted to employ such modern innovations as the breech-loading rifle or the machine-gun. At the farther end of the second court was a gateway guarded by an American sentry. Passing him, one entered the royal building, a series of squares, to which access was had by passing up a flight of stairs, going through a throne-room, and descending again on the farther side into another square. This was repeated two or three times, until one gained 138 e^\f ^'1 The Forbidden City the palace garden, with the imperial joss-house situated therein ; and passing through the garden, left the palace by the north entrance. In the rooms thus passed through were beauti- ful large carpets worked with the imperial dragon. The throne, which in each room stood on a dais, was a large chair or couch capable of accommodating two. It was carved with dragons, and behind it was a screen, also carved with dragons. The ceiling had dragons painted and carved upon it ; in fact, wherever you looked there were dragons carved, painted, or embroidered. A distinguished general once remarked, " I wonder the Chinese aren't all mad, what with making dragons and inces- santly looking at them." The state rooms had been allowed to fall into disrepair. The beautiful carpets were covered in places with the dung of pigeons, numbers of which had taken up their abode in the buildings. Every- thing, too, was covered with a thick layer of dust, and the only things of any intrinsic value appeared to be some old cloisonn6-work urns 141 The Forbidden City and curious-shaped animals resembling the Burmese bilu or dragon. The palace garden was carefully looked after. It was a picturesque and shady spot, and when we marched through on August 27 it appeared to be the coolest spot in Pekin. It contains the usual artificial rocks and grottoes that the Chinese delight in. The im- perial joss-house was in perfect condition. The josses were well clothed in finely-embroidered robes, and in front of each were numerous dishes full of dried fruits, nuts, and bread. The rotundity of their paunches was remark- able, the paunch being reckoned among the Chinese as the seat of wisdom. We were conducted round the palace by the Chinese officials left there when the Em- press fled. After leaving the joss-house, we visited the private apartments of the Emperor and Empress, which are on the west side of the palace. The rooms were in good repair, but decorated in an extraordinary manner. One room had for ornaments a number of 142 The Forbidden City clocks in it, cuckoo-clocks, clocks with figures striking the hour, and other kinds. Another contained musical-boxes, mixed up with jade ornaments, thin slabs of jade carved with figures and fixed up in the windows so as to let the light shine through them. The carv- ing of the woodwork screens and other fittings was beautiful, but taken altogether the ex- hibition was a disappointing one. One had expected something so very much better. We saw the Emperor's and Empress's private sleeping apartments, which were in much the same style, the Emperor's rooms containing a small organ. There were a few Chinese maps about, and glass cases containing minia- ture trees, beneath which amber hares and deer disported themselves. A number of the imperial concubines were left in the palace ; so the American officer of the palace guard told me. Hearing of this, two ladies who were one day going round the palace said they should like to call on them. The eunuchs vehemently protested that there were 143 The Forbidden City none ; that they had all gone away ; which, however, I am pretty sure was not the case, for it was reported shortly after that when the Chinese plenipotentiaries wanted the Em- peror's seal to affix to some papers, they found that the Emperor had left it with one of the concubines, and so the Japanese who held the north gate were asked to get it from her, which they did. Numbers of Chinese, both men and women, committed suicide on the entry of the Allies into the city, and officers have told me that they had seen whole families hanging by the neck. Suicide on such an occasion is, I be- lieve, considered by the Chinese a meritorious act, and a sign of patriotism ; in fact, much more worthy than going out and taking up arms to repel the invader, and falling on the field of battle in defence of one's country. The Chinese are a curious people and difficult to understand. Our interpreter, Mr. Harris, who had long resided in the country, told us that formerly if a European went down the 144 The Forbidden City street, he was expected to get out of people's way, was jeered at, abused, and sometimes spat at. And now the people who did all this were civil, servilely civil. It was curious to see how well the Sepoys of the Indian army, Rajputs, Sikhs, and Punjabs, got on with them. These Sepoys policed the British quarter in the Chinese city, and did their duty well, as the orderly state of that portion of the city attested ; it was under the control of a police commissioner, a captain of Bengal cavalry. The police appeared to be immensely popular, judging by the number of Chinese children one saw standing round them talking, laughing, and playing ; a decided contrast to the police of other nationalities that are not far off. The American quarter adjoined ours, and was one of the best organised and policed of the whole lot. 145 CHAPTER VII THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN 147 CHAPTER VII THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN It is doubtful if Pekin has ever been so clean since it was first founded. When we came here all the streets, except the largest main ones, were used as latrines, and the filth and smell to European eyes and noses was simply appalling ; but soon the whole place was swept and kept clean, the roads mended, and places told off as latrines. The railway, which under the old regime was not allowed to approach nearer to the walls of the city than three miles, now runs through the city walls, and the present ter- minus is right under the walls of that spot sacred to Chinese, the Temple of Heaven. I hear it is to be carried right on through the Chinese city into the Tartar city, and end in the vicinity of the Legations. So the halls 149 The Temple of Heaven and arches of the Winter Palace will re-echo to the shrill whistles of locomotives. The main streets have been lighted by oil-lamps hung on posts fixed to receive them. The Temple of Heaven consists of an enclosure about a mile in length from east to west, and rather less from north to south. It is surrounded by a high wall, and access is obtained only on the western face by two gateways, about four hundred yards apart, each gateway having three arches in it closed by double doors. The main roads in it, which run to the principal buildings, are paved, and shaded by fine avenues of trees ; large clusters and plantations of trees, many of which are very fine old cedars, cover a considerable part of the ground. It is said to be one of the most sacred places belonging to the Chinese, and has an inner and an outer enclosure. The outer enclosure contains the houses of the attendants and Mandarin in charge, and a bell tower containing a bell weighing several tons. The bell tower formed our mess. ISO The Temple of Heaven There is a joss-house in the outer enclosure, used as a Sepoys' cook-house, and the Hall of Harmony, where the burlesque which excited so much interest was performed, ad- joins it. The inner enclosure contains a moated building, which became the quarters of the 1 6th Bengal Lancers, formerly the place where the Emperor stayed during his visits. Of this and of the sacred building a bird's-eye view are given. The following account, derived from Chinese visitors, is the best that I could get regarding the use to which the temple was put. The Emperor, who is also high priest, used to visit the Temple of Heaven once every six months. On the day of his progress the Chien-men road, which runs from the Winter Palace to the temple, was sprinkled with yellow sand, and the cross streets running into it were walled up so that no one might interfere with the royal procession. On arrival at the temple he was accom- modated in the building occupied by the i6th 151 The Temple of Heaven Bengal Lancers. He stayed there for the night, and during the day visited the Hall of Harmony, where musicians played to him — judging by the instruments found there, chiefly on bells, drums, and gigantic violins. At night he visited the sacred buildings, and repaired to the Temple of the Sun, where he prostrated himself thirty-seven times, strik- ing his head each time on the pavement. Then proceeding to the Temple of the Moon, he awaited there the auspicious moment. On this being announced, by the priests I pre- sume, he went to the Temple of Heaven, also called by some the centre of the Universe, and there, on the summit of the circular marble terraces, communed with the God of Heaven. Ten newly decapitated heads of oxen were placed around him in a circle, and were offered at some period of the service on the sacrificial altar close by. Three lanterns were lit and hoisted on the three lofty masts, to announce to the outside world what was taking place. This service occurred at night. Articles of IS2 The Temple of Heaven some different nature were sacrificed in the urns, constructed of open iron work just below the platform. The ceremonies now were completed, and the Emperor returned to the palace. Of recent years, with but one or two ex- ceptions, no European has been permitted inside the gates of the outer enclosure. The place was closed also to the majority of the Chinese. The Temple of the Sun is a circular, wooden structure, standing on the top of several handsome marble terraces, also cir- cular. It is connected by an elevated and broad terrace with the Temple of the Moon. This terrace is, some think, the best part of the T. of H., as we called it. It looks magni- ficent, and even the grass-farm haystacks with which it is cumbered at present cannot alto- gether destroy its appearance. The Temple of the Moon is a smaller and less imposing structure than that of the Sun. The entrance to it is situated on the side '53 K The Temple of Heaven farthest away from the Temple of the Sun, and faces a series of circular marble terraces rising one above the other — the Temple of Heaven. A curious feature in this temple is the absence for the most part of the stone screen which invariably fronts a Chinaman's door, and is either inside or outside the yard, and may be of wood or stone or other material. The object of this screen is, I am told, to exclude devils, the Chinaman being so simple-minded as to believe that a devil can only go straight, and that on his making for his house he is brought up by the screen, and so discouraged thereby that he gives up the attempt. This is but one of the many instances of the opposite views of ourselves and of the Chinese race, for to our ideas a devil is by no means simple- minded, nor are his ways straight. The cook-house of the Rajputs in the Temple of Heaven was a curious sight. The cooks stooping over their small wood and coal fires, and the men sitting round 154 ^ Tcm/ilp af Net^vcn Bird's-eye view of chief buildings in the Temple of Heaven. IP- 155- The Temple of Heaven eating, while towering above them through the gloom and smoke the figures of the Chinese gods were seen looking down. The cook-house used to be the joss-house. All the josses that were light enough to move had been carefully put away on one side, and only the big figures remained. The large figures are made of wood, and on ex- amination were found to be hollow inside. The insides were stuffed with prayer rolls, while from their necks hung by a hook a silk bag, which, on being opened, was found to contain heart, lungs, liver, &c., made of lead and tinted the correct colour ; a stomach made of silk-piping carefully coiled up and stuffed with grain of various sorts, and in some a small silk bag attached, with "this is the secret bag" written on it, which, when opened, was found to contain copper cash, beads, bits of amber, and a few seed pearls. It was impossible for any one with military training to be in contact with so many foreign troops day after day without forming some 157 The Temple of Heaven opinion of them, and it is remarkable how unanimous were the conclusions arrived at. Even Jack Sepoy had his ideas as to the merits of the foreigners. He said he could get on well with all the troops except the Frenchmen, He found the Americans, Japanese, Russians and Italians friendly ; they talked together by signs when on guard or duty near each other, and showed one another their equipment and rifles ; but the Frenchman, if asked to see his rifle, or made any other advances towards him, was suspicious and surly. The French troops with which our men were most in contact were those present during the advance, and consisted of regiments from Tonquin, marines, I believe. They were in- ferior to the troops which they have now in the country, both as regards discipline and ap- pearance. The Zouaves, Chasseurs d'Afrique and others compare favourably with any other troops. The Russian is a tough, hardy man, without much "bundobust" (arrangement) for 158 The Temple of Heaven the care of the men. The Japanese are very brave, and just like Ghurkas, with a wonderful "bundobust." The Italian is a good soldier. The German is a prodigy at drill. As to the American, I can't get any definite opinion. The Sepoy critic knows that they are our friends, and says " Sahib Logue Ki Muafik," which means " like an Englishman of a good class." The German troops here drill splen- didly in close order formations ; their sentries are smart at saluting, and at their duties generally. From what we saw of their troops at manoeuvres, their generals appear to move considerable bodies of troops with great pre- cision, each regiment being in its right place and coming up at the right time. Though some of their formations in the attack appear, by the light thrown on the subject by the Boer war, to be open to criticism, there are certain details in their field work which we might follow with advantage. Amongst others, every man when on the defensive has a rest 159 The Temple of Heaven for his rifle, a few stones or sods of earth placed in front, which to a certain extent conceal him from view. Their attack is carried home right into their enemy's position, and their gunners only stand up when actually serving the gun ; at all other times they crouch down on the ground. On the other hand, the second line ad- vancing in close order to reinforce the firing line during the attack, and performing the high step previous to reaching it, seems to be utterly out of place ; the more so as im- mediately before reaching the firing line, they break up into open order and disperse among it. There appears to be no standing or kneel- ing, as with us, during the attack ; at every halt the men lie down ; they move at a quick, a very quick walk, with rifles at the short trail when at some distance from the point attacked ; as they get nearer they advance by rushes, no steady double, but a quick rush as fast as they can go. Their men are not i6o The Temple of Heaven as well dressed as ours, their uniforms fit badly, and this remark applies equally to all the other foreign troops. It is a question, however, whether our uniforms generally, but especially as regards the seat of " Tommy's " trousers, are not cut too tight to be thoroughly serviceable. The physique of the Germans was about the average of the Allies. The Russians ap- peared to be a fine set of men, broad shouldered, sturdily built, and full of en- durance ; rough and ready, but ignorant, lacking in intelligence, and brutal in the hour of victory. The French can be divided into two classes : their good troops and their bad. In the first come the Chasseurs d'Afrique, Zouaves, and a few other regiments. In the second their Marines, and corps recruited from the slums of Paris. The discipline of the former appeared to be good, and the men a fine, soldierly looking lot. The dis- cipline of the latter was, one has no hesita- i6i The Temple of Heaven tion in saying so, the worst in the allied army. Slovenly, disgracefully dressed, in- solent when opportunity offered, and insub- ordinate, they appeared to be totally lacking in all soldierly instincts. Even their friends the Russians, when asked what they thought of them, simply shrugged their shoulders. The Japanese troops appear to be well dis- ciplined, and their men are very hardy and enduring. I believe that the Russians who were out here have changed their opinion re- garding them considerably, and -by no means look forward to a conflict with them with the keenness they once felt. The Japanese are undoubtedly superior to the Russians in education and intelligence, while as regards individual courage, organisa- tion, equipment, and training they are in no way inferior. One saw but little of the Italian troops, but those that were seen gave the impression of being of good physique, well turned out,[ and soldierly. 162 The Temple of Heaven The Americans have a different standard of discipline to that of our men ; they appear to be much more free and easy in their relation to their officers, and in the way they performed their duties; still they have a discipline, and that of a rigid kind, otherwise the sight of a soldier walking down a street of Pekin, with his hands held high, followed by an American officer with a revolver pointed at the back of his head, both moving towards a guard, could not have occurred. The American soldier appears to be very intelligent, independent, and able to act on his own initiative. The Indian troops compared favourably as regards discipline with the Allies. In march- ing power under a hot sun they naturally excelled ; they did not get out of hand after the capture of Pekin, nor did they commit atrocities, while, as regards soldierly bear- ing and turn out, they stood first. -Thus the numerous guards, sentries, and order- lies of the 1st Sikhs at the Summer Palace were far smarter, better dressed, and superior 163 The Temple of Heaven in appearance to any guards or orderlies that the Allied Powers could produce in Pekin, not excepting the guards at their Legations, which, it is presumed, were of picked men. So, too, the guard of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at the British Legation was far superior to that of any other nationality. 164 CHAPTER VIII COLOURS IN THE FIELD i6s CHAPTER VIII COLOURS IN THE FIELD The British practice of carrying no colours in the field appeared at one time to be likely to cause serious inconvenience. We started with- out any colours, but by the time we arrived at Pekin the Lieutenant- General had a Union Jack carried with him, every squadron of cavalry carried one, and most of the infantry regiments carried one or two rolled up and ready for use. They were absolutely neces- sary, both for display to prevent any of our allies firing on us, as it is extremely difficult to ascertain to what men belong who are in khaki, even when at no great distance, and also for hoisting on any gate or other place captured by British troops. If this was not done, the troops of the nationality next arriving promptly 167 Colours in the Field hoisted theirs. All the foreign troops had colours with them. It seems probable that before long colours, or, at any rate, the national ensign, will have to be carried by us in the field. All foreigners appear to be adopting khaki ; the British, Americans, Japanese, Germans, Austrians, and French were all wearing it at Pekin within eight months of their arrival there ; and when the day comes that opposing armies in the field are both khaki clad, it will result in a choice of evils, whether colours shall be carried, with the result of more or less drawing the enemy's fire, or whether they shall not be carried, in which case it is pretty certain that our men will often be fired on by our own side. Sepoys who wore the Kilmarnock cap com- plained that it was little protection from the sun in summer, while in winter it afforded them no warmth at all. The enormous pugarees worn by the Sepoys of many regiments of the Indian army, though presenting an imposing appearance on parade, i68 Colours in the Field prove a useless encumbrance in the field ; they nullify to a great extent the advantage of cover, and are unnecessarily heavy and burdensome on the march. A very much smaller pugaree would suffice for protection against the sun in summer or the cold in winter, and would render the wearer more comfortable and less conspicuous. The Chinese are such bad shots thajt no deductions could be drawn as to the relative merits of solah topees and pugarees as a head- gear in action for British officers with native troops. It was pretty clear that an officer who could wear a pugaree throughout the ad- vance on Pekin must have been exceptionally sun proof; there may possibly have been one or two who did so, but it is doubtful. A very large proportion of officers wore solah topees, and even then felt the intense heat they were exposed to. The shooting of the Indian army would be much improved were all the men to wear a sun-shade made in the shape of a leather hat peak, and tied on to the head with a string, 169 Colours in the Field so as to shelter the eyes when firing and on outpost and other duties where a clear view is necessary. This shade should be part of the equipment of every soldier. It is used almost universally by Persians when shooting or travelling, and when not in use is slung round the neck like a gorget, or carried slung by its string over one shoulder, and hanging under the opposite arm. It is shaped like a quarter moon, with an eyelet hole at each of the two horns of the crescent, to which the fastening string or leather lace is attached Any one who has fired at a target or at game in a pugaree, or with his hat off, when the sun is facing him in the direction in which he fires, will agree with the necessity that exists for some kind of eye shade. The German troops in Pekfn came there with two kinds of headgear; one a solah topee, and the other a C.I.V. hat made of straw. This latter was found to afford insuf- ficient protection, and later on both the above patterns of headgear were withdrawn and a 170 Sowar, 1st {D.Y.O.) Bengal Lancers (Skinner's Horse). [/>• 17'- Colours in the Field helmet was substituted, which came further down on the head than our Indian pattern does, and afforded more protection to the temples and face ; the back part of it juts out straighter than in ours, and affords little or no obstacle to a man firing in it in the lying down position, an impossibility in ours. The back part has two or three longitudinal divisions in it, and the whole of this can be turned up towards the top of the helmet. I have frequently seen it worn in this position, when it does not overbalance and fall off the wearer's head, as I have heard stated. In this one instance the Germans seem to have hit off something in tropical equipment which is decidedly better than anything of ours. The officers' sword hilts of the present fashion were most conspicuous, flashing almost like heliographs at times. The buttons and brass shoulder badges on the khaki uniform all tend to frustrate one of its objects, i.e. invisibility, while the magazine of the Lee- 173 L Colours in the Field Metford was found on occasions to tear off the shoulder badges. The followers of the Indian army had exactly the same pattern of winter clothing issued them as the Sepoys. Any one ac- quainted with India is aware how utterly filthy and disreputable the Indian coolie be- comes, as was especially the case with us when, on account of the cold, he wore his clothing day and night for months, and did coal and other fatigues in them. Many foreigners used to mistake, or possibly pre- tended to mistake, the followers for Sepoys, and thus got the idea that they were an untidy and unsoldierly lot. In order to avoid such mistakes in future, it might be well to clothe the followers in a different manner to the Sepoys, as regards colour or shape of garment ; the more so, as united action by the European Powers against offenders of international law will probably be more frequent in the future, and the Indian army will be taking its share in them. 174 Colours in the Field There is a tendency to do away with as many followers as possible in the Indian army when in the field. Care, however, should be taken that they are not reduced to such a point as to impair efficiency. The number of cooks allowed in a native regiment is sixteen, or two per company. This is the minimum number that suffices, but it is pretty certain that during a campaign of any length there will be casualties amongst them, and apart from this there may be 'numerous detachments and guards sent out, when, even if the cooks are at their full number, they will be insufficient, with the result that men who are already hard worked will have to devote several hours a day to cooking their own food. As it happened, we started for China with a full complement, but owing to sickness and death we became short- handed, and during the winter in North China it was impossible to replace them, very great inconvenience was experienced accordingly. Barbers, too, are necessary for cutting the 175 Colours in the Field men's hair, and, what is more important, their toe-nails. Natives are unable to do this themselves, and the neglect of it may seri- ously affect the men's marching powers, as ingrowing nails and other evils may, ensue. No dhobies (washermen) are allowed now on service, but the regulations do not say how the men are to keep their clothes clean during a stay of a year or so in a foreign country. Fortunately there are ways and means by which even this regulation can be evaded ; were it not so, we might have de- served the taunts some of the French news- paper writers, and French officers too, who should have known better, threw at us. Stories have appeared in the papers, I am told, written by newspaper correspondents, say- ing how barbarously the Chinese were treated by our troops, that men, women, and children were slain by them. I believe that as regards our soldiers, both British and native, such stories are absolutely devoid of truth. I never saw an instance, nor heard of one, in which our 176 Colours in the Field men killed either women or children. Of course in street fighting, where there are armed men mixed up with unarmed, and stray women or children happen to be about, they are always liable to be hit. A correspondent following the force, say a day or two later, and finding corpses of women and children lying about, as I hear they were, might erroneously attribute their slaughter to our men. I have been told of cases in which Japanese coolies, following in rear of the army, decapitated aged men and women whom the troops in their passage on had spared. It was stated on our landing at Taku that no Chinese coolies could be procured to assist in unloading stores, &c., as the Russians shot every Chinaman they saw. Russian methods are summary, and those who have read the history of the taking of Geok Teppe in their campaign against the Turkomans will not be surprised at a good deal of unnecessary slaughter being attributed to them. i;7 Colours in the Field An officer of rank and experience once said to me, "You can divide the troops in China into two classes, the civilised and the un- civilised ; the civilised are the English, Americans, and Japanese." Many of us here will agree with him. The German troops were naturally exas- perated at the murder of their minister, and the character of their send-off from Germany was hardly of a nature calculated to allay this feeling. The quarter of Pekin policed by them took longer to settle down than that of any other nationality. For weeks and weeks while the Japanese, American, and English quarters were peaceably settled, the shops open and numerous stalls in the street, the German quarter was practically deserted. Strange indeed was the change that came over Pekin in the last few months of its occu- pation. Whereas the first time I went down the Chien-men Road on August 15, 1900, there were blazing houses, corpses lying about, and a few people who as soon as they caught i;8 Colours in the Field sight of troops slid round the corners. Not many weeks later the road was crowded with Chinamen from end to end selling every kind of goods at stalls in the street, feeding at open- air restaurants, while peep - shows, bands, reciters, acrobats, and fortune-tellers were surrounded by crowded audiences. The children no longer, as in the old days, cried "foreign devil" on seeing a European, but called after the man wearing British or American uniform "Number one, number one," the Chinese expression for excellence, and " Houdi, houdi," " Good, good." Perhaps they had begun to find out that the foreign devil is not such a bad devil after all. m CHAPTER IX BROKEN BITS OF CHINA 1 8-1 CHAPTER IX BROKEN BITS OF CHINA I. One of the stories current in Pekin was to the effect that in the early days of the Boxer movement the Empress sent a prince to their leaders to test the correctness or otherwise of the statement that they and their followers were invulnerable to bullets. The leaders having heard what was to happen took measures accordingly. Previous to the arrival of the prince they had one party prepared with loaded rifles to fire at another. The men who were to fire had extracted the bullets from their cartridges, which bullets were given to the men to be fired at to hold in their mouths. On the prince's arrival and on their being 183 Broken Bits of China fired at with the blank cartridges they spat the bullets out. The prince witnessing this was quite satisfied as to their bullet-proof qualities, and returning to the Empress reported accordingly. A council was held in the palace later on at which numerous dignitaries were present, and it was decided to go to war with all the European Powers. The Emperor, it is said, expostulated with the Dowager Empress, saying, " We might go to war with one or two, or perhaps even three, of the foreign nations, but how can we fight against the whole lot ? " The Empress became very angry and replied, " You forget that the Boxers are with us this time, that they are invulnerable, and that the more foreign nations come against us the better, as then we shall destroy the whole lot ' at one sitting." 184 Broken Bits of China II. The tactics of the Chinese are peculiar ; many of their maxims on war date from the time of Confucius (Kung-fusis). Men who were present during the siege of Tientsin Foreign Settlement say that when the Chinese advanced to a night attack each man carried two lanterns. The Europeans that night on outpost duty saw an immense line of lanterns advancing towards the settlement. The troops turned out and awaited the illuminated line which was gradually approaching. When considered sufficiently near, fire was opened, and the lanterns were seen rising in the air and falling to the ground, in fact in any position except advancing. Needless to observe, the attack was easily repulsed. It was afterwards found that the Chinese had simply been acting according to one of their ancient precepts, which lays down that in a night attack each soldier should carry two lanterns, one in each hand, by which means the enemy would think 185 Broken Bits of China that the attacking force is double its actual strength, and be so terrified at having to encounter such an altogether unanticipated and overwhelming force as to fly on their approach. The Chinese art of war is apparently based on a theory that if you only terrify your enemy sufficiently you will gain an easy victory, without having to strike a single blow. The Chinese are fond of using crackers on the field of battle. These are strings of small paper cartridges, with one hundred or more in a string. When let off they sound exactly like rapid independent firing, and can be made either to imitate the loud and sustained roar of a hot infantry fire, or else to die fitfully away in a few isolated shots, and revive again as required. One's first impression on hearing them fired during an engagement is that there must be a hot fight going on where the sound comes from, and when the noise every now and then dies away into a few shots and again bursts out with renewed vigour, it 1 86 Broken Bits of China seems that the troops firing must be well in hand. Another Chinese maxim is that, when camp- ing at night, as many, fires should be lit as possible, to induce the enemy to suppose them to be in far greater strength than is actually the case. It is said that in the war with China during the sixties, the Chinese erected paper forts of immense size on the line of advance of the invading column, in the hopes of deter- ring them. Also that sailing junks had paddles and paddle-boxes put on them, the paddles being turned by men working the crank connecting them ; that funnels were put on the junks and fires lit beneath them to give us the idea that they had steamboats in their fleet. It is also stated that the Chinese were much astonished at our entering Pekin at once, and pressing on into the city without any delay. The Chinese mind rea- soned that, as in the sixties we had halted outside of Pekin and given them twenty-four 187 Broken Bits of China hours in which to capitulate, we should do the same on this occasion, omitting to take into consideration the different circumstances of the two cases. This would account for the large number of inhabitants, men and women, that were seen running out of their houses as the troops advanced through the city, the people apparently being taken by surprise — doors of shops being left open, and fires with kettles boiling or meals cookings being seen in the houses. It is said, I do not know with what truth, that the generals and chief officers were always the first to quit the field of battle, and that on some occasions the general used to quit the day before the fight. III. When stationed in the Temple of Heaven the troops often paraded on the open space outside it, and there it was no uncommon sight to see the following all going on at i88 ,, -, -^< c a "55 Broken Bits of China the same time : the Indian infantry doing the attack ; the German infantry practising the march past ; the American Field Battery doing gun drill, while their cavalry exercised their horses in the vicinity ; the French troops route marching down the road which ran through the middle of the ground ; while the Japanese " Transportation " guard close by looked on ! IV. On the incoming of the Chinese winter — which by the way is very severe in the Chili province — there were several amusing incidents. One morning the mess dhobie (washer- man) came to me with one of the mess table- cloths rolled up into the shape of a long roll, and frozen solid. "Sahib," he said, "this is my petition. Yesterday I went down to the city ditch as usual to wash. I broke the ice and entered the water ; it was fright- fully cold. I washed the clothes as usual 191 M Broken Bits of China and wrung them out, and this — ^producing the cloth — is the result. What am I to do when clothes get all hard like this ? " On another occasion the bhistie (water- carrier) complained that the water in his mussuck (leather water-bag) had turned into a solid block of iqe so that he could not pour any water out, and that the mussuck was so cold that it made him ill to carry it. These complaints were remedied as soon as the houses for heating water and washing were ready, while the dhobie was provided with a small hand-cart, though even this did not prevent the water from getting frozen if it was left standing any length of time. These men, and a great number of the sepoys, came from the north-west provinces of India, where it seldom reaches freezing-point and where snow is unknown. Consequently they had never seen solid masses of ice beyond- the artificially-made pieces used for cooling purposes in hot weather. An officer's orderly once hurried into his 192 Broken Bits of China room and said : " Sahib, there is the most extraordinary 'tamasha' (spectacle) going on outside." " What is it?" inquired the officer. " It is the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. I can't describe it ; come and see." The officer left his room — which, by the way, had paper windows — and went out- side. " This," said the orderly, with a wave of his hand including the sky and the ground, " is the wonderful thing." It was snowing. The sepoys, as is customary in their own country, were fond of dropping water about and emptying "lotahs" (brass pots) on the steps outside their quarters, and on the ramps leading down from their guard -rooms on the city walls. This rapidly converted them into dangerous slides, and it was not until after some unpleasant experiences, and the issue of orders against such practices, that it stopped. The climate of China, in the Chili province, compares favourably with that of India. The really hot season is July, August, and Sep- 193 Broken Bits of China tember ; the heat at midday can be borne without a punkah, though the thermometer rises to 105° in the shade. October and November are pleasant. December, January, and February are cold. In January the thermometer falls below zero. The end of March, April, and May are pleasant; June is hot. The nights are always cool. The curses of the country are the house flies in summer, and the winds that blow spring, autumn, and winter, carrying clouds of dust with them. In winter these winds chill one to the bone, and hands or ears left uncovered are liable to be frost-bitten. The rainy season is June, July, and August, but long continued breaks are plentiful. The winter, when — I say when advisedly — the wind is not blowing, is very pleasant. A fine, warm sun shines overhead for a few hours in the middle of the day, while it freezes hard in the shade. The climate in the summer on the sea-coast is quite pleasant, owing to sea breezes off the cold water of the Gulf of Chili. Judging 194 Broken Bits of China by the robust appearance of the inhabitants, the climate must be a healthy one to live in, with but three months of hot weather instead of six as in India. V. The Americans, who were quartered in the Temple of Agriculture, about 400 yards from the Temple of Heaven, had one curious custom. All their dead lying in out-of-the-way villages or other places were brought in and buried close to their posts, which were held by troops. When the campaign was over the coffins were exhumed and shipped to the United States. As one American officer put it : " Every American mother who sends a son on a cam- paign receives him back either alive or in a casket." Soon after our arrival in Pekin General Chaffee, commanding the United States troops, held a review. This took place on the open ground between the Temples of Heaven and Agriculture. It was an interesting sight, and 195 Broken Bits of China an immense number of officers of all nationali- ties assembled as spectators, forming a dense line just in rear of the saluting point. The march past was very effective. Each regiment of infantry marched past headed by its colours and its band. All the men were in the uniforms they had worn during the campaign, and they looked most workman-like. Of the regiments on the ground at least one had never been in cantonments, but had been fighting ever since it was raised for service in Cuba, whence it was sent to the Philippines, thence on to China, and when I last saw it it was under orders to return to the Philippines. The bands played well, and the men tramped past with a steady swing, the brilliant colours of the silken stars and stripes that waved above them forming a striking contrast to the dull coloured lines of slouch-hatted, blue-jerseyed, khaki-trousered men that followed them. In one regiment the officers carried no swords. I learnt afterwards that they had foui^them use- less in the Philippines, and had left them there. 196 Broken Bits of China The cavalry and guns followed the infantry, but one saw little of them owing to the immense clouds of dust they raised. The review was decidedly a success, and impressed those who saw it. A review held in a country in peace time, and one held in the enemy's capital by troops who have captured it after a short though trying campaign, are two very different things to the spectator. In the first case he criticises the dress and turn-out of the men, the accuracy of manoeuvre, and precision of drill and dress- ing. In the second, he knows what the troops before him have gone through, and understands that the polished button, pipe-clayed belt, and well-blacked boot — the absence of which in peace time would damn a regiment for ever — have all disappeared as completely as if they never had been, under the stern exigencies of war. He criticises now the physique, condition, and bearing of the men, and how they appear to have stood the test they have gone through ; how they move as bodies of armed men. 197 Broken Bits of China VI. The Summer Palace stands about six miles north-west of Pekin, at the foot of and amongst some low hills, offshoots of the great range close by to the west. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and is built on the northern side of a large lake covering one or two square miles. In the lake was an island covered with build- ings, reached by a bridge in profile like a highly-strung bow, the surface of the water representing the string. It starts on each side with low arches eight to ten feet high, and then with higher ones and higher, until the centre arch of the bridge must be from thirty to forty feet above the water. The distant hills were in places crowned by pagodas, evidently placed there for artistic effect ; while the palace itself consisted of an immense number of separate buildings, some near the water's edge, and others studded over the low hill just .beyond. The whole hill laid out as a garden, and its 198 Broken Bits of China apex crowned by a temple to Buddha, looked magnificent. The handsome yellow-tiled roofs of the Im- perial quarters, surmounted by quaint-looking animals as part of the ridge tiles, glistened in the sun. Along the northern edge of the lake ran a handsome marble wall with a balustrade, and numerous steps leading down to the water's edge, and at intervals stood handsome open shelters — roofs erected on pillars over marble platforms. Bronze urns and dragons stood about the place in front of the more important buildings, on pedestals. Paths wound about and up and down the hillside to the various houses ; occasionally they ran through grottos artificially constructed, and in one part of the garden was a regular labyrinth of paths running through what appeared at first sight to be natural caverns. Every atom of a small temple, including the furniture, was made of bronze. Many of the houses were greatly damaged, but not by our troops. On the lake floated nu- merous boats, steam launches, ships' boats, and 199 Broken Bits of China a number of Chinese boats, the stems of which ended off like a small tree with boughs shooting out and leaves stuck on to them. Then there was a marble boat— in reality a two-storied apartment built on a marble platform, shaped to resemble a boat, and standing up out of the water. The palace had been, I was told, fitted with electric light, but the plant for this had been removed before my visit. Italian troops had been quartered in some of the buildings, but the British troops there (the 12th Field Battery and the ist Sikhs) were in houses outside. One building in the palace had a Sikh sentry over it, and in this were stored a number of curios — bronzes, cloisonne, jade ornaments, &c. — which the British on. occupying the palace had found scattered- about. These were, later on, handed over to the Chinese Govern- ment. The officer in charge of these found a catalogue describing many of the things, and some of the bronzes were there shown as being more than two thousand years old. 200 Broken Bits of China The first troops, I understand, to arrive at the palace were the Japanese and the Russians; anyhow, one lot arrived soon after the other, and they were in occupation for some days before any of our troops were sent there. Cart- loads of valuables were carried away — silks, cloisonne, bronzes, clocks, &c. On the farther slope of the palace ridge of hills, i.e. the slope away from the lake, stood the ruins of the old Summer Palace, looted and burned in the sixties as a punishment for the duplicity of the Chinese in treacherously seizing the peace envoys of the allied British and French armies, whom they tortured so cruelly that but few survived. VII. Soon after our arrival in Pekin one of the senior native officers, Subadar Ram Ratan Singh, caught malarial fever, and died within three days. He was followed on the 24th of October by Subadar Major Gurdatt Singh Bahadur, who died of dysentery. The Subadar 201 Broken Bits of China Major is, I should explain, the senior native officer of a regiment, and his title of " Baha- dur " was conferred on him on the occasion of his visit to England at the close of the Egyptian Campaign of 1882, when her Majesty Queen Victoria personally decorated him with the Second Class of the Order of British India. He was exceptionally well educated, and was the only native officer in the Indian Army holding an "extra " musketry certificate. Both these officers were a great loss to the regi- ment, and their deaths were no doubt attribut- able to the trying nature of the advance on Pekin, from which neither — both being pretty well advanced in years^ — completely recovered. The Subadar Major died after being trans- ferred to Wei-Hei-Wei ; Subadar Ram Ratan Singh at Pekin. As a mark of respect to the latter, an old soldier who had served in the regiment ever since he enlisted, the British officers of the regiment adopted the unusual course of attending his funeral. This took place during a heavy shower of rain. The 202 Broken Bits of China body wrapped in a white sheet was laid on a native bed, or charpoy, and was borne on the shoulders of sepoys to the burning place, as he was a Hindu. The British and native officers followed. On arriving at the city gate the British officers halted and saluted, while the remains of the fine old Subadar, surrounded by native officers and sepoys, passed on to the final scene, which took place on the banks of the city moat close by. A native soldier's funeral takes place with- out any military ceremony, the soldiers attend- ing being attired in their native dress. The striking part of the ceremony to a European is its extreme simplicity. Native Christian soldiers are buried with all the usual ceremony that attends that of a Britisher. VIII. The Australian Naval Contingent landed after the occupation of Pekin. There were about five hundred of them, and half were stationed in Pekin. They were a fine sturdy 203 Broken Bits of China lot of men, who wore the British Naval uniform — none very young, but all a well- seasoned lot— just the sort of men one likes to have by one in a row. There were a large number of old man-of-war's men amongst them. The marines who accompanied them were known as the "horse marines." These were part of a corps of bushrangers collected for service in South Africa, but more were collected than the Government required, and so they did not know what to do with them. However, on a naval contingent being offered for service in China and accepted, the bright idea struck the Australians of sending the surplus bushranga*s with it as marines. So to China they went ;. but although termed " marines," they still re- tained the uniform they were equipped with for South Africa, and serviceable and soldierly they looked in their felt hats with looped-up brim, khaki - coloured suits, bandoliers, and riding-breeches. 204 "^ X Q W Ph < APPENDIX B Extract front a Despatch by Sir Claude Macdonald, dated December 2/^h, 1900 "At about 2 A.M, there was a pause, when very distinctly the delighted garrison heard the boom of heavier guns away to the east, and the sound of many Maxims evidently outside the City Walls. The scene in the Legation was indescribable. Those who, tired out, had fallen asleep were wakened by these unwonted sounds, and there was much cheering and shaking of hands. The enemy too had heard it. . . . Shortly before 3 P.M. a breathless messenger from the Tartar City Wall arrived to say that foreign troops were under the City Wall opposite the Water Gate. I immediately followed him, and arrived in time to receive General Gaselee and his staff as they came through the said gate and stood on the^Canal Road. From there I led them through the Russian Legation to the British, where they were welcomed by the rest of the besieged garrison. The regiment which first entered the Legation Quarter was the 7th Rajputs under Major Vaughan. With them was Major Scott of the 3rd Sikhs, attacjied to the ist Sikhs, with a few men of this regiment. This officer with several men ran along the Canal Road from the south bridge to the gateway opposite the First Secretary's house, and they were the first to enter the British Legation." Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson &• Co. Edinburgh d' London - T" ,' '-'«*. "art - • w ;5 &■/ rir^-f 1, t^' 'J.4?;/J, ;' > • j^vi^; f ^•^?p^«4^ 'i i^ «:. .* [ , ' K\ :m ^^ ' ■•^^i • ,»te 4* Sl ""&£.Vj* > t^' -,■-'.£*. ^ ■*■» 1 '*'i fe^^ fii'^- ^^_ i i-" " ^'"% ? , '-^ f^f^ 3 ^