With the Allies to Pekin: A Tale of the Relief of the Legations

“I see no guard has been placed here since we passed out, so we can enter without fear.”

Passing through, they turned at once to the right, and kept without interruption along the bank of the canal at the foot of the Tartar wall. The women were, for the most part, drooping now. They had been on short rations for many days, and were no doubt worn out by anxiety and terror. Progress, therefore, became much slower and more difficult, but luckily there was no further alarm, and before dawn they succeeded in reaching that part of the wall held by the Americans.

“We are here, Captain,” Rex called. “We have got them all. Please let down the rope and haul them up.”

“Bravo!” the officer said. “I hardly expected to see you again. We will soon have them all up.”

Half a minute later the rope fell beside them, and one by one the women were hoisted to the top of the wall. The men were next taken up, and finally Ah Lo and Rex.

“So you got through safely,” the officer said, shaking Rex by the hand. “Did you meet with any trouble?”

“We were only stopped by three Boxers, and as we could not give their pass–word they tried to arrest us. My man cut down one, and I polished off another, but the third bolted and gave the alarm. We had no difficulty, however, in eluding them, and making our way to the wall. The fellows came along above us, and, as we had to carry the women over the moat, they heard us. But we got well away before they could come out through the gate, and we hid up till they had passed us in the dark. We had no difficulty in coming through the Chinese town.”

“Well, I congratulate you upon your exploit, which has been the means of saving twelve of these poor beggars.”

“Now I shall be going on at once,” Rex said. “We are all drenched to the skin, and though we have dried a bit on the way, I for one shall be glad to get into fresh clothes. I will thank you to give me those I left here before starting. I must put them on now, otherwise I should never get through the Russian Legation.”

He rapidly changed his clothes, and then they went with his companions down the steps from the wall, passed through the American Legation, and entered that of the Russians. Here the sentry stopped Rex, and refused to let him pass until an officer came out with a lantern and questioned him. This officer, however, recognized Rex at once, and allowed him and his party to proceed. Rex then went on through the houses that separated the Legation from the British quarters. Here they were again questioned by two marines, but having satisfied these men, they entered the British Legation.

“Now you are safe,” Rex said to his friends. “You must lie down and sleep here to–night. To–morrow I will see that you have clothes and rations.”

The Chinese had scarcely spoken a word since they started, but now, as with one accord, they fell on their knees and showered blessings and thanks upon Rex for saving them from a terrible death.

“It is all right,” he said. “I am very pleased to have been the means of saving you and myself. Thank God that I have been able to do so! I had expected to meet with many difficulties, but everything has turned out well. Now I must go, but I will see that you get an allowance of food in the morning.”

Then he went over to his quarters. Sandwich and two or three of his companions were still sitting up, and they gave a shout of satisfaction as they saw Rex enter.

“I am heartily glad to see you back, Bateman,” one of them said. “You found it, of course, impossible, and have had to give it up. I felt sure that you would have to do so, and we waited up to see you.”

“What time is it now?” asked Rex.

“About one oʼclock.”

“Well, I am back sooner than I expected, and am happy to say that I have succeeded without any difficulty. On the way back with the refugees we had one encounter, and had to kill a couple of Boxers. The rest was easy.”

“You donʼt say so, Bateman! Well, I congratulate you most heartily. You have indeed done a good nightʼs work; tell us all about it.”

Rex gave them a short account of his adventure.

“I thought,” he said, “that there would be no great difficulty about it, and I am sorry that it was not accomplished without bloodshed, but we could not help ourselves in that respect. I am glad indeed that I brought the poor creatures in. The women were desperately done up by the time we got within the lines, which is not to be wondered at after all they had gone through. Well, I will lie down now, for I have had a very long day, and I must be up early to–morrow to see that these people get rations, for I fancy they are pretty nearly starved.”

In a few minutes all were asleep. Rex was up before six oʼclock in the morning, and at once ran down to the gentleman whose duty it was to see to the provisioning of the native Christians.

“I want you to put down thirteen more names,” he said.

“How is that, Mr. Bateman?”

“One of a party came in yesterday afternoon, and told me that there were twelve of them in hiding in a cellar near the burnt area, so I went out with my man last night and brought them in.”

“You did, Mr. Bateman? You astonish me! And you did it without opposition?”

“Without any opposition to speak of, sir. We had to kill a couple of Boxers, and we were pursued hotly. After we got over the wall one of the men made a splash in the water, and the sentry heard it. But, with those two slight exceptions, everything went off well.”

“But how on earth did you get in here?”

“We got over the wall close by the Americans, and were hauled up by them on our return.”

“Well, sir, you must at once report what you have done.”

“Oh, I would rather say nothing about it at all!” Rex said. “I shall only be questioned about it, and have all sorts of bother.”

“Nevertheless it must be reported, Mr. Bateman. I shall have to account for the issue of thirteen more rations than before, and shall have to explain in my report that these are people who were brought in by you during the night.”

“Well, I only hope that nobody will take the trouble to read your report, sir. I hate being talked about, and as likely as not I should be blown up for going out without orders.”

“Perhaps something will be said about that, Mr. Bateman, but certainly you will get more praise than blame.”

Rex shrugged his shoulders.

“I would much rather get neither, sir. The affair was a very simple and straightforward one, and there is no occasion that I can see for anything to be said about it one way or another.”

Nevertheless, to his disgust, he saw, an hour later, a notice stuck up among those in the tower, that Mr. Bateman, with his man, had gone out and succeeded in bringing in thirteen native Christians from a hiding–place among the ruins.

CHAPTER IX

IN THE ENEMYʼS CAMP

As Rex was returning to breakfast in a state of exceeding bad temper, he met Sandwich, who said: “Sir Claudeʼs secretary has been round. He wishes to see you.”

Rex swung himself round with a grunt of dissatisfaction, and made his way to the residency. Sir Claude, with four other gentlemen, had just sat down to breakfast when he was shown in.

“Have you breakfasted, Mr. Bateman?” he asked.

“No, sir, not yet.”

“Sit down and take it with me, then; we can talk while we eat.”

Rex would much rather have gone through his examination and made off to breakfast with his chum, but as he could not refuse the invitation, he sat down in no very good temper. Sir Claude smiled a little.

“I can understand,” he said after a minute or two, “by what you said last time I had a conversation with you, that you donʼt like having your good deeds talked about.”

“I donʼt like being talked about in any way, sir.”

“But in that case, Mr. Bateman, you should not do things that necessitate your being talked about.”

Rex, after a little struggle to maintain his serious face, laughed.

“Well, sir, I can assure you that if I had my own way I should prefer to go about and do what I like and to keep it entirely to myself.”

“Well, now, you see, the thing has come out, Mr. Bateman, certainly not from what you said about it, but from the report made by Mr. Graham, when you applied to him for thirteen Chinamen to be put on rations. I have just been telling these gentlemen of the manner in which you rescued your cousins, and they, as well as myself, want to hear this second chapter of adventure. Please tell us all about it.”

“There is very little to tell, sir.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Bateman, there must be a good deal to tell, and as you must be perfectly well aware that you ought not to have left the Legation without permission, the least you can do is to give us a full account of your reasons for doing so, and of the manner in which you carried out your adventure. Now, please, begin at the beginning and tell us how you learned that the people were in hiding.”

Beginning, therefore, with his meeting with the Chinaman, Rex told the story, ending with: “There, sir, I said at the beginning that there was really nothing to tell, and that it was the simplest thing in the world.”

“I do not quite agree with you. Mr. Bateman. I think my friends here will all join with me in saying that it was an admirably planned and well carried out scheme, and it cannot, I am sure, be otherwise than a matter of intense gratification to yourself that you have saved these twelve poor people from a terrible death. It does you very great credit, sir, but I hope that you will not undertake any more enterprises of this kind without speaking to me beforehand. I am commander–in–chief of the forces here, and before any of my officers undertake enterprises that might deprive me of their services they must have my consent.”

As soon as the meal was over, Rex ran back to his quarters.

“Is there anything left to eat, Sandwich?” he asked.

“Yes, we put some by for you.”

“That is a comfort. The governor asked me to breakfast with him, and I had scarcely got down two or three mouthfuls when he asked me to tell him all about that affair last night, and as a fellow cannot talk and eat at once, I fared very badly. What have you got?”

“There is half a pot of jam and boiled rice.”

“That will do first–rate. Where are you going to work to–day?”

“We are going over to the Fu, and are just starting.”

“Well, I will come across when I am done, and so get out of the way of being jawed at. I suppose we shanʼt come back till dusk. That will suit me admirably, for there is sure to be something else fresh during the day, and by to–morrow this business of mine will be forgotten.”

On the way down to the Fu Rex was captured by a party on the search for volunteers to drive a hole through the south walls, in order that a watch could be placed there to see that the Chinese were not mining in that direction. The day was tremendously hot, and as the wall was well built the labour was extremely exhausting. It was therefore a relief when they were called off to take any measures that might be necessary at the stable–house. The Chinese had mounted a gun at the barricade on their side of the Mongol Market and opened fire on the stable–house. Four shells crashed, one after another, into the stable–house, and the marines had to evacuate the upper story, and the whole building was so damaged that it was in danger of falling. Several shells also burst over the hospital. One entered it, and another killed a pony just outside it. The marines kept up a steady musketry fire on the Chinese who were working the gun, and soon managed to drive them off. In the evening the gun again began firing, this time aiming at the door of the stable–yard. As, however, the newly–built wall behind it was ten feet thick they effected no serious damage, and the next morning the gun was removed; and it was not again brought into play.

This cessation of fire was singular, as, though it had failed to breach the wall behind the door, it could certainly have destroyed with a few shot the old wall beside the door. Half a dozen guns placed here would have brought the whole wall down in a very short time and laid our defences open. All sorts of explanations were suggested, but the general idea was that the Chinese officer commanding at that point must have been secretly in favour of the defenders of the Legation, and anxious that total destruction should not be effected, either because he was favourable to the Christian doctrine or feared the vengeance that would follow by the united powers of Europe.

While the fire on the stable–house was continuing, a strong attack had been directed against the barricades of the French Legation. The Chinese lines had been pushed up so close that the fighting was almost hand to hand. M. von Rosthorn, the Austriansʼ chargé dʼaffaires, was fighting here, with his brave wife, a lady who had taken more than her share in the defence. She endeavoured to destroy the Chinese barrier by throwing upon it straw dipped in petroleum. The Chinese retorted with showers of stones, by one of which M. Rosthorn was somewhat severely wounded. Throughout the siege this lady evinced an amount of courage that was the astonishment of the troops. When Rex went back in the evening from the Fu he looked into the hospital to see the girls. They ran up to him eagerly, crying breathlessly: “Oh, Rex, everyone is talking about your going out and bringing in a party of men and women!”

“Well, then, I wish to goodness they would find something better to talk about. There is nothing in the thing at all. A Chinaman who had come in told me that the party was in hiding, and guided Ah Lo and me to the place. Of course they were glad enough to come out, and we had no adventure at all on the way, except that three Boxers came up and interfered with us, and we had to cut two of them down. The other bolted, and we then got over the wall, made a circuit through the fields, and climbed back over the wall behind the American Legation. I am quite sick of hearing about it, as if there was nothing else to talk about. It is quite ridiculous.”

“Well, people must have thought it was something out of the way, because a notice about it was posted up on the tower early in the morning, and another report that Sir Claude was praising your action very much. Lots of people have come in to tell us about it.”

“It is a pity they hadnʼt something better to do,” Rex grumbled. “I am quite sick of the subject; let us talk about something else.”

“This is the first time I have seen you cross, Rex,” said Jenny.

“Well, it is enough to make one cross, having such a fuss made about nothing. Now, how are you getting on here?”

“We are all right, though some shells burst over the house this afternoon, which made us fairly jump.”

“Yes, I know; they gave us quite a start, but we could see that no great harm had been done.”

“The heat has been awful; we have knocked out all the panes of the upper windows to try and get a little air in, but we have all been feeling it very much, and of course you must have felt it more. I really donʼt know how we should get on if we were not allowed off duty for two hours each evening, when we can go out and enjoy the cool air.”

“Yes, it must be terribly trying,” Rex said. “It must be worse for you in that stifling room inside than it is for us, even working in the sun.”

That night a small party of marines and volunteers went out and endeavoured to capture the gun on the other side of the market–place, but the Chinese stood firm, and they were obliged to retire without having effected anything. They were very well satisfied in the morning, however, when they found that the gun had been removed during the night.

The next day, the last of June, the fight raged round the French Legation, and although all men, not otherwise employed, who could use a rifle went to the assistance of its defenders, things went badly. A considerable portion of the Legation was burned, and the defenders were driven back step by step; but when the Chinese were distinctly getting the best of it their fire ceased, without any apparent reason, and the wearied defenders and the Chinese coolies had time to put up fresh barricades.

At nine oʼclock a very heavy thunderstorm burst over the city, and at the same time firing was renewed with fresh vigour. Cannon, machine–guns, and rifles added their roar to the rumble of the thunder, and their puny flashes to the vivid sheets of lightning. The firing ceased by daylight, and the day passed without any serious disturbance. The next day, however, began badly. The Chinese concentrated their attempts against the German and American barricades on the wall; they had advanced their works to within a hundred yards of the Germans and mounted a gun there, from which they maintained a constant fire. It was difficult to send up reinforcements, for there was no shelter between the Legations and the foot of the wall, and several were killed as they tried to cross. The American barricade on the west was very open, as the Chinese guns at the Chien Mên gates commanded it. On the night of the 30th of June the enemy threw up a new barricade within two feet of the American one.

On the 2nd of July, at daybreak, the Chinese stormed the German barricade and drove its defenders from the wall. The Americans, seeing their own rear open to attack, hurriedly left the defence and ran down to their Legation. This was a grievous misfortune. The Ministers all met at the British Legation, and decided that the wall must be retaken at whatever cost, as the Chinese were placing guns upon it that would sweep the whole position. No time was lost. A body of marines, Americans, British, and Russians, were collected, and, led by Colonel Myers, dashed boldly forward and drove the Chinese back along the wall. The enemy had taken no steps whatever to strengthen their position, or even to mass any body of troops capable of holding it against a determined attack. The moment the position was regained everyone who could work a sewing–machine or a needle was called upon to make sand–bags. Every sort of stuff was called into requisition for the purpose; ladies cut up silk and cotton dresses, men contributed spare pairs of trousers – which only required sewing up at the bottom of the legs and again at the top after being filled. With these the barricades were strengthened. Nevertheless, although the position was re–established, a general feeling of depression was felt. The Germans had not worked well, their resistance to the attack had been feeble, and none of their marines had joined in recovering the wall.

The feeling was deepened by events at the French Legation. Here Mr. Wagner, an officer of the customs–house, was killed and the French guards were driven back. Later, however, they recovered the position and returned to their barricades.

In the afternoon there was another misfortune. An Italian officer, Captain Paolina, proposed to attempt the capture of a gun in the northeast, facing the Fu, which had caused considerable annoyance. He suggested that the Japanese should proceed along the side of the canal, and then, working round a large block of houses, come down upon the gun from the north, while he, with a mixed party, should make his way between two of the blocks of houses against which the gun was directed. His own party of Italians was a small one, but they were supported by a few Italian marines and some Austrian and British volunteers. Among the latter were the students of the Consular College.

“It seems to be rather a hare–brained scheme,” Sandwich said. “I do not know whether this Italian officer has any particular means of finding out the lie of the land, but we certainly seem going at it in rather a headlong way, and without taking any precautions whatever. However, as we have not been called upon for much work, it is our turn for a fight. I suppose you are coming, Bateman?”

“Of course I am. I regard myself as a consular student at present, and am certainly game to take part in whatever is going on, though, as you say, it seems wiser to gather in the part of the Fu that remains in our hands, and go straight from that to the gun.”

They started along the side of the canal. When the Japanese had gone on ahead, the rest of the force rushed up the little lane at the corner of the Fu. Here they found themselves suddenly face to face with a barricade, eight feet high and loopholed. It was impossible to assault it. The Italians, who were ahead, made a mad rush for the hole leading into the wall to the Fu. They almost fought their way in, for it was but wide enough for one man to pass at a time. The officer was wounded, and two of the marines were killed. While the struggle was going on, the volunteers stood with their backs against a wall which was a little out of the general line of fire, and when the Italians were out of the way they made a dash for the door, one by one. The first four got across in safety, but the last was hit in the shoulder and leg. The Japanese, meanwhile, had forced their way some distance north, but after having one man killed and two wounded, finding themselves unsupported, they fell back.

The failure of the affair excited much indignation in the Legation. It had been attempted without any knowledge of the ground, without any pains being taken to ascertain the enemyʼs position, and in a hasty and haphazard manner. Their success, however, gave great encouragement to the enemy.

The next day the Chinese gun again opened fire against the Fu, and under its cover a furious attack was made on the building. The Japanese, who had already suffered heavily, were forced back, fighting stoutly; and they must have been driven out of the building had it not been for a company of Christian Chinese whom their colonel had assiduously drilled, and who now fought as bravely as the Japanese themselves. With their aid the Japs recovered their lost ground by the end of the day.

The Chinese had shown particular animosity towards this company of converts, hurling curses against them and hitting them with stones. This was the result of an imperial proclamation which had been issued on the previous day, ordering that all missionaries and converts who did not repent of their former error should be slain.

The position at the American barricade was becoming more and more dangerous. The Chinese attack had increased in vigour, and they had built another barricade diagonally across the bastion, and almost touching that of the Americans. The consequence was that they could at any moment from their barricade pour into the bastion, and then make a rush over the American barrier. It was evident that if they were not driven out the wall must be abandoned. At daybreak, therefore, the Americans, strengthened by a reinforcement of British and Russians, gathered noiselessly behind their barricade, and, with the first gleam of light, dashed over it. They found most of the Chinese behind the new barricade asleep, and bayoneting them, drove the enemy also from the barrier on the other side of the wall. The Chinamen rallied, however, behind a barricade farther along the wall, and again opened fire, killing two of the American marines, and wounding Corporal Gregory of the British marines, and Colonel Myers, who had all along been in command. This was a serious loss to the defence.

By this time life in the British Legation had become smooth and regular, with the exception that a number of Chinese men and women, for whom no houseroom could be found, had to be accommodated in rude shelters in the square in front of the British envoyʼs house. All were settled down, and every crevice through which a musket–ball could enter had been closed up. The chapel had been divided into compartments, and some fifty people were lodged in it. The library had been thrown open to the use of all within the Legation. The wells were fortunately full, and the health of the whole company was excellent.

Communication was opened with the Fu, as a sloping passage had been driven down into the canal and a strong barrier erected at the lower end, so that it was possible to pass along it without risk of suffering from the fire kept up from the north bridge.

From another quarter, however, the enemy were giving a great deal of trouble. Owing to the burning of the museum the space between our outposts and the Imperial wall was clear. The Chinese had now built behind that wall a strong platform and mounted several cannon upon it, only one of which, however, was of foreign make. The parapet of the wall, heightened and loopholed, served as a breastwork, and as they put an iron shutter before the larger gun, they could with perfect safety bombard the Legation below, only three hundred yards away. The besieged could make no reply to the fire. The wall itself could not be breached unless by heavy cannon, and had the Chinese placed upon the wall some of the modern cannon, of which they had abundance, and added to their number, they could easily have destroyed all the Legations. But, strange to say, they contented themselves with only firing an occasional shot, which did a certain amount of damage no doubt, but nothing serious.