Part 11
General Chaffee has delayed sending the first convoy down until the 21st, which gives me a little more time before starting. It has made me feel that really, after having been shot upon all summer from the Imperial walls, I should like a peep inside before I leave Peking.
The city has been portioned off to the different generals, and the English and Americans have a district where there is very little to loot. To-day a French officer of high rank, wishing to get treasure out of a palace that was in our lines, came to Mr. Conger and asked him if he would allow him to change the boundary a trifle. The Minister naïvely agreed to the Frenchman’s purely disinterested request, and the consequence is there are a lot of indignant American military men wandering about trying to understand why this change in the map should have been made without consulting them.
_August 19._
I talked over with Mrs. Squiers my great wish to see something of the wonderful Purple City before leaving, and while she was too busy nursing little Bard to go with me, she saw no reason why, with ample protection, and escorted by an officer, I should not ride through this mysterious and beautiful park.
I had expected General Chaffee would give me an order to enter by the Ch’ien Men Gate and its continuing three gates, and pass practically through our own lines, upon his hearing that I wished to do so. He was usually so amiable when I asked him for anything, that this time, much to my surprise, he became very angry, and, pounding his fist on the table, he assured me that he would not allow me to even ride through the Imperial City, giving as his refusal the only reason that “there were sights of war there which no American girl should see,” and pounding his fist a second time to emphasize the fact. All of which was ridiculous, as the sights of war referred to were simply the heaps of corpses which surrounded the different gates of the Imperial City by which the allies had entered, and, as a consequence of the defeat of the Chinese, the dead were still there. He was right, inasmuch as these are not pretty things to see; but as I had been in the midst of war for two months, and had seen all these things many times, I did not feel that it was just in him to deny me the privilege now of being able to get a bird’s-eye view of this wonderful park, which he might have done by allowing a special permit to go round it on horseback before leaving. But one can’t fuss with people who deny you things for what they think is for your own good, especially when the person in question happens to be General Chaffee.
After this sad refusal, the first person I met was Baron von Rahden, who, on hearing my tale of woe, was delighted to hear that it was one which was so easy to remedy. As General Chaffee had the power to write a permit to go into the Forbidden City, so had the Russian Commander-in-Chief. He flew off, and in a few minutes returned, bearing an order from the headquarters of the Russian troops giving him power to escort me through the Imperial City, with a company of Cossacks as a military guard, so that we could come to no possible harm from snipers or marauding parties.
I was all excitement to be off. I felt like a naughty child, and was afraid to stop a moment, fearing something might still stop me. But we could not start, as there was no horse or pony in the Legation, and the Cossacks had only their necessary number. Von Rahden was a resourceful person, and told me that while I was putting on a riding-habit he would have a horse got ready for me. He sent his men off with the word that some sort of an animal for me to ride must be here in fifteen minutes, and when I was ready to go I found the Cossacks all lined up and Von Rahden holding two of the sorriest, thinnest-looking horses I had ever seen. His men had stopped a stampeded troop of animals out in Legation Street, and these two were the best. The horse he selected was half mad with fear, but I finally managed to mount him, and off we started, lickety split, Von Rahden and myself leading, and the half-company of Cossacks thundering after us. This dashing down deserted streets and rushing up slight grades made me realize that one was no longer a prisoner, at any rate.
We rode for a long time through absolutely deserted streets, at all moments on the _qui vive_ for shots from closed doors, or for a possible ambush at each turning in the road. Our horses shied at corpses in our path, and we were listening for unheard noises from apparently empty houses, many of which had tiny little foreign flags flying from some window or a painted foreign flag roughly executed over the door, the owners hoping these Western insignia might protect their property from looters.
Before entering the Forbidden City we passed through three series of walls, at the entrance to which were piled innumerable dead Chinese, silent proof that many lives were given in the vain attempt to protect the Imperial City; but after we were once inside, these horrors were forgotten in the grandiose landscape gardening, which almost overwhelmed us by its magnificent simplicity. We crossed the wonderful white marble bridges which spanned the artificial waterways, and the glorious lotus-flowers were all in bloom on the banks and partially in the water. They are such gorgeous, big flowers; they are like the Chinese architecture—wonderful in big, sweeping lines. We rode on through this semi-cultured landscape, where every detail was so carefully attended to that the ensemble was a complete joy to the senses, and after the eight weeks we had been barricaded in our Legation district this park seemed like heaven.
We climbed the Coal Hill, and got the only view I ever had of the Purple City. We were at such a height that we could look right down and get a good glimpse of the plan of these palaces, besides obtaining a gorgeous general View of the whole Imperial City. On descending the hill, I must say I was disappointed that the palaces in this Holy of Holies were not more imposing. They were low, long buildings constructed of the gorgeous Imperial yellow tiles. The extraordinarily rich colouring of these buildings made one forget momentarily the plainly low architectural lines. Unfortunately, we had no permission to enter these closely-guarded, mysterious precincts. We hated to leave this spot of beautiful trees, long avenues and vistas, and, above all, the pure air, to return to our half-burnt, wholly ill-smelling Legation district.
At nine o’clock all the Anglo-Saxons sang a _Te Deum_ on the tennis-court. Mr. Norris conducted the service, and Dr. Smith, the author of “Chinese Characteristics,” made a most stirring address. We all surely sang it with hearts full of a thankfulness we had rarely ever before felt.
_August 20._
To-day I took a walk all over the German lines with Mr. von Bergen, Second Secretary of the Legation, and, in fact, all over our old siege lines, and said a cheerful good-bye to it all. To-night Mrs. Squiers has a farewell dinner, and to-morrow, at 6.30 a.m., we start with ourselves and our baggage in United States Army schooners _en route_ to Tungchow, where we take primitive houseboats to sail down the Pei-ho to Tien-tsin. A detachment from the 9th United States Infantry is to accompany us, and everything is to be very military in this escort for the first convoy. How absurd to compare my coming to Peking and my leaving it! I came up on Sir Robert Hart’s private car in a few hours, and will go down to the coast in an antiquated Chinese boat, which will take as many days as the train took hours. And so, floating down the river, I will have much time to think quietly about this wonderful siege, to forget the disagreeable and the bad, and to remember the great and the good.
INDEX
American Legation. See Legations
Armstrong, Miss, 17, 23
Austrian Legation. See Legations
Belgian Legation. See Legations
Below, Von, Secretary to German Legation, 14; effect of siege on, 100
Bergen, Von, Second Secretary to German Legation, 203
Boxers, the, rising of, 7, 16, 23; captures of, 29, 35, 76, 152; outrages by, 38, 57
Brent, Mrs., 17
British Legation. See Legations
Bruce, Admiral, 197
Bruce, Mount, 2; ascent of, 4
Carles, Mr., British Consul at Tien-tsin, 148, 149
Cartier, M. de, 142
Cassini, Countess Marguerite, 5
Chaffee, General: arrival at Tien-tsin, 158; the relief of Peking, 177, 181, 199; a funeral incident, 184; the convoy to Tien-tsin, 187, 197
Chamot, Swiss proprietor of the Peking Hotel, provides food for the besieged, 114
Cheshire, Mr., American Legation, waiting for the relief troops, 15, 21; his bravery, 77
Ch’ien Men Gate, burning of, 25; firing of cannon from, 69; arrival of the relief force, 179
China, Empress of, and Prince Ching, 132; and Li Hung Chang, 163, 164
Ching, Prince, head of the Tsung-li Yamen, 69, 92; correspondence with the besieged, 132, 137, 138
Christians, Chinese, outrages on, 35, 38; located at the Fu, 75, 132; their want of food, 161
Churchill, Colonel, British Military Attaché to Japan, 180, 196
Cologan, Señor, Spanish Minister at Peking, 43; his illness, 120
Coltman, Dr. and Mrs., American physician at Peking, 20, 52, 79
Conger, Mr. and Mrs., American Minister at Peking, 52, 62, 120; message from the Yamen, 136; a funeral incident, 184; his naïveness, 198
Dana Collection, the, 14
Dosio, Père, the Superior of Nan-t’ang, his loss of mind, 131; Chinese outrage on, 176
Dutch Legation. See Legations
Favier, Archbishop, the Superior of Pei-t’ang, 37, 194
Feng-tai railway-station, 4; burning of, 8
Fisher, a marine, death of, 125
Food-supply during the siege, 58, 73, 85, 106, 108, 109; an amusing incident, 146
French Legation. See Legations
Fu, the, Chinese Christians located at, 72, 132, 161
Fukushima, General, commander of the Japanese relief forces, 167
Gamewell, Rev., a missionary, a mainstay to the besieged, 112, 193
Gaselee, General, commander of British relief forces, 149, 167, 176
German Legation. See Legations
Giers, M. de, Russian Minister at Peking, 43, 120; message from the Yamen, 136; and the Americans, 186
Giers, Madame de, her wonderful help in nursing, 143
Hanlin Library, the, 107, 116
Hart, Sir Robert, Inspector-General of Customs, 13, 18, 50; death of Oliphant, 105; letters from the Yamen, 139, 151
Ha Ta Men Gate, defence of, 22, 33, 92
Hsu Ching Cheng, Director of Imperial University, 156
“International” cannon, the, 116
Italian Legation. See Legations
James, Dr. H., 75; murder of, 76
Japanese Legation. See Legations
Joostens, M., Belgian Minister, 141, 142
Jung Lu, communications with the besieged, 132, 134, 159
Kempff, Admiral, 14, 16, 17
Ketteler, Baron von, German Minister at Peking: Boxer incident, 24, 25; murder of, 45; discovery of body, 194
Kettles, Mr., the Belgian Consul, 141
Knobel, M., Dutch Minister at Peking, 43, 120; the chicken episode, 146, 147
Kroupensky, Mr., Russian Secretary, 23
Legations: Boxer outrages, 7 _et seq._; arrival of the marines, 15; weakness of the American, 18, 31; waiting for the relief party, 21, 27; attempts to burn, 25 _et seq._; alarming state of, 31; rescue of Chinese Christians, 35 _et seq._; Chinese offer an escort to the coast, 42, 159; murder of Baron von Ketteler, 45, 194; strength of the British Legation, 48, 72; American women and children transferred to the British, 48, 50; American missionaries brought in, 49; life in, 50 _et seq._, 119 _et seq._; evacuation and burning of the Belgian, 56; attempt on the Dutch, 57; supply of food, 58 _et seq._, 86, 108 _et seq._, 160; in great danger, 61 _et seq._; evacuation of Austrian and fright of the French, 63; general panic, 64; fighting the fire, 65 _et seq._; the crowded hospital, 74, 90, 91, 102, 103, 105, 116, 142, 143; a sortie, 75; murder of Dr. James, 76; armistice, 78; renewed attacks on, 80 _et seq._; attack on German, 92 _et seq._; an unsuccessful sortie, 95; racial friendships and animosities, 95, 96, 121, 122, 135; Japanese valour, 97; boldness of the Chinese, 98; successful charge down the wall, 99, 100; funerals, 102 _et seq._; discovery and successful use of an old cannon, 115, 116; plague of flies, 123, 124; Captain Strouts mortally wounded, 125; a bad day, 125 _et seq._, wave of despondency, 129 _et seq._; a missionary becomes insane, 131; communications with the Yamen, 132-134, 136, 145, 151, 159, 163, 169; Chinese send in food, 138; news of the relief force, 140; a chicken episode, 146; messenger sent to Tien-tsin, 149; description of the barricades, 151 _et seq._; letters from Tien-tsin, 157; food running short, 160; more severe attacks, 165, 168, 171; good news, 167; arrival of the relief force, 171 _et seq._; the question of loot, 191; the state of the German Legation, 193; discovery of mines, 193
Li Hung Chang, 163; and the Empress of China, 164, 165; purchase of guns, 171
Linqua Su, temple of, description of, 2; defence of, 9, 10
Lippitt, Dr., 34; wounded, 91, 142; typhoid fever, 186
M^cCalla, Captain, in command of the Japanese marines, 15; returns to Tien-tsin, 16; and the relief party, 21, 34
Macdonald, Sir Claude, British Minister at Peking, elected Commander-in-Chief, 120, 121; and Von Rostand, 122; Communications from the Yamen, 132, 133; and the relief force, 173, 179, 186
Macdonald, Lady, and her children, 17; and Baroness von Ketteler, 46; lodges the American missionaries in the chapel 50; food-supply, 85, 160
McKinley, President of the United States, forbids looting, 191
Magi-poo, rioting at, 14
Mallory, Colonel, sends news to the besieged, 158
Marines, the, arrival at Peking, 15; on the sick-list, 34; sorties, 35, 41, 99; death of Captain Strouts, 126; the relieving force, 179, 187
Martin, Dr. A. W. P., Director of Imperial University in Peking, 23; and the fire at the Legations, 68
Melotte, Chevalier de, his gallant defence, 56; arrival of the relief force, 175, 177
Merghelynckem, M., First Secretary of Belgian Legation, 56; saves the life of the French commanding officer, 117
Methodist Mission, burning of, 57
Mills, Colonel, General Chaffee’s Chief of Staff, 196
Missions: arming of, 34, 35; removal into the Legations, 49, 51; work of Protestant and Roman Catholic missionaries, 57; burning of Methodist, 57
Morrison, Dr., _Times’_ correspondent: his kindness, 9; stoned by rioters, 14; his advice to the Legation Ministers, 44; his hard work and cheerfulness, 69; and the Chinese Christians at the Fu, 75; wounded, 126
Myers, Captain, commander of the American marines in Peking, 17, 18, 21; makes successful sorties, 25, 99, 100; his hardships, 33; saves the Dutch Legation, 57; wounded, 103, 186
Nan-t’ang, burning of the, 131
Narahara, death of, 142
Neih, Chinese General, defeat and suicide of, 141
Norregarde, a Swedish missionary, becomes insane, 131
Norris, Rev., English chaplain at Peking: the funeral of Oliphant, 105; works hard on the fortifications, 118; holds thanksgiving service, 203
Oliphant, funeral of, 105
Pei-t’ang, the Roman Catholic fortress cathedral, 36, 37; relief of, 194
Peking—see also Legations: Boxer rising, 7 _et seq._; burning of Feng-tai, 8; positions of the Legations, 12; telegraph broken, 21; assassination of the Japanese Chancellor, 22; burning of the missions, etc., 24 _et seq._; fires in, 25 _et seq._; description of, 26; treachery of the Imperial Chinese troops, 45, 47; burning of the Belgian Legation, 56; burning of the Hanlin Library, 71; entry of the relief force, 173 _et seq._; looting, 192
Pethick, William, Li Hung Chang’s private secretary, 11; his opinion of the state of China, 19, 20; his advice on the Yamen communication, 132; and the antique China episode, 165
Pichon, M., the French Minister in Peking, 43, 78, 87, 120; the Legion of Honour, 139
Poole, Dr., surgeon to the British Legation, 50, 52, 53, 59; the Legation fire, 68
Porcelain, antique, 14
Rahden, Baron von, commander of Russian Legation force, 25, 30, 96; and his undrilled soldiers, 110; the defences of the Legations, 152; the forbidden city, 200
Reilly, Captain, death of, 184
Roman Catholics in Peking, 36, 114
Rostand, Von, Austrian Chargé d’Affaires, 117; and Sir Claude Macdonald, 121
Russian Legation. See Legations
Salvago Raggi, Marquis, 43, 86, 120
Seymour, Admiral, 44, 51
Shiba, Colonel, Japanese commander at Peking: a sortie, 75; description of, 95, 148
Shimonoseki, Treaty of, 163
Squiers, Herbert, Secretary of the American Legation, 6; _en route_ for Peking, 10; his collection of antique porcelains, 14; his hospitality, 15, 49, 73; beginning of the siege, 22; sends communication to Tien-tsin, 28, 29, 34; removal to the British Legation, 53; renovates an old cannon, 115; becomes Sir Claude Macdonald’s chief of staff, 134; communications with the Yamen, 136; the defences of the Legations, 152; leads a sortie, 179; Sir Claude Macdonald’s opinion of, 186
Squiers, Fargo, his brave adventure, 58; and the Legation fire, 68
Strouts, Captain, commander of the British marines in Peking, 18; a sortie, 25; Legation fire, 30; mortally wounded, 125
Su, Prince, 98
Taku Forts, taking of, 49
Tien-tsin, first relief force sent to Peking from, 15; message received by besieged from, 140; the capture of, 141, 158
Tsung-li Yamen, the Chinese Foreign Office, send a guard to protect the temple of Linqua Su, 6; Swedish missionary’s interview with, 131; communicates with the Legations, 136 _et seq._, 145, 159, 166, 169; send in food, 139
Tung Fu-hsiang, 51, 92
“Tungchou,” the Roman Catholic church, burning of, 24
Velde, Dr., German surgeon at Peking, the excellence of his work, 73, 109, 113, 143
Waller, Colonel, 177, 196
Warren, Mr., mortally wounded, 124
Water Gate, entry of Sikhs through the, 174
THE END
BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD
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