as rex was returning to breakfast in a state of exceeding bad temper, he met sandwich, who said: “sir claude?s 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 don?t like having your good deeds talked about.”
“i don?t 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[149] 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.
[150]
“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 shan?t 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[151] 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 austrians? chargé d?affaires, 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[152]!”
“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 hadn?t 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 don?t know how we should get on[153] 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 o?clock 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[154] 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.[155] 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[156] 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 enemy?s 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[157] 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 envoy?s 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.
[158]
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.
why the boxers should not have utilized this commanding position is a mystery, and as inexplicable as their failure to use the gun on the opposite side of the market. this question was, too, a fertile cause of argument. in many respects the chinese showed a good deal of intelligence in their attacks, and it was simply astounding that they should almost entirely neglect two points from which they could have done us more harm than from all others together. some asserted that it must be due to officers in ching?s force, men who, like himself, absolutely disapproved of the attack upon the legations. but whatever the reason, all agreed that had the enemy utilized these two positions, the defence of the legations must sooner or later have broken down.
“they are a curious mixture,” sandwich said. “sometimes they seem to fight very pluckily, and then when they[159] have really got the best of it they seem to hesitate in an unaccountable manner. twice, you see, it has really been open to them, if they had made a push, to take possession of the american and german legations and they might also have captured the french; then all of a sudden their attack ceased without any apparent reason. again, when they had captured the walls, which really placed us almost at their mercy, they let themselves be driven off by less than a hundred men. considering the force that they have at their disposal, they ought to have repulsed the attack with ease. then they did actually repel our attack on the other side of the market, but the moment they had done so they withdrew the gun and ceased to harass us. they have any number of guns at their disposal, and might have planted a score of them there, in which case they could have battered down the whole length of our wall on that side in a few hours. now they have stuck those guns up there and play right down into the residency, yet they leave unworked the one formidable piece they have at that point.”
“it almost looks, sandwich, as if they were divided into two parties, one using some sort of activity in order to take the place, the other thwarting them at every turn. that is the only explanation i can think of. it is a pity that one can?t get at some of the leaders. i don?t mean, of course, that prince tung could be bribed, but there must be some smaller princes and mandarins who would be amenable to a handsome offer, and who would go round to the side of prince ching, who we do know is dead against the tung party. the best plan, though i don?t for a moment suggest that it is possible, would be to kidnap the empress, and bring her in here in a sedan–chair.”
sandwich laughed.
“that certainly would be a grand move, but, short of the[160] power of making invisible the empress, the chair, and its bearers, i am afraid there is no way of doing it.”
“no, i am afraid not. certainly it could only be done by someone who knows the palace and its ways perfectly. we may take it for granted that all the approaches are guarded, and that it would be absolutely impossible for anyone who is not perfectly familiar with the place to make his way in. that is the difficulty. i suppose that if a man could once make an entrance and hide up, he would be able to get at the empress. she must be alone sometimes, and if he could get at her at such a time and put a pistol to her head, he might be able to get her out. i don?t suppose she would be less amenable to persuasion of that sort than other women.”
sandwich burst into a fit of laughter.
“you are a curious fellow, bateman. i do believe you would be mad enough to try it if you could see the slightest possibility of success.”
rex joined in the laugh.
“i am not sure that i wouldn?t. it would be well worth risking one?s life to save the occupants of these legations, but i confess i do not see a possibility of carrying out the idea, at any rate without the assistance of someone who knows every in and out of the place, where the guards are placed, what are the habits of the empress, how she occupies every minute of the day, and all that sort of thing. if a man had learnt all that, and had got such a guide, i should say that it would be possible. in case of failure, however, he would have to be prepared to put an end to himself, so as to avoid a very much more unpleasant form of death. but it is useless to think of it, as i have no idea whatever of the geography of the forbidden city, or the routine of life there. it is a pity, for it would really be worth trying.”
“it is a pity,” sandwich laughed. “can?t you suggest any[161] other plan? for instance we might make a balloon, anchor it over the palace, and keep up a rain of greek fire till we have destroyed the palace and all its occupants.”
“i am afraid that could not be done,” rex said, “there are many reasons against it, but it is a thousand pities that we have not a good stock of iron here and a smelting–furnace.”
“what would you do with that?”
“well we might make a big mortar, say a two–foot mortar; it would not need to be very strong, because a small charge of powder would be sufficient for our purpose. if we could but drop a half a dozen shells into the imperial palace, i should think the empress would be inclined to come to terms speedily if she did not want the palace and all its contents burned.”
“that is a more feasible idea than the last,” sandwich said gravely; “but, as you say, we haven?t got iron or a smelting–furnace, nor powder, nor skill. if we had all these things we might manage it. try again, old man. if you keep on inventing things you may hit upon something good some day or other.”
“my opinion is,” rex said sturdily, “that where there is a will there is a way. i have no doubt that when a certain ingenious fellow suggested making a wooden horse to capture troy he was tremendously chaffed at first, but nevertheless you see he succeeded.”
“so he did, rex, therefore clearly there is a chance for you.”
“i am afraid not,” rex said, shaking his head gravely.
“well, i would go on thinking, bateman, if i were you. for myself i own that i see no way at all, but i do think that you would be more likely to invent a way than anyone else, considering the manner in which you rescued your cousins from the boxers, and your success in getting in and[162] out of this place, to say nothing of the convoying of those native christians into the legation. i believe that if a plan could be hit upon, you would be the fellow to do it, and to carry it out; but i am afraid that this is beyond you.”
“i am afraid so; still, i shall keep on thinking the matter over. i am a great believer in the saying that where there is a will there is a way.”
the next morning there was quite a stir. the chinese had discovered an old iron cannon in one of the shops of legation street. it was an old chinese gun, and it was a question whether it could be fired without bursting. the russians had brought up some shell with them, but no gun, and after cleaning out the gun, they found that these shell would fit it moderately well. with some trouble the gun was mounted on the wheels of a hand carriage. some of the charge was then removed from one of the russian shells, and, the onlookers having retired to a safe distance, it was pushed home and fired. the result was grand; the gun turned over and over, the wheels went into fragments, but as the spectators ran up, a cheer broke from them, for they found that, contrary to all expectations, the gun had not burst. the one–pounder italian gun was then brought up, and the chinese gun mounted upon it. this suggested the happy idea of utilizing the italian gun, which was without shell. a quantity of leaden candlesticks was therefore brought in by the coolies, melted down, and cast into shot, and thus the legation received the addition of two guns to its armament. both proved very useful. they were brought up to assist in the defence of any point seriously threatened, and evidently created a considerable impression upon the assailants.
on sunday, july 8th, the chinese made a heavier attack than usual. the british and french legations and the fu were all subject to this attack. on the spot from which they[163] had set fire to the buildings behind the chinese secretary?s house the enemy now planted a gun, and proceeded to shell the house and the fort on its roof. this did considerable damage, and caused much excitement, but after firing for some time they stopped in the same unaccountable way as they had done at other points. the defenders had begun to make a slide for the purpose of hauling their new gun up to the roof, but this was abandoned as soon as the chinese fire ceased, as the gun was urgently wanted to aid the japanese to repel a serious attack upon the fu.
the attack there was a very sharp one, the chinese keeping up a heavy fire of shell, and setting some more of the buildings in flames. the japs, however, were in the end successful in driving the enemy off. the defenders of the french legation were very hardly pressed for a time, but the attack was finally repulsed. at this point the austrian captain, who had a fortnight before ordered the troops out of the russian, french, german, and american legations, was killed fighting bravely. the germans and americans had also to fight hard to repel the attacks made upon them.
rex always looked forward greatly to his hour?s chat with the girls every evening. he had, early in the siege, introduced sandwich and three or four of the other consular students to them, and one or more of these generally accompanied him on his visits, so that they made quite a merry party, as there were generally many amusing incidents of the day to be related. as a rule, however, they chatted upon general topics—life in tientsin, the prospects of relief, and other matters. sandwich had caused great amusement, the evening after he and rex had discussed the latter?s projects, by gravely detailing them to the girls, who, however, at first seemed a little alarmed lest rex should endeavour to carry them into effect.
[164]
“you need not be afraid, girls,” rex said. “one must think of something while one is standing on sentry for hours; and i can assure you that it helped me very much through the long hours to imagine the various ways in which one might do service. i do not intend to take sandwich into my confidence in the future. i consider that his retailing these ideas to you is nothing short of gross treachery. in future he will not hear of these matters until they have been accomplished. when i bring the empress into the legation, tied on my back in a sack, he will be obliged to own that there is method in my madness.”
“but really, rex, you have no idea of carrying out any of these mad schemes?”
“i have no idea of carrying out any mad schemes, jenny. schemes are only considered mad when they are not carried out; when they are accomplished, everyone says how simple and easy they are. however, whether mad or simple, i have no idea of attempting to execute any of them at present. possibly some day i may require your assistance. i do not say that i shall, because i have not at present fixed upon any plan, but when i do, i may put your devotion to the test.”
“i will do anything that i can do, rex,” jenny said seriously. “after your rescue of us from the yamen at chafui i don?t think i should consider anything that you might suggest as impossible.”
“very well. i am afraid, however, that i shan?t be able to ask for your assistance, jenny, for my brain really doesn?t seem capable of inventing anything. i am always thinking of things when on sentry, but i have never managed to hit on a satisfactory scheme. it is horribly annoying. i came back into this place on purpose to be of some good, and yet i don?t seem to be doing any good at all.”
“why, my dear bateman, you are doing as much good as[165] anyone else,” sandwich laughed. “nobody else performs any out–of–the–way feats, and why should you be called upon to do so? you do as much as anyone else.”
“yes, i know all about that; but, you see, every day our position gets a little worse. the french, the americans, and the germans are all hard pressed; the japanese, the italians, and the austrians are gradually losing ground in the fu; and i feel that something ought to be done, if i could but find out what that something is. if we had had some inventive sort of chap up here—a man like edison, for instance—he would have hit upon fifty plans for annoying the enemy. he would have invented special electrical machines for startling them, would have contrived substitutes for cannon, would have peppered them with pneumatic machines; in fact there is no saying what he would not have done.”
“but even an edison would have required a workshop. we haven?t a machine of any kind, not even a simple lathe.”
“well, he would have done without them,” rex said positively. “it vexes me very much that no one here seems to have an inventive genius. look at archimedes, what wonderful dodges he invented for the defence of syracuse!”
sandwich and his two companions laughed loudly.
“i am afraid there is no archimedes here, bateman, and you must put up with the ordinary means of defence, which do not, after all, succeed so badly. we have held out for a month now, and at the end of another month we shall still be in possession of a good deal of ground; but by that time i should think relief must be at hand, even allowing for the fact that there will be troops of half a dozen nationalities in the relieving column and the consequent delays, for it is not to be expected that the different sections will work well together. besides, it is evident, from the desultory manner[166] in which they attack, that the chinese are very much divided among themselves. look at the way they get guns into good positions to annoy us, and then fail to use them. if they were to plant cannon all round us and keep up a steady fire, they could knock all the legations to pieces in the course of a week. this must be due to disputes among the leaders, for we know that the chinese soldiers are obedient as well as brave, and that if the guns are not used it can be from no fault on their part. i feel very confident, therefore, that even without the assistance of an edison or an archimedes we shall manage to hold out till relief comes.”
a day or two after this, sandwich and rex were chatting together in their own quarters, when the former said: “those cannon will soon bring the whole place about our ears. they have already done terrible damage. to–day three men have been killed, and the house is little better than a ruin; it is impossible for men to stay in the upper floor.”
rex sat silent for some little time, and then, without making a remark, got up and went to find ah lo.
“ah lo,” he said, “you know the damage those guns across the market have been doing?”
“yes, master, very serious. other guns not do so much harm; those very bad.”
“well, i am thinking that i might go out and silence them.”
ah lo looked at rex by the light of a lantern, which was hanging overhead, to see if he were speaking in earnest.
“master would get killed,” he said, shaking his head.
“i don?t think so, ah lo. of course there is some danger in it, but i think that it might be managed.”
“ah lo is ready to go with his master, if he chooses to kill himself,” the chinaman said; “but killed he would be for sure[167].”
“i don?t think so,” rex said. “anyhow, it is worth the risk. they will have that house down, and the wall behind it, if they are allowed to go on much longer. then there will be a fierce rush and all will be over.”
“but how will master do it?”
“well, i shall take a hammer and a long spike with me, and if you go with me—but mind you, ah lo, i don?t ask you to go——“
“you must take me too.”
“very well then, as only two guns are worrying us, you take one and i take the other. we can do it in half a minute. of course you must manage to get me some native disguise, for we shall have to mix with the enemy to some extent, they are sure to be sitting and talking round the guns. and then we must run for it.”
“can?t run across the market. we know that there are lots of them in the houses on this side of it.”
“no, i quite see that, ah lo. we must run the other way. i think i can run faster than most chinamen, and if we get a start of a few yards, which is likely, as they will not at first realize what has been done, we ought to be able to escape and find a secure hiding–place. then the next day we can work our way back at some point the enemy are not watching.”
“very well, master,” ah lo said in a more hopeful tone; “when do you go, sir?”
“i will go to–morrow night, as we shall require some time to make our preparations. mind, you are not to say a word to anyone of what we are going to do, for if he heard of it, it is possible that sir claude macdonald would stop us.”
“ah lo will tell nobody, master. it is all the same to him whether he is killed outside or starved inside.”
rex went to bed, and lay awake for some time thinking[168] how the affair had best be managed. he came to the conclusion that the only way would be to lower himself by a rope from the end of the burnt library, then make his way round and come up to the guns from behind. it struck him that it would perhaps be advisable to tie knots in the rope as a help to them when they were climbing back again, but in the end he decided to make a rope–ladder, for he had a strong idea that neither ah lo nor himself would be able to swarm up a rope. when morning broke he went down to the store, which he unlocked, and after rummaging about for some time found a long rope, two hammers, and some long spike–nails. he hid the hammers and spikes in his bed, and then, retiring to an unfrequented corner of the residency, he soon manufactured a rope–ladder, cutting some boughs to form the rungs. this ladder he concealed near the spot where he intended to get over the wall.
later in the day ah lo brought him a chinese dress.
“we take guns with us, sir?”
“no, ah lo, they would only be in our way when we wanted to run. we can, however, hide our swords under our clothes, and i will get a revolver and ammunition for you. i can borrow them from mr. sandwich, telling him that i am going on guard, and that my own weapon has somehow got out of order.”
the day passed off quietly, except that the guns across the market still continued to batter the house and to make a breach in the wall behind it. soon after midnight ah lo joined his master. rex?s disguise had been laid down by the rope–ladder, and as soon as he got there he changed and prepared for a start. they got safely over the wall and then struck off in a direction opposite to the market. for some time they saw no one in the streets, but as they got farther away they here and there met people hurrying along, evidently[169] fearful of being within the range of the firing from the wall. when they had gone some distance they turned and made a sweep towards the market. now they came upon groups of soldiers. firing had ceased for the day, and would not begin again until two or three hours before daybreak. an occasional bullet whistled overhead, showing that the garrison were on the alert; for although the firing generally ended with the day, yet fierce attacks were often made during the night.
rex and ah lo sauntered quietly about among the soldiers, gradually getting nearer and nearer to the spot where the guns were placed.
“i suppose we can look at them,” said ah lo, who with several others was standing near them.
“certainly you can,” the man said. “they are doing good work. in another couple of days we shall have the wall down, and then we shall finish off with the white devils.”
“that is good,” ah lo said.
“they have been here too long as it is, and ought to be cleared off without delay. when we have got rid of the last of them we shall be our own masters again. they are always meddling in our affairs, just as if they were our masters instead of only living here by permission of the empress. they even venture to tell us what we should do, and their bishops get made mandarins, and then, if their people commit crimes, they will not have them punished. we have put up with it too long; now we are going to make an end of it once and for all.”
“quite right!” ah lo said, as he lounged up to the gun, for at that? moment rex moved towards the other. while they pretended to be examining the guns, they quietly inserted the points of the spikes into the touch–holes. then rex looked round. the moment seemed favourable. eight[170] or ten soldiers were standing close to them, talking over the fighting of the day, and the prospect of making a breach in the morning. farther back other soldiers were laughing, talking, and cooking their rice. he waited a minute, and then signalled to ah lo. on the instant two heavy hammers fell on the heads of the spikes. with three quick strokes they drove them up to the head in the touch–holes, then, throwing down the hammers, they started off at full speed.
the soldiers shouted as they saw the spikes being driven in, but the strikers had gone some thirty or forty yards before they had sufficiently recovered from their surprise to think of pursuit. rex and ah lo increased their lead to fifty yards before their pursuers had fairly got up their pace. they turned down the first lane they came to and then down another. glancing back, rex saw that so far they were holding their own, except that two boxers, swifter than the rest, were some yards ahead of the main body of their pursuers. the chinamen, as they ran, set up a perpetual shouting, which did not improve their speed.
“we must get rid of these two men,” said rex, speaking for the first time since they started. “slacken your speed a little and let them come up to us, then suddenly turn round upon them.”
“all right, sir!” ah lo said.
“i shall use my revolver, ah lo, you can use either your revolver or your sword, whichever you like.”
rex?s revolver cracked out.
[171]
a minute later the two foremost of the pursuers came rushing upon them, but the sudden pause of the fugitives had left them no time to draw their swords. rex?s revolver cracked out, laying one of them low, and ah lo, using his sword, struck the other with such force that he nearly decapitated him. there was a shout of rage from the party behind. rex and his companion, needless to say, did not stop to listen, but at once turned and continued their flight. they ran down till they were brought up suddenly at the end of a lane where a house rose straight in front of them. it was too late to retrace their steps.
“what is to be done, master?” ah lo asked.
“we must break in the door, if it is not open.”
the first door they tried, however, was unfastened. they entered, shot the bolt to, and ran to the back of the house. they were disappointed, however, for there was no opening through which they could escape. without wasting time they turned and ran upstairs to a terrace on the top of the house. here a number of clothes flapped in the wind; it was evidently the family drying–ground.
“we can defend this ladder for a bit, ah lo, but they must beat us in the end. let us scramble up to the other end of the street.”
looking down they saw that the lane was now full of soldiers, some of whom carried lanterns. it was no easy matter getting along on the roofs, as the houses were irregular in height. sometimes they had to jump down ten or twelve feet, at others to help each other up walls of equal height. they were some distance along when they heard a sudden shout, and knew that their pursuers had broken down the door of the house and had entered, and another that told that the enemy had gained the roof and found that it was deserted. in a short time lanterns appeared on the roofs of some of the houses, but the fugitives were already within a house or two of the end of the lane.
“the streets are full of people,” rex said, peering over. “we can?t get down here. we must jump upon the house behind; it is four or five feet lower than this, so we shall have no difficulty[172].”
without hesitation he stood upon the parapet behind and leapt. ah lo followed his example.
“now,” said rex, “let us run down. the house will probably be empty, as the family is sure to run out to see what the row is about.”
there were, indeed, some women standing in the lower room, and these gave a cry of astonishment when the two fugitives rushed past them through the open door and joined the people who were hurrying up to the other end of the lane. now that they were mixed up in the crowd, rex felt that there was little fear of being detected. only the soldier they had been talking to would know their faces, and as he had been among the first to take up the pursuit he must now be down at the farther end of the next lane, or more probably on the roof of the house they had entered. as the crowd was already very dense, he could not possibly make his way back.
suddenly flames broke out from one of the houses they had crossed, and soon it was seen that other houses were on fire also. a cry of dismay broke from the chinese standing near. they were accustomed to high–handed proceedings, for many houses had been burnt by the boxers in the pursuit of plunder or in their indignation at failing to find any. they had now evidently fired the houses as the easiest way of destroying the fugitives, who had shown that they would sell their lives dearly.
gradually rex and ah lo withdrew themselves to the edge of the excited crowd. many of the people were already moving off to carry their goods from the houses in the adjoining lanes, for the wind was blowing strong, and there was no saying how far the conflagration would spread, as the houses were but flimsy erections, being composed chiefly of bamboo and mud, which would catch like tinder when attacked[173] by the flame. they moved away from the scene gradually, and without any appearance of haste. the alarm had evidently spread some distance, for they met a fire–brigade of men carrying tubs of water slung on poles hurrying towards the spot. people were standing at their doors watching the blaze, and calculating whether, if it spread, it would come their way.
“well, ah lo,” rex said, “you see it has not been a very dangerous business after all, and if those two soldiers we killed had not been so fast we might have got away without being pressed at all.”
“it was very unfortunate for them,” ah lo said quietly, “and i don?t suppose they knew what they were running for. very few of them could have known that we had spiked the guns. it was lucky that those two houses were so close to each other that we were able to leap across, otherwise they might have had us.”
“i don?t think they would, even in that case, ah lo. we might really have gone down through that last house and joined the crowd there.”
“we might, master, but i don?t think we could. everyone had run to the streets by that time, and doubtless many were standing at their doors, and would have noticed two strange men running behind them.”
“at any rate we are well out of it, ah lo. we can now walk quietly round and go up our ladder; but mind you do not say a word to anyone about this affair.”
“why not, master?” ah lo asked in surprise.
“for two or three reasons. in the first place, the governor might blame us for undertaking a business of that sort without asking permission. you see, although i did not think so at the time, any chinaman coming along there and seeing that ladder might have gone and reported the fact,[174] and by its means a large number of the enemy might have crossed the wall before they were discovered, and the safety of the garrison would then have been endangered. that is one reason. the next is, that i don?t want everyone to be making a fuss now that it is over. some might blame me for my recklessness, while others might pat me on the back because of my success. that is a thing that i should specially hate. we did not do it for praise, but to be of service to the garrison. for these reasons i want you to hold your tongue, and not whisper a word to anyone. we are quite content that we have rendered good service to the legation, saved many lives, and put the garrison in a position to repair damages unmolested. that ought to be satisfaction enough for anyone.”
“very good, master; ah lo will keep his mouth shut if master wishes it. he is not a talker, and now that he knows what master wishes he will do it.”
half an hour?s walking brought them to the foot of the ladder, and having climbed over the wall they coiled up the rope again, and rex took it to the magazine and put it where he had found it. then, satisfied that he had done a good piece of work, he went and lay down until it was his turn to go on sentry.
the next morning there was considerable surprise when it was found that the two troublesome guns were silent. it was some time before there was any thought of making good the damage, but as the hours went by, and there was still no firing, a strong body of men was put on to repair the defences as fast as possible.
many were the surmises and conjectures circulated through the residency as to the cause of the change. some said that the peace party had again got the upper hand, and that fresh terms had been offered. others asserted that fresh[175] cannon had been planted round the residency, and that the others were to hold their fire till these were ready for action, when an overwhelming fire would be poured in. some again were of opinion that the soldiers had mutinied on account of the heavy losses they had sustained without making any appreciable progress, while a few maintained that the relieving army must be near at hand, and that every fighting–man had been sent out to oppose them. the next morning sandwich came into the room where rex was eating his breakfast after being relieved from guard.
“you know, rex,” he said excitedly, “about those two guns being silenced.”
“yes. i suppose everyone in the residency knows about it,” rex replied quietly.
“i have just heard a report that your servant asserts that it was your doing.”
rex jumped up with an angry exclamation.
“the rascal! i will break every bone in his body. he promised me faithfully that not a word about it should pass his lips.”
“then it is really true?” sandwich said in surprise.
“true! yes, but i was particularly anxious that it should not be known, so that i should escape the fuss that people are always ready to make about every little thing. i will go out and talk to master ah lo. i can?t think how he can have spoken about it after his promises to me, for he has always proved himself a most faithful fellow. i can?t believe he did it to get a reward, but i don?t see any other motive that he can have had.”
so saying he hurried out of the room, followed by sandwich, who in vain attempted to get some of the particulars from him. he found ah lo standing with the provost marshal?s hand on his shoulder.
[176]
“your servant has been making a row,” the latter said, “and thrashing a servant of the belgian embassy.”
“yes, sir, and i would thrash him again,” ah lo blurted out.
“what has he done?” rex asked, calming down instantly on seeing his man in this predicament.
“it was like this, sir. the belgian man came up to three or four of us who were standing together, and he said, ?do you know who did it?? so we all said ?no,? and i said it as loud as any of them. then he said ?i did.? we all stood astonished, one as much as the other; and he went on: ?i crept out of the russian legation and made my way through the market and got up to the guns and silenced them!? then, sir, i was furious, and i shouted, ?you are a liar! my master did it,? and i seized him by the throat and beat him. i know i was wrong, master, to say anything about you, but my rage was too great for me to think what i was saying. then others ran in, and of course the provost marshal came, and having once said it, of course i repeated it.”
“you were wrong, ah lo, but at the same time i can make allowances for your indignation. now that the thing has begun it must be gone through with. provost, will you take this man before sir claude macdonald? we will go too, and i think between us we will get at the truth of the matter.”
“i am ready,” the belgian said, “you both wish to win my honour and reward from me, after my risking my life. sir claude macdonald will soon see which story is true.”
“i have no doubt he will,” rex said. “we had better go at once, provost, or we shall have the whole of the legation here,” for a crowd was rapidly gathering round them.
when they reached the ambassador?s quarters the provost went in first to acquaint him with the cause of the dispute,[177] and then the others entered. sir claude acknowledged rex?s salute, and then, turning to the belgian, said: “as you seem to have made the first claim to this honour, i shall be obliged if you will give me the account of how you managed it.”
“i went out through the back of the russian embassy,” the man said; “there is a little tower close to the corner.”
“but that is known to be full of chinese.”
“it was full,” the man said, “but they were all asleep. then i passed through the market–place unobserved.”
“how was that?” sir claude asked. “only the night before we made a sortie, and found the place held in great force.”
“they must all have gone out,” the man said; “i saw none of them. then, creeping very cautiously, i got to the guns,” he continued. “the soldiers there were also asleep, and i silenced the guns without difficulty.”
“and how did you do that?” sir claude asked.
“i,” the man hesitated, “poured some water into the touch–holes from the pitcher i had brought with me. then i returned the way that i had come.”
sir claude waved his hand with a gesture of contempt.
“water could only have silenced the guns for five minutes,” he said. “you know of no better way of silencing them?”
the man hesitated.
“i might have thrown them off the carriage,” he said, “but i was afraid of doing this, as it might have awakened the men.”
“i should think it would,” sir claude said quietly, “and if you had had the strength of ten men you could not have got them over. mr. bateman, will you kindly give me your account of the affair[178]?”
“i am sorry, sir, to give any account at all, for i had particularly ordered my servant not to open his lips on the subject. enraged at this fellow?s preposterous claim, however, he lost his temper and blurted out the truth. it was a very simple affair, sir, though not so simple, i own, as this gentleman?s exploit, for i did not find the whole of the chinese army asleep.” he then related the steps they had taken, their pursuit and escape.
“you agree in every particular with what your master has said?” sir claude asked ah lo.
“he tell it all right; just so, that just how it happen.”
“provost marshal,” sir claude said quietly, “take that man out and give him three dozen well laid on for his infamous attempt to gain credit and reward at the expense of others.”
the provost bowed and left the room with his prisoner, who began to howl for mercy.
“now, mr. bateman,” sir claude said, turning to rex, “i hardly know whether to praise or blame you. this is the third dangerous expedition you have made on your own account, and, like the others, it has been successful. still, as i told you on the last occasion, while shut up here, you, although a civilian, are subject to military rule, and it is strictly forbidden for anyone to leave the circle of the defences without permission. for doing this i cannot but speak severely. on the other hand, the advantages which have been attained by your silencing those guns are quite inestimable. their fire menaced our defences most seriously, and if it had continued many hours longer we should have been exposed to a desperate attack by that half–frenzied mob. that attack we might have repulsed or we might not, but assuredly it would have taxed our strength to the utmost, and even if the first had been unsuccessful, the second might[179] not have been. i thank you, sir, in the name of the whole of the garrison, foreign as well as british, for the service you have rendered us. already the defences have been so far repaired as to enable us to withstand any sudden attack; very soon they will be still stronger. if we succeed in winning our deliverance and holding out till the relieving column arrives it will be to no small extent due to your courage and pluck. it must add considerably to your pleasure to know that your cousins are among those who will benefit by your bravery.”
“i am greatly pleased and honoured by your approval, sir,” rex said, “but i would very much rather that the affair had not been known at all. i carried it out assuredly without any wish of gaining credit, but simply for the good of the garrison, and i should very greatly have preferred escaping the talk and congratulation that i shall now have to submit to.”
sir claude smiled.
“my dear lad,” he said, “it is only right that the great deeds men do should be known, if only as an example to others. if we all shrank from danger there would be few great deeds. you know the old saying, ?to the victor is the wreath,? and it is only right that it should be so. it is one thing to glorify yourself and another to be glorified by others. ah lo, here are fifty guineas from me as a mark of my approbation of the manner in which you assisted your master in carrying out this undertaking.”
in a very short time the story was known throughout the residencies, and rex received so many congratulations and so much praise that he determined to leave pekin as soon as possible and try to join the relieving column.
