Beleaguered in Pekin 16

Beleaguered in Pekin 16

Same date, 4 P.M. The yamen sent word that if we would refrain from

firing they would positively stop all volleys on their side. This was

agreed to, and five hours later, though they had been shooting all day,

they made the most terrific attack of the siege. This was kept up all

night, the very violent attacks being renewed at intervals of about two

hours.

 

* * * * *

 

At 4.30 in the morning, having been up all night under the hottest fire

mortals ever endured, I had just dropped asleep, which even the heavy

shots did not prevent, when I was awakened by the pop, pop, pop, at

regular intervals of only the fraction of a second, of an automatic

gun. As I knew the Chinese had no such gun in their forces, and as our

own Colt’s gun was just outside the British legation gate to prevent

a rush down the moat between the British legation and Lu Wang Fu, I

instantly came to the conclusion that the final rush, which would end

the drama and our lives, was being made.

 

Grasping my double-barreled shotgun, I rose from the floor, where I had

just thrown myself down, and stepped outside in front of the legation

chapel. As I did so I heard the thunder of heavy guns in the direction

of the Tungchow gate. Then the situation was clear. The relief were

outside the city engaging the Chinese troops, and the automatic gun was

not ours, but theirs.

 

I dropped on my knees in the roadway and put up a few words of

thanksgiving to Almighty God, and then, rising, called out the good

news to those inside the houses, in excited tones. Oh, the sweetness

of those sounds! Shall I ever forget how delightful to our ears? How

anxious I felt when they ceased for a few moments, and how happy when

they were resumed!

 

The Chinese attacking us heard them too, and for a while somewhat

slackened their fire to listen; but only for a while, for they kept up

a hot fire all day.

 

Poor Mitchell, the brave American gunner, was wounded in the night,

having his arm broken by a bullet from the Mongol market attack, but

he smiled a grim smile when the guns were heard outside, and remarked:

“Oh, you can keep up your devilish racket now, but in a little while

longer you will be silent enough!”

 

[Illustration: SIKH POLICEMAN

 

The two Oriental types, East Indian and the Chinese, are plainly shown

in this picture. The policeman looms up almost like a giant in the

midst of his Celestial neighbors.]

 

At about four o’clock the Americans on the wall saw men in foreign

uniforms directly opposite them. While the Americans and Japanese

had attacked the Tungchow stone road gate and the Pieu gate, the

English had found the Shahkuo gate entirely open and unguarded, and

had hastened, as directed by our notes of advice, to the water-gate,

directly under the eastern extremity of the American position on the

wall. The Sikhs came pouring up to the gate, which they soon smashed

in, and then the hurrahs that rent the skies told those in the houses

and in the hospital that the siege was over.

 

Just as the relief forces were pouring into the British legation, the

first woman to be wounded during the siege, Mme. Cuillier, a French

woman, was struck by a Mauser rifle bullet in the thigh and seriously,

but not dangerously, wounded.

 

* * * * *

 

The following table shows the number of officers and men who were

killed or wounded, and those who died of disease during the siege:

 

═══════════╤════════════╤════════════╤════════════╤═══════════════════╕

│ Number │ Killed or │ │ Casualties in │

│ of │ died of │ Wounded │ per cent │

│ │ wounds │ │ │

├────────┬───┼────────┬───┼────────┬───┼──────┬──────┬─────┤

│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │

Nationality│Officers│Men│Officers│Men│Officers│Men│Killed│Woun’d│Total│

───────────┼────────┼───┼────────┼───┼────────┼───┼──────┼──────┼─────┤

Am’can │ 3 │ 53│ │ 7│ 2 │ 8│ 12.5 │ 17.8 │ 30.3│

Aust’an │ 5 │ 30│ 1 │ 3│ 3 │ 8│ 11.4 │ 37.4 │ 42.8│

British │ 3 │ 79│ 1 │ 2│ 2 │ 18│ 3.7 │ 24.4 │ 28.1│

French │ 3 │ 45│ 2 │ 9│ │ 37│ 22.9 │ 77.1 │100.0│

German │ 1 │ 50│ │ 12│ │ 15│ 23.5 │ 31.4 │ 54.9│

Jap’nese │ 1 │ 24│ │ 5│ │ 21│ 20.0 │ 84.0 │104.0│

Russian │ 2 │ 79│ │ 4│ 1 │ 18│ 4.9 │ 23.9 │ 28.3│

Italian │ 1 │ 28│ │ 7│ 1 │ 11│ 24.1 │ 41.4 │ 65.5│

───────────┼────────┼───┼────────┼───┼────────┼───┼──────┼──────┼─────┤

Total │ 19 │388│ 4 │ 49│ 9 │126│ 13.1 │ 35.6 │ 48.7│

═══════════╧════════╧═══╧════════╧═══╧════════╧═══╧══════╧══════╧═════╛

 

════════════╤═════════════╤═════════════╤═════════════

│ Died of │Volunt’rs and│ Total

│ disease │ independents│

├────────┬────┼──────┬──────┼──────┬──────

Nationality │Officers│Men │Killed│Woun’d│Killed│Woun’d

────────────┼────────┼────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────

Am’can │ │ │ │ 1 │ 7 │ 11

Aust’an │ │ │ │ │ 4 │ 11

British │ │ │ 3 │ 6 │ 6 │ 26

French │ │ │ 2 │ 6 │ 13 │ 43

German │ │ │ 1(a) │ 1(b) │ 13 │ 16

Jap’nese │ │ │ 5(c) │ 8 │ 10 │ 29

Russian │ │2(d)│ 1 │ 1 │ 7 │ 20

Italian │ │ │ │ │ 7 │ 12

────────────┼────────┼────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────

Total │ │ 2 │ 12 │ 23 │ 67 │ 168

════════════╧════════╧════╧══════╧══════╧══════╧══════

 

a Baron Von Ketteler.

 

b Mr. Cordes.

 

c Includes Captain Anlo.

 

d Cossacks of the Legation.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER VI

 

_REFLECTIONS, INCIDENTS, AND MEMORANDA WRITTEN DURING SIEGE_

 

[Illustration: WANG

 

Minister Conger’s head servant]

 

 

ONE OF the most noticeable effects of siege-life has been to bring

out into prominence all the mean and selfish characteristics of the

individual, as well as the heroic and self-sacrificing. People who

in times of peace pass for very nice, sociable individuals, with no

particularly mean tendencies, when subjected to deprivation in the

food-supply, and their nerves become a bit shattered with the sound of

whistling bullets, the shrieking of flying shells, or the dull thud

followed by the crashing and grinding of solid shot, show up in their

true bedrock character, and are meanness to the core.

 

It has been most interesting to observe the dissolution of previous

friendships, often of years’ standing, and the making of new ones

between individuals formerly more or less at variance. This has come

about sometimes from a man or woman with a sick child, or sick member

of his or her family having no supplies of their own, begging a tin

of milk or a can of soup or some little delicacy or necessity from a

friend having abundance of stores. Upon a flat refusal on the ground

that he has none he can spare, the aforetime friend realizes the depth

of the former friendship and has no wish to continue it.

 

Again, another instance: A gentleman has gone to inquire of a person

in authority in a certain establishment, where he is to move another

gentleman, a mutual friend, ill and unable to take care of himself,

to a place of safety, from quarters no longer tenable, and is told:

“If you have been near the sick man, keep away from me. Do what you

please with him, only keep away from me and mine, as we are fearful

of contagion.” “But what do you advise?” persists the inquirer of his

quondam friend and superior. “I don’t advise anything,” is the reply.

“Is he to be left alone to die or be captured, where he is?” still

persists the anxious friend. “That is none of my business,” is the

heartless answer, destroying a friendship which had existed for twenty

years.

 

Then, too, it has been an interesting study to watch the effects on the

optimistic man and the pessimistic man of the various rumors that have

drifted in through occasional reports from captives or deserters from

the enemy’s troops.

 

The optimist believes that our enemies are discouraged, are short of

ammunition, are fighting among themselves, are firing high purposely

not to injure us; that the relief force is very near, that flashes of

heat lightning are search-lights of our friends, etc.

 

The pessimist believes the powers are fighting among themselves to

prevent relief until no one power has more troops in the relief than

any other; scouts the idea of search-lights; says that the provisions

are nearly exhausted; sees new barricades erected by the enemy every

night; recounts the fatal casualties, increasing each day, and notes

the diminishing strength of the remainder, and, moreover, fully believes and constantly asserts that we are only staving off for a little while an inevitable general massacre.