by Kirk Munroe
CHAPTER XXVI
WAR CLOUDS
China, in her ignorant self-confidence, and goaded to desperation byforeign aggressions, was defying the world. Not only was she killingmissionaries, together with their converts, wherever found, and puttingto shameful death such of her own people, from highest mandarin tolowest coolie, as dared lift a hand to save them or speak a word intheir behalf, but by imperial order Chinese troops were preparing toattack foreign ministers in their own legations. Thus China deliberatelywas about to commit the gravest of international crimes. For sometime the foreign ministers, foreseeing the dangers of the apparentlyuncontrollable Boxer uprising, had been calling upon their respectivegovernments for protection. In response an ever-increasing fleet ofwar-ships was gathered off the mouth of the Pei-ho, which was as nearas they could approach to Pekin. From those ships which first arriveda mixed force of marines, four hundred in all, and representing eightnations, was sent to the capital to act as legation guards, and thetrain that brought them was the last to reach Pekin for many weeks.
These marines arrived on the first day of June, and forty-five of themimmediately were detailed to protect the great northern cathedral, whiletwenty more were sent to the compound of the American Methodist Mission.A week later the Empress Dowager returned to Pekin from her summerpalace in the Western Hills. From that moment the situation grew sorapidly worse that the ministers again telegraphed the foreign fleet tosend at once a strong force for their further protection.
In response to this urgent request Captain McCalla, the senior Americannaval officer with the fleet, declared that he should start for Pekinthe next day. The British admiral, Seymour, promptly proposed to joinhim, and other commanding officers entered so heartily into the projectthat on the following morning, when the expedition started by rail fromTongku, the nearest landing-point, it comprised 2066 troops. Of these112 were Americans, 915 British, 450 Germans, 312 Russians, 158 French,54 Japanese, 40 Italians, and 25 Austrians.
This force, made up of sailors and marines, well provided with lightartillery and rapid-fire guns, set forth in high spirits, expecting toreach Pekin that very night, or, at any rate, within twenty-four hours.Nine days later saw them still twenty miles from their destination,short of ammunition and food, encumbered with two hundred wounded men,cut off from their base of supplies by the destruction of the railwaybehind them, as well as in front, unable to communicate either withPekin or the outside world on account of the telegraph-line havingabsolutely disappeared, while couriers with despatches were caught andkilled as fast as sent out.
From the beginning they had been harassed by hordes of Boxers, and nowthey were confronted by five thousand imperial troops, including astrong body of cavalry, armed with modern rifles and well supplied withartillery. Under the circumstances a farther advance was impossible,and a retreat was ordered. At the end of another week the unfortunateexpedition reached Tien-Tsin exhausted, demoralized, and sadly depletedin numbers, but having learned the bitter lesson that no small forceof foreigners, no matter how brave and well-armed, could traverse theinterior of China against the wishes of the Chinese.
During the absence of this expedition the fleet of war-ships lying offthe Taku bar, at the mouth of the Pei-ho, had been strengthened bynumerous additions. The Taku forts had been captured after six hours offighting, and an army of ten thousand troops had advanced to the reliefof the foreign portion of Tien-Tsin, which was being besieged by Boxersfrom the walled city of Tien-Tsin proper. Now the allied foreign troopsturned their attention to this stronghold and set about its capture; butit held out for three weeks, and did not fall into their hands until the14th of July.
But let us return to the middle of June and the city of Pekin, where ahandful of foreigners, cut off from all communication with the outsideworld, were anxiously but confidently awaiting the coming of theMcCalla-Seymour relief expedition. All sorts of rumors were afloatconcerning its progress and position, and one of these so persistentlyasserted that it would reach the city by the very evening on which Roband Jo entered Pekin that many persons ascended the city wall nearthe American legation, and remained there for hours, straining theireyes for a sight of the expected troops. But they did not come; andas the sun, transformed to a blood-red ball by the smoke from manyconflagrations, disappeared in the lowering west, the disappointed onesreturned to their homes doubly weighted with anxiety.
After dinner that evening two guests sat with the United States ministerand his wife, earnestly discussing the situation. They were an Americantourist and his daughter, who, not realizing the danger of theirposition, had lingered one day too long in Pekin, and then, owing tothe sudden destruction of the railway, found it impossible to leave.The subject of their present conversation was a note from the Tsung LiYamen (Chinese State Department) received by the minister a few hoursearlier. It declared the situation in Pekin to have reached such a stagethat the authorities could not undertake to protect the ministers longerthan twenty-four hours from the date of the note, which also urged theirdeparture, under Chinese escort, for Tien-Tsin.
"Are you going to accept that proposition?" asked the tourist.
"Frankly, I don't know," replied the minister. "Certainly we cannotleave within the time limit specified. It won't do for us to abandon themissionaries, and they declare they will not desert their converts, whomwe, of course, could not take with us."
"What means of transportation should we have if you did decide to leave,now that the railway is no longer in operation?"
"We have demanded carts, boats, provisions, and that a member of theTsung Li Yamen high in authority shall accompany us. This, of course,is playing for delay, that we may have more time in which to hear fromSeymour's expedition. It is now four days since the last word came fromit, and we must know its position before starting. No, I don't believewe will leave within twenty-four hours, though some of my colleaguesthink differently and already are packing their effects."
"My daughter and I will not try to carry out anything but our hand-bags,which can be made ready at a moment's notice," said the tourist.
"You are wise. I shall attempt to carry very little myself, and mybaggage will consist largely of state papers, which already are packedfor transportation."
"Then you are pretty certain that we will go sooner or later?"
"Yes, sooner or later, for the city is growing untenable. The hour ofour departure probably will be decided by the morning advices from theTsung Li Yamen. If no word should come from them, Von Ketteler, whodoes not agree that it is necessary for us to leave Pekin, declares hewill go to them and demand satisfactory guarantees for our safety."
"It will be a bold thing to do."
"Yes, it will, especially as Von Ketteler recently incurred theadditional ill-will of all Boxers by personally beating with his stickone of them whom he caught parading Legation Street in the full regaliaof his infamous society. He is a brave man, but, unfortunately, heregards the Chinese with a contempt that will, I fear, lead him intodifficulties."
At this moment a servant announced Lieutenant Hibbard.
"Excuse me, sir, for disturbing you," said this individual, after hehad saluted those present, "but it seemed best to report a ratherpeculiar case. Two young Chinese, wearing the Boxer uniform, have justbeen arrested, and are now held by the guard at the gate. They demandan interview with the American minister, and, curiously enough, both ofthem speak English remarkably well--at least, so the corporal of theguard says, for I have not yet seen them myself."
"Are they armed?" asked the minister.
"Yes, sir. That is, they were armed with revolvers, but, of course,those were taken from them."
"Very well, let these English-speaking Boxers be brought in, underguard, and we will hear what they have to say for themselves--unlessthis young lady objects to their presence," he added.
"Oh no, sir; of course I don't!" exclaimed the girl, who hitherto hadlistened in silence, but with intense interest, to the conversationbetween her father and the minis
ter. "I want ever so much to see a Boxerwhom I can be certain really is one."
In another minute the prisoners, guarded by two heavily armed marines,were ushered into the room. "Pretty tough-looking characters, aren'tthey?" asked the lieutenant of the girl, by whose side he had taken aposition as though to protect her in case of trouble.
"Yes," she replied, hesitatingly. "But do you know," she added, in a lowtone, "the face of one of them seems very familiar. I mean the one withthe queue."
"Oh, all Chinamen look alike," replied the officer, carelessly. "I'veseen a hundred that you'd think were twin brothers of the other one, thetougher of the two. I expect he has murdered more converts than he couldcount."
Just here the minister, who had stepped for a moment into his office,returned, and at once proceeded to question the prisoners.
"I am told that you speak English; who are you, and why do you comehere?" he asked.
"Are you the American minister?" cautiously inquired the one whom thelieutenant had indicated as being the tougher-looking of the two.
"I am."
"Well, then, we've come to tell you that the American and Britishrelief expedition you are expecting has been attacked by more than fivethousand imperial troops. It has been badly cut up, and now is in fullretreat towards Tien-Tsin."
"Impossible!" gasped the minister.
"It is true, sir; and if you leave this city to-morrow in the hope ofreaching Tien-Tsin you will be killed as soon as you pass the citygates. An edict was issued from the palace to-day for the exterminationof all foreigners in Pekin, and an attack on the legations will be begunat four o'clock to-morrow afternoon."
"Who are you?" demanded the startled minister, "and what proof can yougive that your astounding statements are true?"
"I am an American, of course," replied Rob, in a tone expressive ofsurprise that any one should question his nationality, "and my friendhere is a son of Mandarin Li Ching Cheng, recently a member of theTsung Li Yamen. He was put to death a few hours since for having triedto protect foreigners instead of killing them. My friend and I gotacquainted in the States, where he was being educated, and--"
"His name is Joseph Lee!" cried the American girl, no longer able torestrain herself, and springing to her feet in her excitement. "I knew Ihad seen him before!"
"But who are you, sir? What is your own name?" interrupted the minister,sternly.
"Hinckley," replied Rob, but not withdrawing his eyes from the flushedface of the girl; and, speaking to her, he added: "I knew you and yourfather as soon as I saw you, Miss Lorimer, but I thought that perhapsyou wouldn't care to recognize us in this costume."
"As if any one could!" cried Annabel Lorimer. "I am sure you wouldn'trecognize yourself if you could see how horrible you look. Even now Ionly recognize your voice. Should you have known him, papa?"
"No," replied Mr. Lorimer, staring hard at Rob; "and I am not certainthat I do even now."
"Is your first name Robert?" asked the lieutenant of marines; "and wereyou ever on board the United States monitor _Monterey_?"
"Yes, my name is Robert Hinckley. I was aboard the _Monterey_ about fourmonths ago, and you are Ensign Hibbard," was the reply.
"He's all right, sir!" exclaimed the lieutenant, turning to theminister. "I know him well, and can swear that somewhere about him he'sgot a skin as white as mine."
"Well," said the minister, his stern face breaking into a smile, "I'lltake your word for it, Mr. Hibbard, but even you must acknowledge thatits whiteness is pretty effectually concealed at present. Mr. Hinckley,I am much pleased to meet you, especially as you must be a son of Dr.Mason Hinckley, whom I long have counted as among my friends. But thenews you bring is of such momentous character that I must ask forfurther details, even before extending to you the hospitalities ofthe legation. Will you and your friend sit down and kindly tell useverything that you know concerning the situation?"
