8 "THESE FROM THE LAND OF SINIM" of maniacs,mount trees and walls and wield swords and spears in a way they are unable to at other times.Semi-initiation is said to render the body impervious to cut or thrust,while the fully-initiated fear neither shot nor shell;the various sub-chiefs are,of course,fully initiated, but the supreme chief is described as more gifted still-he sits in his hall,orders the doors to be opened,and while remaining there in the body,is said to be elsewhere in spirit, direoting,controlling,suggesting,and achieving. One of the best shots in a Legation guard relates how he fired seven shots at one of the chiefs on the Northern Bridge,less than two hundred yards off:the chief stood there con- temptuously,pompously waving his swords as if thereby oausing the bullets to pass him to right or left at will:he then calmly and proudly stalked away unhit,much to the astonishment of the sharpshooter Though professing to know nothing beyond the domain of sense, the Chinaman is really an extravagant be- liever in the supernatural,and so he readily credits the Boxer with all the powers he claims.Times and seasons,too,have their meanings for him:in 1898 the eolipse of the sun on the Chinese New Year's Day foreboded calamity-espeoially to the Emperor-and in September that year the Empress Dowager usurped the Government;then,as chance
.. -. • , r ~ ~~ " 8 "THESE FROM THE LAND OFSINIM" of maniacs, mount trees and walls and wield swords and spears in a way they are unable to at other times. Semi-initiation is said to render the body impervious to cut or thrust, while the fully-initiated fear neither shot nor shell; the various sub-chiefs are, of course, fully initiated, but the supreme chief is described as more gifted still-he sits in his hall, orders the doors to be opened, and while remaining there in the body, is said to be elsewhere in spirit, directing, controlling, suggesting, and achieving. One of the best shots in a Legation guard relates how he :fired seven shots at one of the chiefs on the N orthem lJridge, less than two hundred yards oft': the chief stood there contemptuously, pompously waving his swords as if thereby causing the bullets to pass him to right or left at will: he then calmly and proudly stalked away unhit, much to the astonishment of the sharpshooter I Though professing to know nothing beyond the domain of sense, the Chinaman is really an extravagant believer in the supematural, and so he readily credits the Boxer with all the powers he claims. Times and seasons, too, have their meanings for him: in 1898 the eclipse of the sun on the Chinese New Year's Day foreboded calamity-especially to the Emperor-and in September that year the Empress Dowager usurped the Government i then, as chance .... . ....... _-.... - ........... --' .. ., .... -... . (
THE PERING LEGATIONS 9 would have it,this year,1900,is one in which the intercalary month for the Chinese year is the eighth,and an eighth intercalary month always means misfortune:when such a month last occurred,that year the Emperor Tung Chin died,and accordingly the popular mind was on the outlook for catastrophe in 1900,and perhaps the people were morbidly willing to assist folk-lore to fulfil its own propheoy.Those of us who regarded the movement as likely to become serious and mischievous put off the time of action to September:our calculations were wrong,for already in May it had spread from Shantung,was overrunning Pecheli,and was following the railway line from Pao-ting- foo,the provincial capital,towards Peking itself.Chapels were destroyed,converts were massacred,railway stations were wrecked,rail- way and telegraph lines were damaged,excite- ment was spreading,and yet,although the state of the country all around grew more and more alarming,it still seemed to be a question whether the movement would roll back towards its source from Peking or take new shape there and gather new and onward impetus.Meantime the Legations fortunately suoceeded in getting up a few guards from the warships off Taku, so that there were from three to four hundred armed men in Peking for their protection- American,Austrian,British,French,Italian
THE PEKING LEGATIONS 9 would have it, this year, 1900, is one in whioh the interoalary month for the Chinese year is the eighth, and an eighth interoalary month always means misfortune: when suoh a month la.st ooourred, that year the Emperor Tung Chili died, and aooordingly the popular mind was on the outlook for oatastrophe in 1900, and perhaps the people were morbidly willing to assist folk-lore to fnlfil its own propheoy_ Those of us who regarded the movement as likely to beoome serious and mischievous put oft' the time of action to September: our oalculations were wrong, for already in May it had spread from Shantung, was overrunning Pecheli, and was following the railway line from Pao-ting. foo, the provincial capital, towards Peking itself. Chapels were destroyed, converts were massacred, railway stations were wreoked, railway and telegraph lines were damaged, excitement was spreading, and yet, although the state of the oountry all around grew more and more alarming, it still seemed to be a question whether the movement would roll back towards its source from Peking or take new shape there and gather new and onward impetus. Meantime the Legations fortunately succeeded in getting up a few guards from the warships off Tam, 80 that there were from three to four hundred armed men in Peking for their proteotionAmerican, Austrian, British, French, Italian
"THESE FROM THE LAND OF SINIM" Japanese,and Rusgian.The force would have been stronger had it not been for two ouriously illustrative incidents which occurred at Tien- tsin:when the men marched to the train, twenty-five of the hundred British Marines on the platform were ordered baok because the Russians and French numbered only seventy-five each,and as for the Russians,they brought a thousand rounds of shell for their gun and negleoted to bring the field-gun itself,which remained at Tientsin-to our great grief after- wards,when it would have been of untold value at Peking!The Japanese contingent numbered only twenty-five men,but the work they sub- sequently did and the way they did it won everybody's admiration,and would have done honour to five times their number.The British Marines were nice-looking lads,cheerful and bright,and always ready and willing.The Americans were stronger and more mature,each man a sharpshooter,self-reliant and resourceful. The Chinese authorities were naturally opposed to the reappearance of foreign soldiers as Lega- tion guards in their capital,and in ordinary times such an anomalous step would not be resorted to or justifiable;but,the circumstances being what they were,the decision to have them up was a right one,and,as afterwards happened,their presence preserved the entire foreign community,Legations,Missionaries
• ., ~~HIiIIIIII ""II~H~~"!illliIf\IIr I """"""1 ~1H!IIIIII .. ~~~'lII_~.~llf"'i'<Ii~l!iIiiffit(jlif""_W ~-"""",",l/IIIllli!IIIiIIIIIIIIlli/lili!/llllllll ti1I ~I '" • • "$ , ~ • " , .. n I JO "THESE PROM THE LAND OPSIN/M" Japanese, and RuBBitm. The force would have been stronger had it not been for two curiously illustrative incidents which occurred at Tientsin: when the men marched to the train, twenty-five of the hundred British Marines on the platform were ordered back because the Russians and French numbered only seventy-five each, and as for the Russians, they brought a thousand rounds of shell for their gun and negleoted to bring the field-gun itself, whioh remained at Tientsin-to our great grief afterwards, when it would have been of untold value at Peking! The Japanese contingent numbered only twenty-five men, but the work they subsequently did and the way they did it won everybody's admiration, Q.1ld would have done honour to five times their number. The British Marines were nioe-looking lads, oheerful and bright, and always ready and willing. The Americans were stronger and more mature, each man a sharpshooter, self-reliant and resourceful. The Chinese authorities were naturally opposed to the reappearance of foreign soldiers as Legation guards in their oapital, and in ordinary times suoh an anomalous step would not be resorted to or justifiable; but, the oircumstanoes being what they were, the deoision to have them up was a right one, and, as afterwards happened, their presenoe preserved the entire foreign oommllIlity, Legations, Missionaries, -_ .... -------_ ... -- (
THE PEKING LEGATIONS II Customs,and visitors-also Chinese oonverts- old and young,men,women,and ohildren,from one common massacre. The Queen's birthday,the 24th May,was this year observed as a British oelebration at the Legation:some sixty or seventy people sat down to dinner in the theatre,and,after that, we had dancing in the ball-room and on the lawn to the musio of a Chinese brass-band- and really well the lads played on that occasion. Little did we think that before that day month we should form part of a crowd of ten times that number fying for our lives,to the pro- tection of the Legation walls I Early in June affairs wore so threatening an aspect that the Admirals were applied to for reinforcements, and on the 10th June Admiral Seymour left Tientsin by rail with some fifteen hundred men to rescue Legations and community from an ending that daily seemed more certain,the Viceroy very unwillingly allowing him to start:he never reached Peking,however,and eventually got back to Tientsin on the 24th June,after losing a large percentage of his force and going through experiences of a novel kind for a naval officer.His force was at Lang Fang,some forty miles from Peking,on the 11th June,and finding the railroad broken there,stopped to repair it:had it left the train and marched straight across the country
THE PEKING LEGATIONS II Customs, and visitors-also Chinese oonvertsold and young, men, women, and ohildren, from one oo~on maSB&Ore. The Queen's birthday, the 24th May, was this year observed as a British oelebration at the Legation: some sixty or seventy people sat down to dinner in the theatre, and, after that, we had danoing in the b&ll-room and on the lawn to the musio of a Chinese brus-bandand really well the lads played on that oooasion. Little did we think that before that day month we should form part of a orowd of ten times that number Hying for our lives, to the protection of the Legation walls r Early in June a.1fairs wore so threatening an aspeot that the Admirals were applied to for reinforoements, and on the 10th June Admiral Seymour left Tientsin by rail with some fifteen hundred men to resoue Legations and oommunity from an ending that daily seemed more certain, the r Vioeroy very unwillingly allowing him to start: he never reached Peking, however, and eventu&lly got back to Tientsin on the 24th June, after losing a large peroentage of his force and going through experiences of a novel kind for a naval officer. His force was at Lang Fang, some forty miles from Peking, on the 11th June, and finding the ra.ilroad broken there, stopped to repair it: had it left the train and marched straight across the country
2 "THESE FROM THE LAND OF SINIM" to the Capital,it could have been with us on the 13th or 14th and so changed history, for opposition was not yet organized,and some animals could have been seized in the vicinity for transport;but in our anxiety we feared that the main objeot of the ex- pedition一the safety of the Legation8一was lost sight of and the minor detail of mending the railway line exaggerated into something of paramount importance-the wrong end of the telescope having seemingly been put to the eye,and so the chance was lost.As for railway repairs-as fast as one bit was mended another was torn up by the orowds of Boxers that swarmed around,so that,what with failure of food and drink and fuel,and an increasing number of enemies in front and rear and on both sides,the Admiral and party were soon in such a plight as no mixed force ever before had steamed or drifted into.We refugees clung to the hope that these reinforcements would one day appear:we could not beliove it possible that they would fail to reach us or that we should be forgotten,but by the end of the month we could no longer encourage our- selves to expect them-we could only hope that they had escaped destruction,and that, back again at Tientsin,they were reorganizing some better plan for our relief.It is quite sure the force did its best under the ciroumstances
• • _ ,.' _ • ..t 12 IITHESE FROM THE LAND OF SINIM" to the Capital, it could have been with us on the 13th or 14th and so changed history, for opposition was not yet organized, and some animals could have been seized in the vicinity for transport; but in our anxiety we feared tha.t the main object of the expedition - the safety of the Legations - was lost sight of and the minor deta.il of mending the ra.ilway line exaggerated into something of paramount importance-the wrong end of the telescope having seemingly been put to the eye, and so the chance was lost. As for ra.ilway repairs-as fast as one bit was mended another was tom up by the crowds of Boxers that swarmed around, 80 that, what with fa.ilure of food and drink and fuel, and an increasing number of enemies in front and rea.r and on both sides, the Admiral and party were soon in such a plight as no mixed force ever before had steamed or drifted into. We refugees clung to the hope that these reinforcements would one day appear: we could not beliove it possible that they would faU to reach us or that we should be forgotten, but by the end of the month we could no longer encourage ourselves to expect them-we could only hope that they had escaped destmction, and that, ba.ck again a.t Tientsin, they were reorganizing some better plan for our relief. It is quite sure the force did its best under the circumstances