Directory_and_Chronicle_1905 — Page 688

148

PEKING

yards, the greater dimension being marked with the South Wall of the Tartar City. The Rev. G. W. Gamewell, an American Missionary, undertook to construct earth- works under the direction of the military officers, and succeeded admirably. His work afterwards exacted the highest praise from the Engineer officers of the Relief Column, and next to the defenders' courage it was the chief factor in the ultimate salvation of the garrison. Sandbags were improvised in vast number, the ladies and native refugees rendering fine work in this direction; every possible textile was used for this all- important purpose, and priceless embroideries, carpets, curtains, as well as clothes, were seen in the barricades alongside of jute and hessians.

The first death was that of the Rev. H. James of the Imperial University. He was shot by Tung Fuh-shiang's wild Kansu ruffians while he was advancing to speak with their officers at the bridge to the North of the Legations. The Austrian and Italian Legations were the first to be attacked and burned; these were followed by the destruction of the Customs' premises, with all the archives and the records of Sir Robert Hart's life's work. On June 22nd and 23rd desperate attempts were made to fire the British Legation, which from the first and throughout the siege was regarded as the key of the foreign position. On the 24th these were renewed, but were checked by the fine steadiness of the British marines. The Hanlin College, with its priceless Library, was burned to the ground by the vandalistic soldiery in these attempts. Rifle fire was practically continuous on the part of the Chinese for the first ten days; with great skill they kept under cover, but if their own testimony may be accepted (their conversation was easily overheard at some of the barricades) this was less due to military prudence than to personal cowardice; the besieged never wasted one shot and only fired when an enemy was seen and could be hit. After the Customs' premises were fired, the most persistent attacks were on the east of the Allied position around the palace of the Prince Su (Su Wan'g-fuh) where the native Christians were aggre- gated, and where Colonel Shiba and his gallant band of Japanese sailors were constantly acting the part of heroes. On June 28th shell fire was added to the sufferings of the defenders. Happily, as at Tientsin, the shell was of indifferent quality, and was seldom well timed. It often failed to burst, and seldom did much damage. The most severe punishment was from a big gun in the Mongol Market close to the western wall of the British Legation.

A rough census was taken of the foreign population about this time, and gave the following numbers :-Women, 147 inside the British Legation, 2 outside; Children, 76 inside, 3 outside; Men, 191 inside, 54 out; total, 473. The marine and other guards were between 450 and 500; so that altogether inside the lines there were nearly 1,000 foreigners. On July 1st, the besieged made their first big sortie, the object being to capture a gun near the Su Wan'g-fuh. Although skilfully executed it was not successful. On the 3rd, the Chinese pressed, very hard on the Americans who were holding the west part of the foreign section of the wall; they actually carried a barricade, but it was quickly retaken by a conjoint party of Americans, British and Russians, in which Capt. Myers of the American Army was seriously wounded. July the 4th was celebrated by an artillery duel. The chief weapon of the Allies deserves a paragraph to itself. Some forgotten shell had been found in a well in the compound of the Russian Legation; and then by a curious coincidence in one of the foraging expeditions constantly made in parts of the town within the lines an old British muzzle loader was discovered-it had probably been purchased as old iron by the possessor in the early sixties but found too refractory to his tools. This was furbished up by the skill of some of the armourers, and fired with very considerable moral effect by an American gunner on the Chinese. The gun was aptly called the "International." Necessity proved the mother of invention in many cases during the siege; the excellent pewter of the Pekingese was moulded into bullets, and the Fathers of the Pei-tang in their desperate efforts to keep the Chinese at bay actually made their own gunpowder as well as bullets.

On July 11th, the French caught and shot some twenty Chinese in a position which they rushed with great gallantry; but on the other hand they were caught by a suc- cessful sap on the 13th. By this device the Chinese managed to blow up two large houses in the French Legation, and drove still more people into the neighbouring British compound. On July 16th, the gallant Strouts, the commander of the British Marines, was killed by rifle fire while examining the defences of the Su Wan'g-fuh along with Col. Shiba, the Japanese commander, and Dr. Morrison of the Times. This loss was irreparable in more senses than one. Captain Strouts had shown himself a hero among heroes, and had the complete confidence of everyone, civilians and military alike. It would be no injustice to say that he and his gallant Japanese colleague, Shiba,

Digitized by Google

Original from

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

-

1