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of excited Chinese. It would obviously soon no longer be safe for foreigners to be seen in the streets, and they were accordingly instructed to concentrate at two houses on the Bund, the one belonging to the River Inspector and the other the Consulate itself. A guard of sailors was brought into both these houses, with instructions not to show themselves to the crowd outside: thus every effort was made to avoid in any way provoking the rioters. By early afternoon reports were coming in that the crowd had begun to break into houses at the back of the Concession and that looting had started.
The phone was still in working order and the Consul was again able to speak to the Garrison Commander, who, however, denied that the crowd was out of hand or that there was any looting. He was invited to come into the Concession to see for himself. Two foreigners were detailed to accompany his escort on a tour of inspection, and brought back accounts of his increasing indignation as he passed each group of looters, many of whom were soldiers who refused to obey his instructions. The Political Department had done their work only too well. The loss of face was irreparable; he flew into a temper and made one soldier, whose arms were full of an assortment of ladies' shoes, knives and forks, and a silver teapot, face away and kneel down. He then retired several paces and took a running kick at the guilty party; but although he selected the tenderest part of the soldier's anatomy for this treatment, as he himself wore soft shoes of Chinese pattern, it was not apparent who suffered most. He ordered the looter to be taken away and shot. No one supposed that the sentence was carried out. The soldiers did not belong to his particular unit, and felt, perhaps, as a group of Irish Guards Commando men might feel towards a junior officer of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps who should have the temerity to comment on their peculiar way of saluting.
The situation thus became impossible and the Consul decided to withdraw to the two ships of war in the harbour, a destroyer and a river gunboat. I was in the party which had taken refuge at the Consulate. The sailors suggested it would be foolish for the Consul to leave his more valuable portables to be looted by the crowd, and so a distribution was made of silver mugs, salvers, a gramophone, a canteen, a tantalus (full), some tinned provisions, cushions, and other easily portable articles. At half past four a mixed nondescript party of sailors and civilians could be seen standing in the garden before the flagpole in front of the Consulate. Parked at each man's feet lay a small pile of such valuables from the Consulate as he had been asked to escort on board. At the sound
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of excited Chinese. It would obviously soon no longer be safe for foreigners to be seen in the streets, and they were accordingly instructed to concentrate at two houses on the Bund, the one belonging to the River Inspector and the other the Consulate itself. A guard of sailors was brought into both these houses, with instructions not to show themselves to the crowd outside: thus every effort was made to avoid in any way provoking the rioters. By early afternoon reports were coming in that the crowd had begun to break into houses at the back of the Concession and that looting had started.
The phone was still in working order and the Consul was again able to speak to the Garrison Commander, who, however, denied that the crowd was out of hand or that there was any looting. He was invited to come into the Concession to see for himself. Two foreigners were detailed to accompany his escort on a tour of inspection, and brought back accounts of his increasing indignation as he passed each group of looters, many of whom were soldiers who refused to obey his instructions. The Political Department had done their work only too well. The loss of face was irreparable; he flew into a temper and made one soldier, whose arms were full of an assortment of ladies shoes, knives and forks, and a silver teapot, face away and kneel down. He then retired several paces and took a running kick at the guilty party; but although he selected the tenderest part of the soldier's anatomy for this treatment, as he himself wore soft shoes of Chinese pattern, it was not apparent who suffered most. He ordered the looter to be taken away and shot. No one supposed that the sentence was carried out. The soldiers did not belong to his particular unit, and felt, perhaps, as a group of Irish Guards Commando men might feel towards a junior officer of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps who should have the temerity to comment on their peculiar way of saluting.
The situation thus became impossible and the Consul decided to withdraw to the two ships of war in the harbour, a destoyer and a river gunboat. I was in the party which had taken refuge at the Consulate. The sailors suggested it would be foolish for the Consul to leave his more valuable portables to be looted by the crowd, and so a distribution was made of silver mugs, salvers, a gramophone, a canteen, a tantalus (full), some tinned provisions, cushions, and other easily portable articles. At half past four a mixed nondescript party of sailors and civilians could be seen standing in the garden before the flagpole in front of the Consulate. Parked at each man's feet lay a small pile of such valuables from the Consulate as he had been asked to escort on board. At the sound
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