Sessional_Paper_1899 — Page 528

The Honourable

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struck, one Sikh receiving a severe blow over the eye. We continued to retire slowly and the next moment some of the crowd seized wooden articles among which I noticed a chair, a wooden bucket, and a bamboo broom with which they attacked us. During this time the five Chinese soldiers, who had been standing outside the temple while we were inside, were separated from us by a portion of the crowd, and the use of wooden weapons rendering our position dangerous I ordered the Sikhs to draw their sword bayonets and charge.

This had the effect of driving the crowd back and the soldiers were thus enabled to join us. This they promptly did, and placing themselves between us and the crowd and keeping the latter at bay with the muzzles of their rifles enabled us to retreat to the outside of the village whither the crowd did not follow us.

We re-gained our boat at the landing-place close to the newly erected matshed which is about a quarter of a mile from the village.

From there I sent the Chinese interpreter, the two Chinese District Watchmen, who had been guarding the matshed during erection, and a Chinese detective I had with me back to Hongkong as the crowd seemed to have more animosity against the remainder of the party, and as I wished, if possible, to save the matshed from the destruction which would inevitably overtake it unless it were guarded, I determined to remain by it all night with the 6 Sikh policemen and 5 Chinese soldiers.

I sent a memorandum to His Excellency the Governor at the same time stating briefly what had occurred and what I had decided to do, and asking for assistance.

The Chinese party left at 4.45 p.m.

When darkness came on I disposed my party for the night on the hill where the matshed is, and I felt sanguine that the villagers would not attack it while my party were there. In this, however, I was disappointed, for, after some slight alarms evidently intended to frighten us, I noticed at 9 p.m. lights being exhibited in each of the five surrounding villages, and lights travelling along roads leading to the rear of our position. Soon afterwards two large bombs were exploded in the centre of the valley, and shortly after that, I could hear parties whistling and signalling to each other, and evidently concentrating on the inatshed hill; and the numbers being evidently large, I recognised that it would be folly for me to resist.

I asked the Chinese soldiers, however, to try the effect of a few shots from their rifles in the air, but they objected to doing so. Thereupon I withdrew my party to a higher hill adjoining the matshed hill, from which I knew that I could get access to a road by which to retreat to Sha Tin. From this hill I watched the villagers, at a given signal, rush from all sides on to the matshed hill and heard them cry out "They have gone!" I then saw them fire the matshed, and while they were engaged doing so I withdrew my party down the reverse slope of the hill upon which we were and concealed them in a dense thicket of rushes and cactus. After waiting some two hours, I heard parties of villagers passing close to where we were concealed, and after miduight when everything seemed quiet in my neighbourhood I gained the road to Sha Tin and took my party to a safe distance along it and awaited daylight.

I subsequently made my way to Sha Tin by bout, and as I saw no signs of the relieving Force I started for Hongkong at 7 a.m., as the Sikh Police had had nothing to eat for twenty-four hours, and the Chinese soldiers were thoroughly tired out.

What struck me most in the above incident was the evidently organized manner in which members from the surrounding villages concentrated to take part in the attack on the matshed. This is, no doubt, a method of the clans in which the leased territory abounds, adopted both for offence and defence.

It was difficult, owing to the darkness of the night, to estimate the numbers who took part in firing the matshed, but there must have been between 100 and 200 men.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY.

F. H. MAY.