by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XVIII
CONCLUSION
Fighting went on for some days, but at last all opposition ceased,and the Chinese soldiers either left the city altogether or, changingtheir clothes, appeared as peaceable citizens. Rex went round the townand was horrified at the destruction that everywhere met his eye. Theportion of the town held by the Russians was infinitely the worst;there the looting had been universal, and the atrocities committed uponthe unfortunate inhabitants beyond description. In that part of thecity Rex scarcely saw a native in the streets. In the German quarterthings were little better, and in the French quite as bad. In thoseportions of the city occupied by the British and the Americans manynatives were moving about, and in many of the streets fruit and otherthings were exposed for sale on stalls. In the Japanese quarter allwas order and regularity. Looting had been prohibited from the first,and stringent orders given for the good treatment of the inhabitants.This had such a good effect that shops were already opening, and stallslined the streets, and indeed the greater portion of the inhabitantsfrom the other quarters had migrated to this part, where alone theyfound they would be safe from pillage and outrage. It was a humiliatingsight for an Englishman that these swarthy little soldiers, whom theEuropeans regarded almost as barbarians, should be so infinitely inadvance of the Western troops in discipline, order, and good conduct.
The Americans, on the day following the relief of the Legations, foughttheir way to the entrance of the Forbidden City; but there they halted,as an agreement had been made that none should enter the Palace groundsuntil a formal entrance was made by the whole force. The jealousies andbickerings of the various generals had broken out afresh now that theirpurpose was achieved. The Russians, who had from the first signalizedthemselves by their brutal treatment of the natives, were now posing astheir friends, and were already advocating a retirement. The French,owing perhaps to their supposed alliance with the Russians (though fromthe beginning they had been conspicuous for doing nothing), followedtheir lead in this as in all things. The Italians were inclined in thesame direction; but the Japanese, British, and Americans were whollyagainst any movement of retirement until terms had been definitelysettled.
After a fortnight?s consideration they decided to march through theImperial Palace, and on the twenty–sixth the troops paraded, thearrangement being that ten per cent of each nationality should takepart in the demonstration. They drew up outside the inner gateway.The Russians took up their position in the centre, close to the greatstone bridge, the Japanese a little to the left, the British were tothe right of the Russians, and the remainder behind them. They had butone band, a Russian one, but there were also some pipers belonging toone of the Indian Regiments. In all there were eight hundred Russians,eight hundred Japanese, four hundred British, four hundred Americans,two hundred French, two hundred Germans, and one hundred Italiansand Austrians. Soon after eight o?clock a salute of twenty–one gunswas fired by one of our field–artillery batteries, and then, led bythe Russians, the force marched through the central archway of theTien–An–Mên.
The Imperial Hall of Audience, or, as it was called, the Hall of GreatHarmony, was a magnificent building. It was here that the Emperor satenthroned, receiving the homage of his court, on any great occasion,notably New Year?s Day, his own birthday, and various other timesprescribed by the rigid ceremony of the court. Here he conferredliterary degrees and distributed robes of honour and promotions inrank. The hall was over two hundred feet long, one hundred feet wide,and the same height. It stood on a noble terrace of white stone,twenty feet above the level of the courtyard, and was reached by fiveflights of steps. These were flanked, and the terrace surrounded, bywhite marble balustrades, both steps and balustrades being excellentlycarved. A number of huge bronze urns of very handsome design, and twogreat bronze tortoises, added to the brilliancy of the approach.
Externally the hall was in fair repair, but the ornamentation under theeaves was dirty, and the pillars outside and the woodwork round thewalls were sadly needing paint, so that in spite of the fine approachthe general aspect was that of shabbiness. Why this should be so underthe rule of an all–powerful Empress, with the whole resources of theEmpire at her command, was quite unaccountable. One would have expectedthat everything within the walls of the palace, which is the centre ofthe Empire, would have been kept in the most perfect order. The samewant of repair was evident in the Hall of Central Harmony, the Hall ofPrecious Harmony, and the various pavilions in the courtyards throughwhich the troops marched. In fact the aspect of all the rooms, halls,and pavilions was disappointing in the extreme. The waiting–rooms weregloomy, and everything was covered with dust. Grass grew thickly inthe courtyard, and indeed the whole place had an aspect of neglectand privation. In the Imperial apartment there were superb vases andornaments of all kinds, all bearing the same marks of neglect. Thegeneral feeling among the troops was one of disappointment. Aftera stay of an hour or two the troops marched out again. Some smallarticles were carried off, but there was nothing like general looting,and the mandarins who had remained behind in charge had no reason tocomplain of the conduct of the troops.
Rex accompanied the Japanese in their march, as being officially intheir service, and, like all those who had formed the procession, wasgreatly disappointed.
“It is really a rotten old place,” he said to the girls on his turn.“It looks as if it hadn?t been inhabited for a hundred years. It isgrimy, dusty, and dark. No doubt there were all sorts of good thingsin the way of vases, but even these were so dirty and dull that noone would think of looking at them if they were not in the palace.Certainly I did not see anything that I should have cared to carry offif I had been permitted to do so, except upon the supposition that, asthey were in the palace they must be valuable. I have seen much betterthings in the loot taken in the city.”
“Well, I am glad to hear you say so, Rex,” Jenny said, “for it doesseem rather hard that the women who have taken part in the siege shouldnot have been allowed to go to look at all the wonders.”
“Well, you have lost nothing, I can assure you,” said Rex. “Some ofthose things I bought are certainly better worth looking at thananything in the palace, at least till it has been cleaned up a bit.”
Pekin having been conquered, and the proof of conquest having beengiven to the Chinese by the march through the temple, the general topicof conversation was what was next to be done. The Empress was, it wasknown, making her way to Shansi, some hundreds of miles away, and allagreed that it would be impossible to pursue her there, for even ifthe journey could be accomplished she would simply make another move,and so evade capture. It was considered probable that she would makean offer to treat, but no doubt a considerable time, weeks perhaps, oreven months, would pass before she could bring herself to do so. Itwas considered certain that sooner or later she must take such a step,for, credulous as the Chinese are, it would be impossible to get themto believe that she was staying at Shansi from choice, and that Pekinwas occupied by the allies by her gracious permission. The questionwas, what would be the end? As a matter of course a huge sum wouldhave to be paid for the expenses of the war. On this point opinionwas unanimous. The question on which there were strong differences ofopinion was, what else would happen? Would each of the Powers demanda slice of Chinese territory, and undertake the civilization of thehuge Empire? One objection to this was that it would sooner or laterlead to a general outbreak of hostilities between the Powers. It wasprobable that the mere work of fixing the respective frontiers wouldbring matters to a crisis at once. Russia would assuredly demand a fargreater share than the others, and, on condition that France would backher, would see that that country also benefited very largely. Austriaand Italy would certainly be unable to manage a concession of anysize, and, moreover, they had so little interest in the East that theywould probably put in no claims. Germany, with her sudden greed forcolonizing, would certainly expect a large slice. On the other hand,Japan, Great Britain, and America might be expected to oppose any ste
psin this direction. None of them had any wish to acquire territory.As traders they desired that all doors should be kept open, and thattrade should be free to all. Their interest, therefore, was that Chinashould remain intact, and should be allowed to advance gradually in thepath of reform.
The war with Japan had already given a vast impulse to her life in manyrespects. Short as the intervening time had been, she had accumulatedgreat stores of modern weapons, and had made considerable progressin the work of turning peasantry into soldiers. It was probable thata second disastrous defeat would show her still more vividly thenecessity for adopting European methods. It would assuredly strengthenenormously the hands of the progressive party. Prince Ching and othersof the same views would gain power and influence, and obstinate andimperious as the Empress might be, the fact that she had been drivena fugitive from her capital, as the result of following the advice ofthe war party, could not but impress her strongly. Although all allowedthat it would be some time before China recovered from the shock, mostof those in the British Legation at any rate, were of opinion that itwould finally be of immense benefit to her.
The arguments were sometimes quite heated, until some calm listenersuggested that months might elapse before any preliminaries of peacewere agreed upon, and it was scarcely worth while to get excited overa future which really no one at present could in the slightest degreeforetell.
Before starting, Rex had been furnished by his father with aconsiderable amount of money.
“There is sure to be a great deal of looting,” Mr. Bateman said,“and, as is always the case in such circumstances, the soldiers arealtogether ignorant of the value of the things they have picked up,and will be ready to sell them for a mere song. The two things to keepyour eyes upon are really fine vases, old ones of course, and furs.The Chinese don?t mind what they give for good furs, so that theirpossessions in this line are of immense value. There are also silksand things of that sort, but they are not so saleable as furs, and Ishould advise you to stick to these and cloisonné vases.”
All the time he was able to go about the city, Rex had carried out hisfather?s instructions. The Russian soldiers had pillaged every shopin their district, and among these, as at Tung–Chow, were enormousquantities of valuables of all kinds, many of which they had been readyto dispose of for a few dollars to the first comer. Rex was thereforeable to procure a large quantity of valuable furs, fine vases, jade,and jewellery. In the British quarter all loot found was handed overto the military authorities, who sold it by auction every two or threedays. Here the more valuable goods went for a song; fox–furs wortha couple of hundred pounds fetched only seven or eight, and vaseswere equally cheap, as the difficulty of carriage deterred most ofthe buyers from bidding at all. On the other hand, small articleswhich could be taken home as curios, and in memory of the siege,were eagerly bought up by soldiers and non–commissioned officers atprices far beyond their intrinsic value. The missionaries were veryactive in obtaining loot,—which they also sold for the most part byauction,—and justified their action by saying that the money would beused in rebuilding their ruined chapels and mission–houses. All thisand much more that took place during the war was in direct defianceof the treaty to which China, as well as all the allied powers, wasa party. This forbade the ill–treatment of private persons, theforcible entry into their houses, the taking of their goods; but theallies considered that the Chinese, by their massacre of thousands ofChristians and of numbers of missionaries, together with their attackupon the settlements, had so broken the treaty as to put themselvesquite out of court. It must be admitted, however, that the conduct ofthe troops, especially of the Russians, Germans, and French, cannotbut have greatly heightened the hatred felt by the Chinese for the“foreign devils.”
Rex had no difficulty in hiring coolies to bring home his purchases,and the girls were astonished at the mass of valuables he brought tothe little room they now occupied. They were, of course, ignorant ofthe real worth of these things, but they could not but know that thesilk and satin mantles, lined with lovely furs, must be of considerablevalue. “However are you going to get them all down, Rex?” asked Jenny.
“Well, I intend to buy a couple of carts, and of course I shall hirecoolies to drive them. When we have got all the things stowed away inthem we will cover them with some rough cloth, and then you can sitone in each; that will be much more comfortable for you than riding,for, as you have told me, you have never been on a horse?s back in yourlives, and besides it would be next to impossible to buy decent horseshere.”
“Yes, it would be a great deal better. When do you think we shall beable to leave?”
“I hear,” he said, “that the day after to–morrow a convoy is goingdown, and that all women who have not husbands here can accompany it.I think, therefore, that we may as well go. There is nothing whateverto keep us here, and as far as I can see nothing is likely to be donefor a long time, perhaps months. The Empress is hundreds of miles away,and it is certain that it will take a long time indeed before theterms of any treaty can be settled. I shall make arrangements for ourjoining the convoy. We certainly cannot take much time to pack. Ah Loand I have horses, and I will this afternoon try to pick up a couple ofcarts. There is no buying them here, but I will ride out with Ah Lo tosome of the villages round, where I have no doubt I shall be able toget what I want.
“There will, of course, be an infantry escort with the convoy, and weshall therefore travel at a walking–pace; besides, there must be anumber of wagons to carry stores for consumption on the way. We shalltherefore have no difficulty in keeping up with the rest.”
An hour later he rode out with Ah Lo. Both carried their rifles slungbehind them, and Rex, in addition, took a revolver. It was certain theywould not be able to buy carts in any of the villages, as these wereentirely deserted, except by a few old people, within a circuit of somemiles round the city. They therefore rode a considerable distance intothe country. As they went along they saw in the distance a Russiancolumn, which they had heard was to start an hour before they rodeout. As it was certain that nothing would be found anywhere near thatcolumn, they were about to turn off and ride in another direction, whenthey saw four Russian soldiers come out of a shed, in which they hadapparently been hiding, and go into a neighbouring village.
“Those rascals have evidently hidden,” said Rex; “probably the columnhalted here and they slipped into that shed intending to do someplundering on their own account and to fall in again as the forcereturns.”
The village was but two hundred yards from them. Suddenly they heardloud and piercing screams coming from that direction.
“Come on, Ah Lo, those villains are up to some rascality. Some of thevillagers have fallen into their hands.”
Setting their horses to a gallop they dashed into the village. Thescreams were coming from a house of somewhat superior appearance.Leaping from their horses they ran in and discovered four or fivewomen struggling wildly against the Russians.
“Leave those women alone, you scoundrels,” Rex shouted.
With savage oaths the Russians turned round, and, seeing that itwas but a civilian with a native who accosted them, they caught uptheir muskets. Rex had not time to unsling his rifle, but he drew hisrevolver and, as one of the Russians raised his musket to his shoulder,fired. The ball struck the man in the forehead and he fell back. Oneof the others fired at once, but as he did not raise his musket to hisshoulder his aim was not true, and the shot passed through Rex?s coatwithout touching him. Ah Lo, who had by this time unslung his rifle,shot the man dead. The other two, with a howl of rage, rushed at them.The Russians always carried their bayonets fixed and relied upon themrather than upon shooting. Ah Lo had not time to recock his piece, but,using his rifle as a club, struck aside the thrust aimed at him. Theimpetus of the charge brought the two men together and, simultaneouslydropping their guns, they grappled in a fierce wrestle.
Rex had fired again as his opponent rushed at him. It was but asnap–shot, but the bullet went thro
ugh one of the Russian?s wrists, andcaused his thrust to swerve. The bayonet ripped open Rex?s clothes,inflicting a slight wound along his chest as it passed. The force ofthe blow, however, threw Rex upon his back. The Russian, standingover him, raised his musket to strike, but as he looked down Rexagain fired. The bullet struck the man between the eyes, and he fella lifeless mass, completely knocking the breath out of Rex?s body. Itneeded all the lad?s strength to roll the body off and to gain hisfeet. The combat between Ah Lo and the Russian had just terminated.The latter was a big and powerful man, but he was no match for theChinaman, who, having gripped his adversary by the throat, held onuntil he had choked the life out of him. To make sure, however, he atonce picked up his rifle and put a ball into the man?s head.
“Perhaps he is dead, master, perhaps not. No good leave him to getround again.”
The women, as soon as the Russians had released them, had fledupstairs. Rex called out to them in Chinese to come down, but it wasnot until he had called three or four times that one timidly descended.Seeing the four Russians lying dead, she fell on her knees and pouredout her thanks, and the others, perceiving that all was well, at oncecame down.
“Look here,” Rex said, “I don?t want any thanks. I have only done myduty as a man. Now you must at once hide these bodies somewhere. Thereis a ruined house next door, we will carry the bodies there at once andtopple one of the mud walls over them. Then you must come back here andclean up the floor, and afterwards take refuge in the place where youwere hiding when the column came along. It is hardly likely that theywill miss these fellows, but if they do they will be sure to search allthe villages they pass through on the way back.”
A quarter of an hour?s work sufficed to obliterate all traces of theconflict, and Rex and Ah Lo rode off amid the blessings of the womenthey had rescued.
“It is lucky for those poor creatures that we came along, Ah Lo. Ican?t say I feel the slightest regret at having to kill those Russianscoundrels.”
“They are very bad men, the Russians,” Ah Lo said; “they rob everyone,do very bad things wherever they go.”
“Well, I need not say, Ah Lo, that we must keep this affair a strictsecret. If it were discovered there would be a frightful row over it.I think before we go any farther I will dismount. That bayonet hascertainly cut a gash across my chest. I have been too busy to thinkabout it, but I feel now that it is bleeding.”
The wound, which was in no way serious, was bandaged up and theyresumed their ride. After going for two or three miles farther theycame upon a village where some of the cultivators still remained, andthese were well pleased to sell three carts and six mules. The cartswere primitive vehicles, consisting of a pair of great wooden wheels,a pair of shafts, and a long framework. On this was what resembleda great box, which could either be used for the conveyance of twopassengers or filled with goods. In the former case the jolting overthe rough roads was so unbearable, and indeed dangerous, that thesides and roof had to be padded with thick mattresses. The frameworkprojected beyond the body of the cart, and goods could be lashed therewhen the box was used as a carriage. Rex decided that a mattressshould be placed here for the girls to sit on, both because it wouldbe infinitely more comfortable than being boxed up, and because theinteriors would be filled with his purchases.
After some bargaining he succeeded in persuading three of the villagersto go with the carts, promising them, in addition to their pay, thegift of the conveyances and mules on their arrival at Tientsin.
The girls went into screams of laughter when he arrived, late in theafternoon, with these conveyances. The three weeks that had elapsedsince their relief had done wonders for them, and they were now full offun and life.
“You don?t mean to pack us away in those big boxes without windows oropenings of any sort?”
“I certainly do not,” Rex said, “I shall put a mattress on thatprojection behind them, and you will ride there quite comfortably.To–morrow morning I will buy some thick cloth or canvas, and you cansew it together and make a little tent. It will only require to be highenough to allow you to crawl into it, and wide enough to enable you toride side by side.”
The next morning Rex?s purchases were packed in the three carts. Thiswas done with great care, and when it was finished they had nothingmore to attend to. They had practically no personal baggage, for thegirls had only the clothes they stood in and a change, most of whichthey had made for themselves on their arrival at Pekin. In the intervalbefore starting, therefore, they went round bidding good–bye to all thefriends they had made during the siege.
“What are you all going to do?” Rex asked his friend Sandwich.
“I have not the least idea, and I don?t suppose anyone else has. Theycan hardly expect us to begin work again until everything is settled.In a short time, however, I suppose we shall get so accustomed tothis sort of thing that we shall really prefer being at work again todoing nothing. Possibly they may move the college down to Tientsin,or even to Shanghai, but I should think it would be better to keepit here. We may feel pretty certain of one thing, that when peace isonce established the guard for the Legations will be much strongerthan before. In that case I don?t see why the college should notremain here. Of course it will be rather hard at first to settle downto grinding away at the language after all the excitement of thepast three months. If, as the result of the negotiations, more portsare thrown open, it would be a good thing for us, for of course moreofficials will be required. As one of the seniors, I should be prettysure to get a berth, whereas I might have to wait for two or threeyears in the ordinary course of things.”
“Well, if you do come down to Tientsin for a run, I expect that youwill find me there, Sandwich, and in that case you must make our placeyour home. Of course I have no idea of what my father will do. It isquite on the cards that he may decide to go home for a bit. Businesswill certainly be at a stand–still for a long time, and he may takeadvantage of the lull to run home for a year or two. Whether I shallstay at Tientsin or not is, of course, equally uncertain. This row hasso completely turned everything topsy–turvy that I have no idea whatwill come of it.”
In the evening Rex called upon the Minister to tell him that he wasgoing down with the convoy.
“You are quite right to do so, Mr. Bateman; there is no chance of anyfurther fighting here, and you will naturally wish to be with yourfamily at Tientsin. If you will sit down for a few minutes I will writea sort of testimonial saying how valuable have been your serviceshere. I don?t say that such a testimonial will be of value to you as amerchant; still, it may be of use, and in any case it will be somethingto be proud of and a record of your doings during the troubles.”
Sir Claude went into an inner room and dictated a letter to hissecretary. On his return he handed the document to Rex, who thanked himvery heartily, saying that it was a testimonial that he should be proudof to the end of his life. At an early hour next morning the convoyof wounded and sick, and women and children, left Pekin. The girlswere seated on a mattress behind the first of the three carts. Rex hadbought two great umbrellas which shaded them from the sun?s rays. Theyhad with them a basket containing fruits, meat, and bread. Swingingunder the body of the cart was a hamper containing charcoal, a tea–pot,plates, cups and saucers, and tea, and slung beside it was the littletent that the girls made, with the sticks for its support.
To the girls the journey was most enjoyable. There was practically nofear of trouble, for after the capture of Pekin strong parties hadbeen sent down and had dispersed the Boxers along the line of railway.Still, there was the risk that they might fall in with isolated bandsto add interest to the march. At times they got down and walked,joining one or other of the friends they had made during the siege. Ofan evening they made tea and generally had little parties, as theirfriends in turn looked in upon them. Still, they were not sorry when,on the fifth day after starting, Tientsin came in sight.
Their arrival excited the liveliest pleasure on the part of Mr. andMrs. Bateman. Their aunt cried a good d
eal over the two girls whom atone time she believed she would never see again.
After the first excitement was over, and while the girls were givingtheir aunt a lively account of their adventures, Rex and his fatherdiscussed the question of the business.
“Your mother and I have been talking matters over,” Mr. Bateman said.“It is absolutely certain that many months at any rate must pass beforethere is any revival of trade, and we have come to the conclusion thatit would be useless for us to remain here. I should leave Thompson andthe two clerks to keep the place open and look after things until youruncle and I agree that business can be started again. We shall, ofcourse, take the girls with us, and I really don?t see that there willbe any use in your remaining. You have gone through a very excitingtime, and a rest will do you good. What do you say yourself?”
“I am ready to do whatever you think best, Father. I don?t feel anythe worse for the three months? excitement, but I think it wouldcertainly be slow here if you were all gone. I suppose you will comeout again yourself when things begin again.”
“Certainly I shall, but I don?t think your mother will. But, of course,all that we will chat over with your uncle. My own idea is that Ishall come out with you for a couple of years, by which time you oughtto know enough of the business to take charge of it, especially asThompson is fairly well up in it. But, as I have said, all that is amatter for after–consideration. I feel that I have certainly earned arest, having been out here ten years without a break. As for you, thiswill certainly be a dreary place for at least a year, for it will betwo or three years before it entirely recovers from the blow. You willnot be without something to do in England, because you will go intoyour uncle?s office and will learn a good deal of the details of thebusiness, price of the goods, and so on.”
“Well, in that case, Father, I certainly think I should much rather gohome with you. If I could be of any use here, I would willingly stop,but there can be no return of trade until a treaty has been made andthe troops have all left the country, and that will be at least a year,perhaps a good deal more.”
“Very well, then, that is settled. Just at present there are plentyof steamers going down to Shanghai, and I see no reason why we shouldnot be off in a week. For many reasons I think the sooner we leavethe better. The girls have gone through a terrible time for the pastthree or four months, and although they look better than could havebeen expected they must have been terribly shaken. Quiet and a long seavoyage will, I hope, set them up again. Shattered as the settlement is,goods may still be obtained, and I have no doubt that they can geteverything requisite for the voyage in the course of a week.”
Accordingly, ten days later, Mr. and Mrs. Bateman, with their nieces,Rex, and Ah Lo—who refused positively Mr. Bateman?s offer to set himup comfortably in a farm in his native village—sailed together forEurope.
THE END
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.