fugitives and attacked the north fort whilst the enemy were still in a state of demoralisation; but Sir Hope now knew that he had the foe, so to say, in a cleft stick, and decided to wait until he got up the light siege-train, which included some mortars.

But this delay gave the enemy time to recover themselves and add to the strength of the north fort, which they evidently knew was the key of the position. The result was that when it was stormed the allied casualties amounted to between 400 and 500. What the British losses were at Tongku I do not remember, but they must have been very small, as we advanced in line, lightly covered by skirmishers. The French had skirmishers also, but they were followed by columns, which at times lost many, the round-shot, as an old friend in the French service told me, ripping them up from front to rear. A very amusing incident took place just before we reached the intrenchments. An excited recruit would not cease firing, although his captain roared at him, whereupon the captain, a very tall lame officer, who carried a bullet in his thigh from the Redan at Sebastopol, took two or three paces to the rear, and then rapidly stumped up to the recruit and gave him a tremendous kick on the stern. The recruit, rifle and all, went on his nose, his captain with the shock tumbling over on his back.

On returning to camp I was fortunate enough to find my little package of personal baggage, which a brother officer attached to the coolie corps had found with that of other officers lying on the Pehtang causeway. Not only the regiment, but the army, would have been in a bad way had it not been for that most valuable transport force, the Canton coolie corps. The

BRIDGE ACROSS THE PEIHO.

105

battalion of Military Train which came to China were much disgusted when they were told off to do the duty for which they had been created the consequence was that the pack animals and native drivers, which the Military Train ought to have looked after, were utterly neglected; and a more disgraceful sight than the road from Pehtang, strewn with baggage, could not well be imagined.

Whilst heavy guns and mortars were being got up for an attack on the north fort, my regiment was passed across the river-some 250 yards broad at Sinho-to protect the formation of the bridge and supply such fatigue-parties as the Royal Engineers required for its construction. The bridge trestle and boat-raft combined-in the formation of which, of course, the ever-ready sailor worked hard-was an excellent one. Colonel Fisher, Royal Engineers, was, I believe, the presiding genius. We had the south side, the French the north. Just about the time the bridge was finished, the north fort, after a heavy bombardment, was taken by storm, so, unfortunately, we had no share in that matter. The casualties were heavy, a large proportion being caused by an attempt to carry a light pontoon bridge up to the edge of the ditch as a matter of course, the first round-shot wrecked the whole concern. The Royal Engineers and others stuck to their charge, and did their utmost to get the absurd lumbering structure along; but it had eventually, after being the cause of a great loss of life, to be abandoned, and the ditch was crossed without its assistance.

The north fort, the key of the position, being taken, the others on both sides of the river surrendered. The navy soon cleared away the great boom-raft across

the river, and the gunboats passed up.

We, 500 in number, were placed on board one of them, the Bustard there was only standing-room, and away we went up the river to have a go at the river forts guarding Tientsin. Unfortunately, just as it got dusk, we grounded, and notwithstanding the employment of every nautical device, we had to remain hard and fast until the tide rose. Standing up all night was not pleasant, but there was not even room for the senior officers to ease their legs. It was not long after daybreak when we got within sight of the forts, massively constructed, like those at Taku, and with heavy guns in them. The disgust of the regiment may be imagined when we found we should not have a chance of distinguishing ourselves. The Chinese for the time being had had enough of it, and on our approach abandoned the forts. There was nothing for it but to make the best of a bad job and render ourselves comfortable on the plain outside Tientsin, where we were in due time joined by the rest of the army, which had marched up from Taku. One of the wounded Chinese soldiers who had fought so well at the forts, and had been looked after by our surgeons, on being asked through an interpreter why they had at last surrendered, answered, as translated by the interpreter, "Your shooting too muchee curious."

When we left the Bustard one of our officers, Palliser, was found to have had a sunstroke, and was left, with an assistant surgeon and a few men who had broken down, in a building near one of the forts. I managed to get ice for his head from a Chinaman who was selling it, but it was too late the poor fellow was quite insensible; but I think he recognised me in his last moments, as the following morning, when I hurried

down from our camp, just before the end, he raised his hand to hold mine. He was the first of our officers slain by the climate; two soon afterwards followed him.

We were some time at Tientsin whilst the political chiefs were trying to arrange matters. The natives were very friendly, and never from the first-such good reports of us had come up from Pehtang-showed the slightest alarm.

108

CHAPTER VIII.

PEKIN.

CROWDS came to the camp to sell poultry and vegetables, but, alas! the little money we had was soon gone, and the pay department had none at hand to give us. At last, owing to our pressing necessities, they succeeded in getting up enough coin to give each officer an advance of two dollars. These we made go as far as possible by cutting them up with an axe into small pieces, which the Chinamen were glad to accept by weight for fowls and vegetables.

Eventually the pay department was more liberal, and for some of us it was about time. Our thin summer clothing was getting pretty well worn out when we fortunately found that good cloth, not only blue but also scarlet, of Russian manufacture, I heard, was to be bought in Tientsin, and our master tailor and his men were soon at work. Unfortunately, before I had a respectable pair of trousers I was told off for the commander-in-chief and Ministers' guard in the town. I did not much mind my war-worn kit until Sir Hope's A.D.C. came out and asked me to dine with the commander-in-chief. My French colleague was standing by when the invitation was given I saw him smile and look at my trousers. As