arly that morning a few foreigners
came out of a legation (which he could not recognize) and begged a commander
of the troops to forgive them, and they would fight no more.
"They promised to stop fighting in Tientsin too. In the afternoon
a foreigner came out and was caught by a few soldiers, and he said he wanted
to see General Ma. The reason was that their provisions, ammunitions were
"An imperial decree was issued in which the Empress-Dowager regretted
the death of the German Minister and the Japanese Chancellor, and ordered
the Viceroy of Chih-Li and the metropolitan prefect to arrest banditti
and protect the legations, and to send the missionaries and merchants home.
On hearing this, the Boxers said the foreigners would soon be all killed,
and she was silly.
"The Empress-Dowager ordered the Tsung-Li-Yamen to present some
watermelons to the foreign ministers. The Boxers seeing this became very
angry, said that it was done by the Yamen privately, but that it was not
ordered by her Majesty.
On the twenty-ninth day Chang-Lin, a former vice-president of a board,
brought about two thousand Boxers to Chin-Chia-Tun to attack the Christians,
who fortified their place with trenches and guns, so the Boxers were wounded
before they could go near it, and therefore were defeated.
"Two, or perhaps more, of the students of the Peking University
were killed by the Boxers, for they had foreign books.
"On the first day of the seventh moon a telegram came from the
American Consul at Chefoo, in which it was stated that very large forces
of all nations were at Taku, and that no American was wounded, except a
little loss of property; and that he asked Mr. Conger to write with his
own hand the true condition of the siege.
"On the second day the Tsung-Li-Yamen sent a good deal of vegetables
and about a thousand catties of flour to the legations. The Boxers in the
Yamen looked at this with an angry frown.
"On the fourth day another telegram came from the American Consul
at Chefoo, which said that the admirals of all nations were anxious to
know the condition of the siege.
"On the sixth day it was reported that the English had promised
that the seven nations would inflict no trouble on China. Germany was very
angry for the death of her Ambassador; Russia was eager for getting land
from China; France allied with Russia; Japan was watching for Russia.
"On the tenth day it was reported that a few thousand soldiers
were defeated by the Tartar General Shou-Shan, but that the Russians occupied
most of the Manchurian territories.
"In the midnight of the eleventh the Tsung-Li-Yamen wanted me
to go to Prince Chuang's house, so I put on my official coats; I doubted
very much, because I feared that he would kill me; I could but go.
"On the twelfth day when I arrived there I found that several
of my friends had already been there, and I knew that several letters were
presented to Prince Chuang by a Chinese who was trusted by foreigners to
deliver them in Tientsin.
"Prince Chuang and Duke Lan treated us in a friendly way, for
now they understood that people who knew foreign languages were also useful
"They asked us to translate these letters, which they would submit
to the Empress-Dowager for her perusal. As these letters came from the
legations, I think it is not necessary for me to repeat them.
"A man told me that Li-Peng-Leng commanded one hundred thousand
soldiers, who dispersed before they met foreign troops; he felt extremely
shameful and committed suicide. Some people who escaped from Tung-Chow
said that foreign soldiers were not many, but the Chinese did not fight
"On the twentieth day, hearing the sound of firing cannons and
guns, which continued around the city, people knew that foreign troops
had arrived, so they were in a state of great excitement. Now they hid
themselves so as to avoid the flying bullets.
"The Empress-Dowager escaped, and Prince Ching knew the city could
not be defended, and distributed flags of truce to the soldiers, and ordered
them to put them on the city wall.
"This is all the news I heard during the siege. I think that a