# On to Pekin

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First volume in the Soldiers of Fortune series, with characters from the Old Glory Series
ON TO PEKIN
OR
Old Glory in China
BY
EDWARD STRATEMEYER
AUTHOR OF "UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA," "A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA," "FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS," "UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES," "THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE," "SHIP AND SHORE SERIES," "BOUND TO SUCCEED SERIES," "BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON," ETC.
ILLUSTRATED BY A. B. SHUTE
BOSTON LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 1900
Copyright, 1900, by Lee and Shepard.
All Rights Reserved.
On to Pekin.
Then Colonel Liscum fell to rise no more.
PREFACE
"On to Pekin" relates the adventures of a young lieutenant of the regulars, who is sent from Manila to Taku, China, to participate in the campaign of the allied forces of the United States, England, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia, and Japan against the Chinese order of the Boxers and those government troops of the Province of Shantung who aided in the great rebellion against all foreigners.
In the story are related, first, the bombardment of the Taku forts and the capturing of Taku and Tongku; next the history of the ill-fated expedition under Vice-Admiral Seymour, R.N., to relieve Pekin, and the bombardment and capture of Tien-Tsin; and, lastly, that bold dash of the Internationals for Pekin and the relief of the consuls, missionaries, and other foreigners who had been besieged for fifty-six days.
It may be that some of my readers will think Gilbert Pennington an unusually clever officer, and one quite young to be occupying the position of lieutenant ​of the regulars. But it must be remembered that Gilbert had served in Cuba with the Rough Riders, and in the Philippines under General MacArthur and General Lawton, and that he took to army service as naturally as a duck takes to water. He was one of those soldiers of whom Grant declared, "They are born, those fellows, not made."
The campaign in China has been as short as it was brilliant; and, with Earl Li Hung Chang and others empowered to treat for peace upon almost any terms, it is to be hoped that a permanent settlement will be made, which will insure both foreigners and China against all further trouble. War, at its best, is a terrible thing; and the less our country has of it, the better it will be for our people.
Once more thanking my young friends for the interest they have shown in my previous stories, I place this volume in their hands, trusting they will find its perusal both pleasurable and full of profit.
EDWARD STRATEMEYER.
Newark, N.J.,
Oct. 4, 1900.
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER | CHAPTER | PAGE |
| I. | Introducing the Young Lieutenant | 1 |
| II. | Close Quarters in the Jungle | 10 |
| III. | Something about the People of China | 20 |
| IV. | Captain Ponsberry has his Say | 31 |
| V. | Gilbert meets Nuggy Polk | 41 |
| VI. | Off for China | 51 |
| VII. | What caused the War | 60 |
| VIII. | A Discovery on Shipboard | 70 |
| IX. | Gilbert reaches a Conclusion | 80 |
| X. | About an Important Letter | 92 |
| XI. | The Relief of Admiral Seymour's Party, | 102 |
| XII. | A Storm and a Quarrel | 112 |
| XIII. | The Landing at Tongku | 123 |
| XIV. | A First Battle on Chinese Soil | 133 |
| XV. | Fighting along the Pei-Ho | 144 |
| XVI. | Entering Tien-Tsin under Difficulties | 154 |
| XVII. | Gilbert meets Amos Bartlett | 164 |
| XVIII. | The Spy in the River | 174 |
| XIX. | Saving the Mission House | 187 |
| XX. | The Bombardment of Tien-Tsin | 198 |
| XXI. | Charging upon the Native Quarter | 210 ​ |
| XXII. | An Adventure in a Joss House | 220 |
| XXIII. | Gilbert's Narrow Escape | 229 |
| XXIV. | Nuggy Polk's Set-back | 239 |
| XXV. | "Onto Pekin!" | 250 |
| XXVI. | The Battle of Peitsang | 260 |
| XXVII. | A Rainy March to Tung-Chow | 269 |
| XXVIII. | The Fight before Pekin | 279 |
| XXIX. | How the Besieged were relieved | 286 |
| XXX. | The Burning of the Prison | 296 |
| XXXI. | Gilbert returns Good for Evil | 305 |
| XXXII. | Back to Taku—Conclusion | 317 |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| "Then Colonel Liscum fell to rise no more" | Frontispiece |
| | PAGE |
| "'You'll be all right if you'll only stand up'" | 45 |
| "Nuggy Polk was making off down the dim passageway" | 98 |
| "The yellow man was on the point of blazing away at Gilbert's ear" | 145 |
| " 'See anything unusual?' " he asked | 180 |
| "The Boxer kicked the prostrate officer in the side" | 230 |
| "It was now a hand to hand contest" | 271 |
| " 'I'll save him anyway,' he thought" | 308 |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1930, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 93 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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