The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-14


ano 10 explain to them the necessity for
temporarily leaving them. 1t was evident
| .iae Dotn htIsin and Yih-Hnn OWNED
she object OF his departure. but neither re-
isrren 70 1t. Now that the excitement of
me nlght was over, the nobleman and his
iaihiiy naturally felt depression of
spirit, and Haines felt that, for the pres
ent, solitude was best for them In de-
| parting, however, he managed to slightly
| press Maunas hand, and received in re-
spone faint, sad smile
| ne army set out at ii O'Clock 1t had
not traversed half Of the distance inter-
vening between the two camps when a
wnizzing sound was heard in the air, a
pfiliiant beam of electric light was thrown
upon the troops from above, and in another
second the gigantic form of the Lammegeir
was ioyerlng over the advance guard at
snort distance from the ground. Fuller.
swiftly descending from his vessel, was
soon In consultation with General Gregg,
from whom he received his orders as
70 what part the airship should
take IN the coming attack. Before
returning to his command Fuller found
1ilnc 10 search out his old comrade
haines and to receive from him his heart
Islt thanks for the preservation of his own
NE and those of his party. The army
pressed ON, lazily followed by the Hammer
GER, and reached the Chinese camp at
about O'Clock in the morning It was
4
oisciplIne seemed to be at an end. At the
death OF one and the fight of the other of
| uheir chlefs, as was afterwards learned,
there had sprung up three different as
| pirants for the command of the army, and
the dissensions arising among the adher-
ents OF these candidates had already led To
serious confusion and even bloodshed.
| Under these circumstances the American
army approached closely to the camp
without detection and made deliberate
PREPARATION for attack
| Inc Lammergeir, as ordered, took posi-
tion exactly above the centre of the Amer
lean force at a height of several thousand
feet, and the battle began by the rapid dis
| charge of thunderbolts hurled from her at
the centre of the Chinese camp. The con-
slant, unremitting rain of death-deaiing
| flashes, the incessant and earth-shaking
roar of the thunder, together with the
suddenness and unexpectedness of the at
tack, hlled the invaders with dreadful con-
sternation, and in the midst of their terror
stricken stnpefaction the order for a gen.
efal attack was given by the American
commander. The onslaught was made
simultaneously from three sides of the
camp, and so terror-stricken were
| the Chinese that their assailants
were already in the midst of
the camp before any attempts at defense
were made. Under these circumstances
there was little resistance. The cool judg-
ment of ki-Tsin and the desperate valor of
Voice were alike missing, and in the abb
sence of a central guiding authority the
battle became, on the part of the invaders,
hardly more than a series of detached and
unconnected combats. But little quarter
was given, and when the morning broke
the whole vast army had been practically
destroyed, and all its vast stores and sup
plies with $4,000 stands of arms, 5000
neld pieces, fifty chariots, $50 balloons, be-
sides an enormous quantity of other ma
terial. had been captured.
Such victory had never before been
won on American SOIL if, indeed, such
ever had been gained elsewhere. The
American officers were astonished at the
immensely of their own triumph, and
looked upon the vast camp, the innumer-
able bodies of the slain and the enormous
booty with eyes that could hardly con-
vince them of the reality of what they
beheld. Haines rode through the camp at
the side of General Gregg. He pointed
out as he passed it the cage in which he
had been confined on the previous day.
up corpses of the same wretches
who had guarded him, but the
bodies of many American soldiers piled
among them testined how desperately they
had fought. One gigantic Tartar, whom
Haines recognized as the commander of the
guard which had been set over him, was
lying desperately wounded amid the quick
lime which had been brought on the pre-
vious day for the formers torture. The
blood from his wounds had slaked the lime,
and his riesh was being rapidly consumed
from his bones by its corrosive action. He
was unable to move, and might have suf-
fered thus almost indefinitely had not
Haines directed an orderly to remove him
from his intolerable bed and secure
him medical assistance ut once.
With a shuddcr and a deyout prayer
of thanksgiving TO the Almighty for
having preserved him from the awful fate
SO lately prepared for him, Haines rode
on and reioined his commander. Fearful
| evidences of the destructiveness of the
I.ammergeir were everywhere noticeable
throughout the camp. Great crevasses
torn in the ground, mutilated and dis
torted corpses, immense cannon twisted
into fantastic shapes, whole ranks of troops
living dead in perfect alignment as they
were stricken down by single bolt-all
these told of the existence of weapon to
which the engines of the Chinese were as
toys, rho,o o..or.
Fuller said the general, smiling. ut
looks as though he might have got along
without our assistance.
This is all owing 10 Edison and you,
Haines. continued the general. ''If both
of YOU do not get the thanks OF congress,
and you brigadier's star, I'll resign my
commission"
Uaines smiled. at will be hard to con-
vince the American people that you were
not instrumental in etfecting the results of
TODAY. general; and We must not forget
| Fuller's services. But" he continued,
blushing. II would willingly commute
| some of the honors you mention for per-
| mission To return to our guests as soon as
| possible"
You NAV" was the reply. $50 at once.
| Present my compliments TO General HI
Tsin. and tell him that | shall do myself
the honor 10 wait upon him at the earliest
| possible moment.
An hour later Haines babe his friends
good morning. They looked much more
| cheerful than the night before, but ki-Tsin
and his son were still pale and careworn.
| Mauna however. had quite regained her
natural bloom and spirits, and the electric
| touch OF her fingers upon his hand, from
which the blood OF battle had just been
| washed. thrilled Haines through all his
being. He said nothing of the great vie
| tory which had just been won, though he
| felt that through some means the men had
| OWNED it, He delivered his generals mes
sage. and ki-Tsin seemed gratled by its
courtesy.
In the afternoon the American comman-
| der called upon the old nobleman. Their
! intercourse was frank and agreeable and
| mutual feelings of respect were evinced.
General Gregg admired the calm fortituGe
! of the venerable prince and the latter was
| much moved by the considerate courtesy
with which his family and himself were
treated. Both ki-Tsin and Yi-Hun de-
| clined To serve in any capacity against the
| Chinese emperor, both because such sery-
| ice would have been repugnant TO their
feelings, and would have afforded an op-