The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-30

expectediy got in at close quarters with
the Chinese through being with the Japa-
nese.
The ''fox-man" legend is not the only |
weird story that is told about the super |
natural powers of the foreign devil. The
wonder Is that, If they believe half Of their
tales, the yellow rascals are not altogether
afraid to fight US. The fox yarn I did not
wholly credit until a copy Of a Chinese
print purporting to show that very trans
formation fell into my hands. 1.-The al
lies use all the Vaccinations of the devil
is the way saka interpreted the Chinese
accusations to me. Then the troops of
Wa and his colleagues must consider them |
selves very brave TO fire upon US at all.
A MILITARY PROMENADE.
1t was a blase army that marched from
Hosi-wu or to Picking. There was some
little shipping by mile-away Cinnamon,
some little brushes where the allies routed
out nests of them, but the lighting was so
tame that it became monotonous. We paid
far more heed to the peaceful people we
met on the way. These turned out of near
ly every house. freely bartering with US
for all manner Of supplies, until our prog |
ress more sembled a promenade through
q huge fair. And what did they not offer
US? There was great HOMECOMING as we
came upon every new lot. They were paid
in the silver of the foreign devil, and there
was great jubilation. A Chinaman would
approach almost on his knees, Offering US
four s~hio-bun-fancy biscuits. The price of
these to a Chinaman would be four cash
four-6fths of a cent. The American soldier
cheerfully paid a dime, the Englishman a
s.xpence. Not a Chinaman who had any
thing he could possibly sell slept a wink
until assured that the last of the allied
column had passed by. There is more pros
perity along the Pei-Ho than there has
been within the memory of man.
AS We neared Change Wan word was
freely passed around that a big fight was
coming. There were extensive mud works
here, and it was a fine place to get us into
a trap. 1t was the scene of the biggest
battle with the French and English allies
forty years ago. SO, OF a sudden, as We
reared Chang Chia-Wan the great army
spread out. fan-shape, broadening more
and more, until the troops of the nations
were advancing in thin skirmish line. Staff
officers and orderlies galloped here and
there. while correspondents unslung their
cameras and prepared to do great work.
There were Chinese banners in profusion
along the walls, but a reconnaissance de-
veloped only a few scattering shots. Evil
IDENTIFY the imperial officers had begun to
believe themselves the weird tales they told
about us, and there was no real resistance.
The next day we marched into Chang
Chia-Wan. Everybody professed to be glad
to see us, and incidentally sold US all of
everything that we would buy.
Tung-Chow was the next stop. Here we
might reasonably hope for a fight if there
was any of that element left in the Chi
nese. Nor could any ground be better
adapted for defensive fighting. The allies
would have to go into a maze of houses,
which, loopholed and we'll defended, would
| prove an awful stumbling block. But there
was no fg~hting-nothinG but a few shots.
This is the great unloading place of the
imperial tributes of rice from the south
ern provinces. Granary after granary
stored to the caves with rice would fall into
our hands. That was a joke on the allies.
There isn't anything in Tung-Chow that
locks like a granary. Whenever the tribute
rice is brought into Tung-Chow swarms of
officials and coolies come out to the boats.
The rice is unloaded on to mats, meas
ured, sacked and started toward Picking
on the backs OF coolies as fast as indus
trious men can work. Saka, who had been
confident all along that the Japanese would
| capture Tung-Chow's great granaries, made
a sad grimace when he learned the truth.
PEKING TWELVE MILES AWAY.
From Tung-Chow to Peking, twelve miles,
the march was through the most inter-
esting part of China we nave yet seen.
The road goes over the great stone cause
way along the line of the canal. This
causeway was built by Kublai Khan more
than $50 years ago. 1t is still the best road
in China. All along the way were pic
turesQue old temples, beautiful scenic gar
dens. hundreds of seductive tea houses.
Tae last few miles, in fact, presented the
aspect of a fairyland. in wonderful con-
trast to the poverty-stricken region through
which we had passed. Probably the outside
world wondered why we made the last few
miles so slowly. But there are five differ
ent levels of the canal here. Locks are
beyond the CAPACITIES of Chinese ingenuity,
so at each new level the boats that car
ried our supplies had to be unloaded and
the supplies reloaded into other boats. The
delay gave the troops chances for sight-see-
iu6 III liuS ldIyidIQ tudl tuey were not
slow to improve.
On the night OF Aug. ii the allied army
camped five miles east of Picking, between
the causeway and the canal. At 2 o'clock
in the morning the camps were aroused by
a tumult of firing in Picking.
1.-THE Chinese are making their last des-
perate rush on the legations was the
word that few around. Then all doubts
were over as to the safety, so far, Of the
legations. Soldiers turned out without
waiting for the bugles. All was tremendous
excitement Well, it was what We had
come for, and the soldiers of all nation
alities were ready for an instant rush for
Picking.
Some of the correspondents here, / know.
have wired to the United States that Rus
STA broke faith with the allies in entering
Peking at once. That was an error. The
Russians, being nearest the city, and firmly
believing that the legations were now being
wiped out, moved forward on the double
quick to the rescue. sending back word TO
the other commanders. Whatever else the
Russians did-and according to reports cir
culating through the damp, they have done
about everything which the Decalogue says
they oughtn't to do-they did not break
faith on the night Of Aug. IA.