The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-24

bundles of straw behind which they
would fight.
On one occasion he saw two banner
men stand behind grave mounds, some
twenty PAGES apart. After some con-
vensation they rushed toward each 9TH
er, but when near enough to use their
spears these weapons were seen verti-
cally in the air, and the men rushed
| into each others arms, exchanged ban
ners and ran at the top Of their speed
| in opposite directions, each doubtless
securing the reward for capturing the
banner of a foe, which was twenty
baels.
"On another OCCASION" writes DR..
Yates, "I saw a rebel with a spear
chasing around a grave mound, an I'M
perialist with a matchbox in his hand.
If the imperialist had stopped to prime
his gun and to adjust his fire rope, the
rebel would have speared him. Final
ly, however, succeeding in getting all in
readiness, he ran to the top of the
mound and fired but the shot did not
take effect because, as he pointed down.
ward the bullet rolled out of the gun.
Both rebels and imperialists were
IllDSJ CiuGl Ill lIIGII lltd vi lllG
wounded I saw wounded rebel pur
sued by three imperialists, who wanted
to get his head as trophy. Two of
them speared the man to the ground,
to hold him still, while the other cut off
his head, but before this was accom-
er rebel, who rushed to the spot in the
err rebed, who rushed to the spot in the
hope of getting the head of the impe-
rialist, but in turn he was shot by the
two other imperiallSts-so three were
killed in trying to get one head"
1t was commonly reported that many
poor countrymen were beheaded by the
imperial troops simply to gain the re-
ward of bravery. And, on the other
hand, many of the soldiers were cut off
by the peasantry when found looting,
and buried in their gardens. Individu-
ais on occasions displayed the most
foolhardy bravado.
Except for the troops which have had
the benefit of foreign training in mill
tary matters or have felt the influence
of foreign methods, the Chinese SOL
diers are to-day what they We're when
DR.. Yates sat on the fence, so to speak,
and watched them fight They are as
as any class in unpro
gressive China
That the traditional methods of the
brave" still hold is shown by the fact
that the business of head-hunting has
been industriously pursued during the
present troubles. A few weeks ago in
Picking the foreign patrols captured a
Chinaman carrying a sack in which |
was the head of an American marine |
That Chinaman also is now minus a
head.
Headless bodies of both Cinnamon |
and foreigners were found by the score |
after the recent enga gements in TEN |
Tsin, Tung-chow and Picking. The |
heads all represented a few taels re- |
ward, cheerfuly paida by the Chinese
government as representing so many |
foreign devils" the fewer polluting the |
sacred soil Of the Middle Kingdom.
1t is an easy matter for the ingenious !
Mongol to fix up the head of a compa-
triot so as to enable it to pass muster |
rs the head of a "fankuai." And, any
way, the Chinese disbursing official is |
not overparticular. A head is a head
Ind the more heads captured he is able
% report to the board of war the great
n his chances of promotion.-Dr Hen
y Liddell in the London Express.