Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-29

by their officers they will go up town or
anywhere else in their undershirts and with
torn trousers. In Tien Tsin they got drunk
in the streets, and 1T must be said that
with very few exceptions, and these almost
wholly among the British, they were the
on men of al the eight nations represented
there who msconducted themselves. But
in and about their quarters the Americans
are the cleanest of them all. The Japanese
are always washing their clothes, and when
on the street their uniforms are clean and
their b,ouses buttoned up. They keep the
inside of their quarters neat and clean, but
over the doorsill is good enough for them
and they do not police outside. In Ten
Tsn their headquarters in the British con-
cess on became such an offenSe and actual
menace to public health that the local au-
thOrities were compelled to ask that they be
cleaned up.
The British Troops.
1t has always been said of the Indian
troops of the British army that they were
pre-eminently fighting men. Four regiments
of them were in the first brigade sent to
China. They We're all recruited among the
Sikhs, Pathans and Punjauhis, the bet
fighting men Of the hill tribes of northern
India. BCs deS these regiments there wer9
the Welsh Fusileers ard the Wei-Hai-We!
regiment of Chinese. The Wei-Hai-Ne ri
men were very smart aud neat in appear
ance. and in the attack on Ten Tsin, tn2
On.y time they were under serious lire,
they SjOOu up 10 thtlr WORK cEtnltdDly.
The FuSilecrS came to China with a ba0
reputa zion among the British. 1t was the
custom among the English correspondent
and among the officers Of other British lSls
iments, to speak sliehtingiy Of them, but
they bore themselves as well as could be
desired, and at Tien Tsin, as we'll as in the
preliminary fighting, they faced heavy fire
untlinchingly. At langtsun, when they
We're under the destructive fire of their own
artillery, in company with some of the In
fr ,pnS IA n.
stood their ground with the Americans when
the Indians fed.
Not Up to the Mark.
This fight at Yangtsun was. the only
chance the Indians had to show the stuff
Of which they We're made, and when 1t was
over the American officers, who had been
on the line with them, We're not impressed
with the manner in which they had be-
haved. But tiey had been placed in q very
awkward position. The formation adopted
by the British for the advance on the Chi
nesc position was a quineunX. 70 the
Americans who went in the line IF ski.
mshers it seemed to be the formation most
.inely TO result IN large casuaities. Nhcn
the line well advanced in a field of tail
corn. where the men could not see their Of
ficers well. it came under heavy vile fire
from the Chinese, supported by Light artll-
iery. AT the same time the British Ifteen-
,unders were Smelling the Chinese position
difficult situation for the advancing line,
and the Indian troops showed a decided
tendency to get behind the grave mounds
which were very numerous in The field. end
stay there. Colonel Daggett of the 18th
Cnited States Infantry saw that the saliva
ZION of the situation was a charge, and led
his men forward on the run. Most of the
Indians followed. but the straSSlers were
not few. In general behavior, howcv n,
the Indians bore themselves well They
were a good-natured, quiet well behaved
lot of men, and it is said Of them as 1t
cannot be of any other troops in toe Pakiu
relief column, that they Were almost as
neat and clean in appearance OH the last
day of the march as the lrst. Their
uniforms always seemed fresh. The other
men thought that the Indians would show
remarkable endurance in the ter~fbe heat
but they did not excel very greatly. One
blistering day, when the entire Column suf-
fered greatly. the Indians lost y Der cent
by heat exhaustion.
Behavior of the Russians
OF all the troops in China the greatest
contrast between conduct on the field AMI
off It was shown by the Russians. OFF the
field they were law!ess gang Of maraud-
ers. They would loot from their friends as
quickly and thoroughly as from their enc
mics and they did not have the Intelligence
10 discriminate in the quality and class
of their loot. They struggled to lug off
huge but worthless things and let small
and valuable loot go for another time.
They were brutal beyond belief and would
dash out the brains of little girl on the