The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-18

turn out in the dark, saddle ones horse
and follow them.
Compensation came in seeing the grad
ual painting of the dawn amid the noun
tains of this strange land. Behind us
stretched away toward the east a dead
level plain. and the first sign of coming
light was the outlining in irregular SER
rations of the mountains in front, with
contours reminding one of the Drakens-
berg as seen from Ladysmith.
great inky canopy of raincloud had
passed away from their submits, and
white wisps of mist, like curled wells of
gauze, lay on their purple sides or filled
sheltered crevasses like snow. AS the
light increased a steep, rocky promontory
appeared in the foreg ound of the foot
hills, streaked with white walls and ter
races. with a pagoda on the extreme sum
nit, standing out above clustering trees.
1t had wall completely surrounding it
halfway down, making it have the look
of fortress as well as a temple and
monastery.
A Gibraltar of Prayer.
This Gibraltar of prayer was ideally
suited either for defense or for the de-
lights of heavenly contemplation. 1t COM
manded a deep gorge through which the
river emerged through the hills as well
as the plain which lay below A handful
of men might keep an army from scaling
its wall-like sides.
Clear above the lower world in white
marble terraces or cloisters, shaded by
the dark foliage of white-trunked pines,
one caught glimpses of de ishtful sane
tuaries looking out on the purple noun
tains behind or the p ain in front, rich as
a Chinese embroidery in TINS of vel ow
and green. If M ditative monk is ever to
reach the Buddhistic Nirvana, il is sure
ly from amid such surroundings
As the full light of day made all the
details of the landscape clear we saw
how beautiful was the country we were
entering on, 1t reminded the very much
of the Puy de Dome district in France
All the plain and the lower hills showed
signs of diigsnt Gu tivation, and tenn
ing richness of soil clothed the surface
with the ripe harvest.
High up on the mountains We're numer-
Gus temples. Toward our left southwark
was one Of the lai gest. where there used
to be 300 monks. Twenty-Five years ago
members of the French Lega ion had &C.
cupied it. but not since then have Euro
peans staid there. and its priests have
been particularly disagreeable to for
egners.
The Plan of Attack.
Within an amphithea'er, or. more cor
rectly speaking. a horseshoe of hills, was
the temple in which we expe ted to find
the Boxers. The Americans and Engli h
were to approach the no shoe from tn
outside ard drive them in'o the fog of
the foot, where they We're to be met by
the Germans on the plain. The horse
shoe pointed west and the temp was
on the south side of the toe of the shoe
The north side had not been covered
when our men reached the south and
west Our attack was completely sue
cessful as far as taking the enemy by
surprise was concerned. Our men were
all along the edge Of the steep ridge above
them before they knew anything of our
approach.
There was the temple below, with
high white pagoda and marble terraces,
stairways, artificial stone ponds. richly
carved tombs, and tiled roofs. as rich in
color as the plots of flowers between them.
1t was clear we were at a Boxer head
quarters. The men seemed to be prepar-
ing breakfast when We opened fire on
them. and then commenced a panic
stricken stampede If they ever thought
of any idea of defending the place there
was no chance of doing so once the nights
above were occupied. but anyhow II was
just a question of "Sauve qui peut"
Several flights Of steps and steep paved
slopes shaded by trees led up to the tenn
pie, but below, on the level OF the plain.
there was a clear open space. They raced
across this, making for the opposite slope
which, eliminating in a broken rios.
formed the other heel Of the horseshoe
There was no sign OF the Germans any
where. There we're few fields Of koo-