The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-21


The heavy piece of furniture fell on
the toes of the soldier, who began to
hop about on one leg. Alec and Dan,
leaping simultaneously at the traitor,
seized and held him for moment. But
Ii Sheng broke from them with the
slipperienss of an eel, leaving part of
his tunic in their grasp. and bound
took him through the open window.
Kin Soon, who had whipped out his
concealed sword and darted in pursuit,
struck at and missed the flying figure,
hitting instead the window sill with
force that temporarily paralyzed his
arm.
Foreign devils" came a hooking
voice from without. Your days are
numbered"
A hue and cry was raised, and soon
lights were flashing as eager searchers
ran here and there about the legation
enclosure. But no trace of the per-
fidious Ii Sheng could be discovered.
He knew every nook and corner, and
must have got quickly away by some
| loosely guarded exit, under cover of
the darkness.
Il always mistrusted that fellow"
declared Dan. HE had bad eyes"
There is no telling to what lengths
his treachery might have gone" said
Mr.. Killigrew. when he had read Capt.
Drury's warning letter, which was
| found in the abandoned half of Ii
Sheng's tunic.
That night Alec and Kin Soon were
the heroes of the Legation.
Short-lived were the hopes and relief
born of the coming of the legation
| guards, and as transient was the inn
preston made by them on the native
mind. Two days later arrived the Aus
trian and German guards, and after
! that train coOoOnnOira tiOn with Pekln
was interrupted. June 2 brought word
from the south of the massacre OF
| missionaries and railway engineers.
Dissatisfaction spread rapidly, and the
destruction of miles of railway stit1ed
the hope of fruther reinforcements.
The arrogance of the ng-h-yamen
increased, and after June 9, the day
the Emperor and the Empress Dowa-
ger returned from the summer palace
to the capital, accompanied by large
bodies of cavalry and infantry, the sit
uation hurried to a climax.
A siege was now regarded as newt
able. The legations, immured in the
core of the great bloodthirsty city, de-
prived indefinitely of help from outside,
must fight for their lives. Merchants,
missionaries and teachers, native
Christians, women and children, all the
foreigners of Pelxin except those who
swelled the numbers within the lega-
ton quarters. A council of war was
held by the military officers, and plan
of defense was settled upon. ProVis-
ions were laid in. trenches were cut
and earthworks thrown up. On the
10th the imperial government boldly
and officially recognized the Boxers by
announcing the appointment of their
chief, Prince Tuan, as president of the
l,n foil in o.
day the Japanese secretary was drag
ged from his cart and brutality MUIR
dered by Chinese soldiers. Then dawn
ed the fateful 18th of the month, de-
stined to end in bloodshed and destruc-
ton, flame and smoke.
But we must go back a little. Dur
| ing the period of preparation Kin Soon
and his young master were not idle,
for there was plenty for all to do. The
acquaintance between Alec and Dan,
so strangely begun, ripened to a warm
boyish friendship. Both had Joined the
irregular force of volunteers. composed
of mixed nationalities, who were
known as "Thornhilrs Roughs," and
who were also dubbed the Carving
Knife Brigade" because those awful
weapons were dashed to their guns in
stead of bayonets.
The secretary's son, of an impulsive
temperament and brave to reckless
ness, needed the restraining influence
| of his cooler headed comrade. Alec
had been mainly educated in China.
except for two years spent recently
at an English school. At an early age
| he had gone with his parents to Can
ton, and after his mothers death he
had lived there for a long time with
a maternal uncle. while his adventure
loving father was fighting as a free
lance in several South American re-
publics and with the foreign legion in
| Algeria. Naturally the lad was ia
miliar with the mandarin dialect and
the rougher one of the common people.
while Dan, on his part. had picked up
enough words to get along with.
The safety of Chow Yen and his
bookshop was reported by a native
| Christian, who came in to the legation
| from the Chinese city, and this was
very pleasing news to Alec; but he
could not help feeling worried and anx-
ious about his father, from whom no
further tidings had been received. or
warning letter proved beyond doubt
the double dealing of Ii Sheng and his
completely with the Boxers, and Mr.
Killigrew was able to throw some
light on the mysterious attempt to
shoot Prince Ian, for which both Dan
and Alec declared-and the circum-
stances supported them-Lj Sheng was
personally responsible.
THAT is very probable" said the Sec
rotary Since Ii undoubtedly belongs
to the Boxers. More than a year ago
Prince Ian, on account of his pro-for-
eign views, quarreled with the Impe-
rial Court and was degraded. He him
self went to Hong Kong. and sent his
daughter to America for a time, with
his relative, the newly appointed Chi
nese minister to Washington. Subse-
quently he was restored to favor, but
at the present time, / understand, he
is again under suspicion. Both the
Boxers and the Empress Dowager re-
gard him with mistrust, and as yet he
has held aloof and refrained from
throwing his influence into the scales
either for or against the conspiracy to
drive the foreigners out of the empire.
When you saw him that afternoon he
had just returned. by imperial COM
mand from his summer residence. The
attempt on his life looks as If the true
side of him had been unmasked-as If
the Boxers had good reason to fear
and hate him"
"What else could IL mean?" asked
Dan. 1T was Ii Sheng who fired that
shot, right enough. / hope I'll get a
chance to put bullet through him
some dav."
Il should enjoy doing that myself"
replied Alec. THE Tiger is a good