Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-01-04
REslEeEp IN PEKlN.
Incidents in the Life Of the Legation
ere While Under Fire in the British
Compound.

and under fire for many weeks, last
summer, is published in the January
Century. We have selected a number
of passages for quotation.
June 20. Sir Robert Hart director
of Customsl makes us a call every
day. He says we cheer him up, al
though we do not stop our sewing.
we look forward to his visits, for he is
full of anecdote. tells us about the
Chinese, and recites poetry of his own
composition.
July 8. This morning, at three
o'clock, Captain Myers, with fifteen
Americans, twenty-five British, and
fifteen Russians, took the enemy's
strongest baTricade on the wall. 1t
was an exceedingly bold and daring
act, which meant life or death to us
all. If they had failed we would
have had to give up not only the wall,
but also the American legation. The
Chinese had built their barricades SO
close to ours on the wall that they
were throwing bricks and stones in
upon our men. Captain Myers was
wounded by spear in the fieshy part
of the leg. They had so placed their
spears that, in case of a rush, running
up against them was unavoidable.
July Z. We Americans in this house
are about as well off as anybody in
the compound-more fortunate than
many by still having our servants.
Mrs. Conger's family have two rooms.
We six ladies sleep in one room on the
floor ION mattresses which we roll up
against the wall in the daytime) sur
rounded by trunks, boxes, canned
fruit, etc. The other room we use as
an eating and living-room, and at
night two mattresses are laid on the
floor for Mr.. Conger and DR.. Martin.
A table about four feet square holds
the dishes, while we sit wherever we
can, holding our plates in our laps,
with cups and glasses placed on the
floor, picnic fashion. All napkins
have been turned into sandbags. Mrs.
Squiers has two rooms for herself, her
children, and her guest, Miss Condit-
Smith. One room they use for din
ing-room, store-room, and sitting
room, and at night they put two mat
tresses on the floor. The other room
is used for the children. Mr.. and
Mrs. cambridge have one room. Dr..
Coltman, wife, and six children sleep,
eat, dress, and live in one room. The
Coltmans do their cooking on their
own stove, which is placed in the yard,
and the three other families have to
take turns in doing their cooking on
/ one stove.
July IA. The firing did not cease all
night. During the worst of it our
coolies brought a lot of -four and meal
in here which they had been making
over in the Pekin hotel. Mr.. Cha
maui, a Belgian, | think, has been
running this hotel for three years.
His wife is from; San Francisco. They
are Lo,n FEARLESS. They have set up
/ grinding mills, and make all our -four
and bake the bread, which is made of
coarse brown -four, and sours very
/ quickly. Mr.. and Chamaut are he
roes. 1t is picture to see them drive
into the compound. They have to
come quite a little way along Legation
street, across the bridge and along the
moat, which, of course, is within our
barbados, but open to continual fir
ing. Mrs. Chamaut sits in the cart
gun in hand, while Mr. Chamaut sits
out on the shafts Ga cart holds con
veniently only one person.. both smil
ing and happy, with no signs of feaI
on their faces.
July "a This is Mrs. Congers birth
day. Each of us presented her with
little gift ! made for her a water
color sketch of the house we are now
living in, which was executed under
considerable firing. 1t is also the
birthday of the Emperor of China, tC
vent ones at that.
| II chntld hn nXn1ainnd with r.
to our food-supplies, that in retreatinl
to the British legation each famil!
carried in it's private provisions, anC
use was also made of the stock of thu
two foreign stores on Legation street
Mr.. Conger's head boy, Wang procur
ed a lot of pigeons. On our way in
June 20, we passed a flock of about 81
sheep, which were taken into the com
pound. There were also IA COWS
These animals were killed first, will
the exception of a few sheep kept 70
the sick. For horse-meat we hat
about so mules and perhaps 80 horses
the latter consisting mostly of 81
Claude Macdonald's race-horses. On
day toward the end five horses wer
killed before one was found fit to eat
as the horses had become diseased. !
few pet saddle-horses were brought il
from the other legations. One Az
gust 10, the day before the troops al
rived, Miss Pierce's riding-horse wa
despatched. Miss Conger's was t
|, have been offered up the next day, but
to its owners great joy, was one O
the six that survived the siege.
August IA, 10 A. M. We passed tn
most dreadful night of the Who'll
siege. We were grouped together a
closely as possible, and had to yell a
the top of our voices to make ourselve
heard 1t is one of the mysteries G
) the siege that we are still of thi
world. We had our five cannon e
ing, and many large guns were bein
fired upon us from the imperial wal
At two o'clock everybody was III
, There was welcome sound far of
making us feel that relief was near, @
many would have collapsed at thi
terrible moment One German wa
: killed, and Mitchell, our crack gunne
: was badly wounded during the nigh
Poor fellow, he has been so brave, an
, we are so proud of him, that it is to
bad that he should become disable
! just when relief is at hand.
! AS l write this the cannon of on
troops can be distinctly heard; it
: like a distant roar of continual thui
der. Everybody in this compound
: so excited that we hardly know whf
) we are doing.
r. AupuSt tx 7 NJ low iOvt Cove