rtain that the Chinese commanders
would attempt to revenge this blow, what driblets of men could be
spared have been lent to make the German chain more continuous. It is
almost impossible now to follow the ebb and flow of reinforcements
from one point to another; but it may be roughly said that the
southeastern, eastern, northern and northwestern part of our
square--that is, the Germans, French, Austrians, Japanese and
Italians--feed one another with men whenever the rifle fire in any
given direction along their lines and the flitting movements of the
enemy make post commanders suppose a mass attack is coming; and that
the British Legation and the western Russo-American front, together
with the American posts on the Tartar Wall, work together. It is, of
course, self-evident from what I have written that the first, or
Continental and Japanese lines, are having by far the worst time. For,
apart from the American posts on the Tartar Wall, no outposts in the
second section are as yet in direct touch with the enemy. The strain
on those who are within a few yards of Chinese commands is at times
terrible. At night many men can only be held in place by a system of
patrols designed to give them confidence....

I have just said that no part of the second half of our irregular
system was in direct touch with the enemy, but this, although true
enough to-day, was not so yesterday. The Chinese pushed up a gun
somewhere near the dangerous southwestern corner of the British
Legation, and the fire became so annoying that it was decided to make
a sortie and effect a capture if possible. Captain H----, the second
captain of the British detachment, was selected to command the sortie,
and with a small force of British marines who have been pining at
their enforced inaction and dull sentry-go, and are jealous of the
greater glory the others have already earned by their successful
butchery of the enemy, a wall was breached and our men rushed out.
Being off duty, I witnessed most of the affair. Of course, the sortie
ended in failure, as every such movement is foredoomed to, when the
nature of the ground which surrounds us is considered. There are
nothing but small Chinese houses and walls on every side, making it
impossible to move beyond our lines without demolishing and breaking
through heavy brickwork. The marines went forward as gallantly as they
could, and surprised some of the nests of sharpshooters protecting the
gun; but the Chinese,