ipers must have heard it, for immediately they opened a
heavy "fire," which grew to a perfect tornado, and sent the listeners
flying in terror. Perhaps the enemy thought it was a new war-cry,
which meant their sudden damnation!

Yet we have had so much time to rectify all our mistakes that things
are in much better working order. Public opinion has made the
commander-in-chief distribute the British marines in many of the
exposed positions and thus allow inferior fighting forces to garrison
the interior lines. Twice last week, before this redistribution had
been completed, there was trouble with both the Italian and the
Austrian sailors and some volunteers. Posts of them retreated during
the night.... They gave as their excuse that they knew that the loose
organisation would cause them to be sacrificed if the enemy began
rushing. There is much to be said for them; the general command had
been disgraceful, especially during the night, when only good fortune
saves us from annihilation. One single determined rush is all that is
needed to end this farce....

These retreats, which have not been confined to the sailors, have
ended by causing great commotion and alarm among the non-combatants,
and reserve trenches and barricades are being improved and manned in
growing numbers. Still, the distribution is unequal. There is a force
of nearly sixty rifles in what is the northern front of the British
Legation--the sole front exposed to direct attack on this side of the
square. With difficulty can the command be induced to withdraw a
single man from here. They say it is so close to all those who have
sought the shelter of the British Legation, so close to the women and
children and those who are afraid, that it would be a crime to weaken
this front. And yet there has been hardly a casualty among those sixty
men during four weeks' siege, while elsewhere about one hundred and
twenty have been killed and wounded....

The fear that fire-balls will be flung far in from here, or
fire-arrows shot from the adjacent trenches, has made them institute
patrols, which make a weary round all through the night to see that
all's well. In the thick darkness these men can act as they please,
and already the are several _sales histoires_ being sold. One is very
funny. The patrol in question was composed entirely of Russian
students, who are not rated as effectives. Beginning at nine o'clock
the day before yesterday, the patrol had got as far as the