seemed they would never cease. What were these newcomers? Were they
white troops at last--were they Bannermen of the white Banners?...

They might be anything--anything in the world--but they might be....

Yes, without a doubt they might be ordinary Russian infantry of the
line. Russian infantry of the line! It was imperative to learn.

I clambered off the wall and decided at once on a grim test. All of us
pushed up our flaps to the extreme range and gave four sharp
volleys--the eight rifles crashing off jarringly together. As we were
preparing to give them the last cartridge on the clips, the white
specks we could just see with the naked eye stopped and flickered
away. Then as we waited there was a moment's silence; a little vapour
spurted up far away, and bang! a shell whizzed, and burst two hundred
yards to our rear. That was an immense surprise! But now we had no
doubts; these were European troops; the relief must have come; it was
all over, we must communicate the news....

Before our ideas had grouped themselves coherently, we found ourselves
bolting home--bolting like madmen. We charged clear down the middle of
the streets, with a disregard for everything; we headed straight as
arrows for the French lines, right through the heart of the most
formidable Chinese works, where but twelve hours before furious
attacks had been developed. We tore through hundreds of feet of
trenches, barricades, saps, half-opened tunnels, where everything was
scored and beaten by the riotous passage of nickel and lead. We
vaguely saw, as we rushed, lines of mat huts, broken walls, charred
timbers, countless brass cartridge cases, gaping holes--all the
wreckage left by these weeks of insane warfare. But of living things
there was not a trace.

Beating our way rapidly forward, we at length passed through those
death-strewn French Legation lines, and reached our own last
barricades, where the defence had been driven. Supposing that our men
were still behind them, we violently shouted that we were friends.
Nobody answered us.

Curiously alarmed, we clambered forward more and more quickly, and at
last near the fortified little Hotel de Pekin a confused sound of
voices arose from a stoutly fortified quadrangle. Then as we drew
nearer the voices grew, until they framed themselves into
half-suppressed cheers--a multitude of men uneasily greeting and
calling to one another. At least, we had not been abandoned I put my
leg up to swarm ove