fenders of the
legations that Prince Ching's troops seldom took part, or only in a
half-hearted way, in the fighting, which was chiefly conducted by
Tung-fu-hsiang's soldiery and the Boxer levies. The modern artillery
which the Chinese possessed was only spasmodically brought into play.
Nor did any of the attacking parties ever show the fearlessness and
determination which the Chinese had somewhat unexpectedly displayed on
several occasions during the fighting at and around Tientsin.
Nevertheless, the position of the defenders at the end of the first
four weeks of the siege had grown well-nigh desperate. Mining and
incendiarism proved far greater dangers than shot and shell. Suddenly,
just when things were looking blackest, on the 17th of July the
Chinese ceased firing, and a sort of informal armistice secured a
period of respite for the beleaguered Europeans. The capture of the
native city of Tientsin by the allied forces had shaken the
self-confidence of the Chinese authorities, who had hitherto not only
countenanced, but themselves directed the hostilities.[53] Desultory
fighting, nevertheless, continued, and grave fears were entertained
that the approach of the relief column would prove the signal for a
desperate attempt to rush the legations. The attempt was made, but
failed. The relief, however, came not a day too soon. Of the small
band of defenders which, including civilian volunteers, had never
mustered 500, 65 had been killed and 131 wounded. Ammunition and
provisions were almost at an end. Even more desperate was the
situation at the Pei-tang, the Roman Catholic northern cathedral and
mission house, where, with the help of a small body of French and
Italian marines, Mgr Favier had organized an independent centre of
resistance for his community of over 3000 souls. Their rations were
absolutely exhausted when, on the 15th of August, a relief party was
despatched to their assistance from the legations.

Looting of Peking.

The ruin wrought in Peking during the two months' fighting was
appalling. Apart from the wholesale destruction of foreign property in
the Tatar city, and of Chinese as well as European buildings in the
vicinity of the legations, the wealthiest part of the Chinese city had
been laid in ashes. The flames from a foreign drug store fired by the
Boxers had spread to the adjoining buildings, and finally consumed the
whole of the busines