her Chinese soldiers joined and which resulted in the
Japanese being severely handled. After the Chinese had left him, the man
betook himself to the nearest Japanese post and reported that he had
been grievously assaulted by Chinese soldiers for no reason whatsoever.
A Japanese gendarme made a preliminary investigation in company with the
man; then returning to the Japanese barracks, declared that he could
find no one in authority; that his attempts at discovering the culprits
had been resisted; and that he must have help. The Japanese officer in
command, who was a captain, detailed a lieutenant and twenty men to
proceed to the Chinese barracks to obtain satisfaction from the Chinese
Commander--using force if necessary. It was precisely in this way that
the play was set in motion.

The detachment marched off to the headquarters of the offending Chinese
detachment, which was billeted in a pawnshop, and tried to force their
way past a sentry who stood his ground, into the inner courtyards. A
long parley ensued with lowered bayonets; and at last on the Chinese
soldier absolutely refusing to give way, the lieutenant gave orders to
cut him down. There appears to be no doubt about these important
facts--that is to say, that the act of war was the deliberate attack by
a Japanese armed detachment on a Chinese sentry who was guarding the
quarters of his Commander.

A frightful scene followed. It appears that scattered groups of Chinese
soldiers, some with their arms, and some without, had collected during
this crisis and point-blank firing at once commenced. The first shots
appear to have been fired--though this was never proved--by a Chinese
regimental groom, who was standing with some horses some distance away
in the gateway of some stabling and who is said to have killed or
wounded the largest number of Japanese. In any case, seven Japanese
soldiers were killed outright, five more mortally wounded and four
severely so, the Chinese themselves losing four killed, besides a number
of wounded. The remnant of the Japanese detachment after this rude
reverse managed to retreat with their wounded officer to their own
barracks where the whole detachment barricaded themselves in, firing for
many hours at everything that moved on the roads though absolutely no
attempt was made by the Chinese soldiery to advance against them.

The sound of this heavy firing, and the wild report that many Japanese
had been killed, had meanwhile spread p