LOOT OF THE IMPERIAL SUMMER PALACE AT PEKIN. 603 



floor. The women were still breathing, with their nuMuhers shak- 

 ino- ,n the last spasm of the death agony. Beside them, two little 

 girls were toying with the long, black tresses of the dying women 

 and playing hide and seek with each other in the blood-stained 

 clothing, laughing at the singular movements of their youno- mothers 

 or their great sisters. The faces of the children were smirched with 

 the blood like those of babies eating jam. Opposite the bed, seated 

 in an arm chair of teak wood against the wall and looking at this hor- 

 rible spectacle, was the mandarin, the head of the family, who, to save 

 these unhappy beings— probably his mother and his two wives— from 

 the outrages of the ])arl)arians, had sacriticed them himself. His heart 

 or his hand had failed him when he came to the two little ])eings who 

 were still alive. He had opened his own throat with a razor, and, 

 superb in his robes of silk, immovable, he sat there still alive. Through 

 the open gash the blood flowed at every respiratory movement along 

 his Ijreast and fell upon the open razor lying on the floor. In his 

 right hand he held his fan, which he used to drive away the greedy 

 flies who were gathering on the frightful wound, and. under the fan- 

 ning, the blood was already hardening and becoming brown. His eye, 

 still hard and keen, was flxed flrmly on the two terrified ofiicers. 



Schmitz andCampenon left, taking away the two little orphans, 

 whom they put in charge of the chief almoner of the army, who sent 

 them to Shanghai, where they were charital^l}" cared for. 



After hearing such things, the first thought that struck mo was this: 

 "If these people,'' said I to myself, " have such a horror of us that the}' 

 do not hesitate to kill their own families and themselves, I'atlier than 

 sufi'er any contact with us, Avhat treatment, great Heaven! would they 

 have for those of us who were unfortunate enough to fall into their 

 hands. What treatment?'', alas, the future was to tell us! 



Later, Lord Elgin came to see the General and gave him part of the 

 papers which were found on one of the mandarins who had cut his 

 own throat in the camp of 8inko. Among these papers was an edict 

 of the Emperor of China, ordering his subjects to kill the im ading 

 Europeans like evil ])easts. Here is the official edict: 



''MANIFESTO OF THE EMPEROR OF CHINA AFTER THE CAPTURE OF THE 



FORTS OF PEI-HO. 



''Scarcely had the barbarians endeavored to force the passage of 

 Taku, when, in the twinkling of an eye, all their vessels were sunk, 

 and thousands of corpses floated on the water for more than a league 

 in distance. Some had succeeded in escaping and earned to their 

 friends the news of this terrible punishment. 



"I thouoht that this lesson would have sufficed to make them more 

 circumspect. But who would believe it! Scarcely one year has 

 elapsed since the memorable victory for our arms, and here they are 

 back again, more mimerous and more arrogant than ever. 



