LOOT OF THE IMPERIAL SUMMER PALACE AT PEKIN. 627 



Others carried off clocks and dials in their arms. The sappers of 

 the engineers had brought their axes and broke up the fui-niture to 

 secure the precious stones with which they were incrusted. There 

 was one smashing a lovely Louis XV clock to secure the face, on 

 which the hours Avere marked with crystal figures, which he mistook 

 for diamonds. Now and again the cry "fire" was heard. Everyliody 

 rushed out, letting everything fall, and extinguished the fire, which 

 was already licking the precious wall, by heaping on it silks and dam- 

 ascenes and furs. It was like the dream of a hashish eater. 



And when, after passing through the apartments given over to pil- 

 lage, I emerged in the park, the spectacle of nature in its eternal tran- 

 quillity made me shudder on coming from this furnace, like a cold 

 plunge as we step from a Turkish bath. Here and there in the park 

 were groups running toward the palaces, the pagodas, and the libraries. 

 Alas! 



But the great lake was silent, deserted; its aquatic palace and its row 

 of gondolas abandoned. 



"I am e'oino- to see what there is in there," said I to mvself, looking 

 at the island. I jumped disrespectfully into the imperial gondola, 

 lacquered on the exterior, and lined in the interior with A^ellow silk, 

 like a glove box, and I set myself to sculling energetically toward the 

 palace, which 1 shall not describe, first, because it was exactly like all 

 the others I had seen, and, secondly, because the reader must be wearied 

 with descriptions already. 



I leaped ashore, fastened my boat to a carved post, and, mounting 

 three steps of white marble, I entered the principal room, entirely 

 surrounded by sofas made of large cushions covered with yellow 

 damask and resembling Turkish divans. 



1 inhaled the air, which smelled very sweet, too sweet to ha\e been 

 subjected solely to the breeze from the lake for two entire days. With 

 my hand on my saber I listened, for I thought I heard half-smothered 

 sighs. I examined the yellow cushions, and they had suspicious humps. 

 I kicked one off; a sharp ciy rang out, and a woman suddenly appeared, 

 crouching on the ground like a little rabbit, costumed in those delicate 

 and costly hand-embroidered silks that are made for ladies of high 

 rank. She stood at the foot of the bed, prostrating herself, bowing 

 until her forehead touched the earth, showing only her black hair, 

 secured bv golden hairpins. 



If you have never seen a man in an embarrassing position, imagine 

 me, standing up there, my hand on my sword, and this woman at my 



feet. . , . . .^u^ 



To induce her to rise. I contented myself with saying in Chinese, 



^'Have no fear; I will do you no harm." She rose on her two little 



feet, a lovely creature, twenty years of age, dressed like an empress^ 



As no cry from the pretty child had as yet indicated that she teared 



