CHINA. 



123 



themselves and sent for reenforcements. The Chi- 

 nese had surrounded their position with rille-pits, 

 and when they had lost 40 men the Germans 

 ieared they could not hold out. In the night the 

 Chinese retired. Col. von Ledebuhr's column had 

 a skirmish with the Chinese at llaishankwan, 

 after which they retired beyond the Great Wall, 

 Col. von Wallmenich encountered them in a strong 

 position, and being joined by the battalion of 

 Major von Miilmann, pursued them to Kukuan, 

 capturing 11 old and 2 quick-firing guns. The 

 French, who marched out to take part in the ag- 

 gressive movement, but were restrained at the last 

 moment by orders from their Government, agreed 

 to hold Kukuan while Gen. Kettler concentrated 

 his whole force at Paoting-Fu and prepared to 

 march through the mountain passes into Shansi. 

 The advance column had already started to climb 

 the mountains when, as the result of pourparlers 

 with the Chinese commissioners and their messages 

 to Singan-Fu, the Chinese court consented to 

 evacuate their advanced positions and retire be- 

 yond all question from the neutral zone. An- 

 other German expedition was sent into Mongolia 

 in consequence of a report that the Chinese were 

 gathering a great force beyond the Great Wall. 

 The territory occupied by the allied troops did not 

 extend more than half-way to the Great Wall. 

 Still, the rumored massing of a Chinese army 

 under Prince Tuan in Mongolia seemed deserv- 

 ing of investigation, and consequently a cav- 

 alry force was sent out under Capt. Magnis to 

 reconnoiter. Four columns, selected from wide- 

 ly separated garrisons, rendezvoused punctually 

 at a village in Mongolia 250 miles from Pekin, ' 

 having run over the whole country as far as 

 the center of Mongolia without finding any- 

 thing to justify the rumor. One of the par- 

 ties, consisting of only 18 men, entered Kolgan, 

 and found there a quantity of ammunition in the 

 arsenal. Although it was a Chinese post, Lieut. 

 Kummer decided to destroy this, and by the explo- 

 sion 12 of his men w r ere killed and all the others 

 wounded except a single man. Placing this one 

 as a sentry before the arsenal gate, the plucky 

 lieutenant, who was severely wounded himself, 

 sent word for the Governor and principal officials 

 to come and assist him in an investigation into the 

 causes of the explosion. The Governor and two 

 others were admitted, and were bound and gagged 

 by the mutilated soldiers ; another official was then 

 brought in, and dismissed with the warning that 

 hieut. Kummer would blow the Governor's brains 

 out at the least hostile move on 'the part of the 

 populace, after which a wounded soldier rode 60 

 miles to Chatou for reenforcements. 



The renewal of active operations by the Germans 

 was followed by a recrudescence of Boxer troubles 

 in the same part of Pechili. A numerous band 

 raided villages and threatened to massacre Chris- 

 tians and attack German posts south of Paoting- 

 Fu. These Boxers were largely recruited from 

 desperate farming people whose horses and cattle 

 had been seized and houses plundered by the for- 

 eign troops. Near the Mongolian frontier and in 

 northern Shansi there was also a revival of the 

 Boxer movement. When evacuation was near, the 

 cooperation of the Chinese regular soldiers was 

 called in, in conjunction with whom the French 

 operated against the Boxers on the western bor- 

 der. 



While Gen. Kettler was engaged with the Chi- 

 nese regulars on the west, the international troops 

 at Shanhaikwan were busy with marauding bands 

 who crossed the Great Wall in the east. Col. Rad- 

 ford, with 800 British. Japanese, and French sol- 

 diers, set out to punish a large band that had de- 



feated a large force of Sepoys and killed an Eng- 

 lish oflicer, Major Browning. The enemy were 

 encountered in force, and were driven buck into 

 the mountains, 50 being killed to 'J of the allies. 

 These hungry bands tnat broke; into I'echili from 

 Manchuria were llonghots and others whom the 

 Russians had driven out. After the frightful 

 massacre committed by the Cossack troops of (j<n. 

 Gribski, who, misinterpreting the C/ur's order to 

 fling the Chinese across the Amur, had attacked 

 every Chinese village near Blagovcstchen.sk with 

 fire and sword, and driven into the flood 4,800. men, 

 women, and children, and killed twice as many 

 more on invading Manchuria, the Russian Gov- 

 ernment, upon occupying Manchuria, took pains 

 to regain tire good-will of the Chinese by giving 

 them a good government. An immense number 

 of troops were poured into the country. The peo- 

 ple w r ere generally peaceful, and the Tartar gov- 

 ernors made only a brief and formal attempt to 

 check the invaders, afterward submitting grace- 

 fully and cooperating loyally with the Russians 

 for the preservation of order. The Boxers of Man- 

 churia were soon subdued with their help, and 

 after the Chinese generals who made a stand with- 

 drew their garrisons into Pechili, occupation was 

 found for the Cossacks, most of whom were Bud- 

 dhists and racial relatives of the inhabitants, in 

 clearing the country of the brigands, who were a 

 veritable pest and a serious incubus on the industry 

 of an exceedingly productive province. These 

 Honghot brigands were originally hired workmen 

 or condemned malefactors who had been sent to 

 dig gold in the mines belonging to the Chinese 

 Government situated in the wild part of northern 

 Manchuria. The miners quickly deserted to dig 

 gold on their own account, and those who came to 

 take their places did the same, until the mountains 

 were filled with a population of strangers too 

 numerous to subsist on the scanty supply of gold, 

 who made laws for themselves and robbed all 

 others, infesting every road in the country, so that 

 high Chinese officials had to pay a price to be al- 

 lowed to travel unmolested. To sweep these 

 bands out of Manchuria was a long and diffi- 

 cult task, but one that was amply repaid by the 

 gratitude of the people and the benefit to the in- 

 dustry and progress of the province. The expelled 

 brigands on their way southward tore up the Man- 

 churian Railroad, which gave color to the reports 

 of Gen. Gradekoff's expeditions against alleged 

 Boxers, Chinese troops, or the enemy an enemy 

 formidable enough, but one whose conquest filled 

 the Chinese of Manchuria and elsewhere with 

 gratitude and admiration for the conqueror, 

 whereas the exploits of Count von Waldersee and 

 the other generals, except their similar police 

 services, excited contempt or pity among a people 

 who abhor war and are impressed only by ethical 

 principles and economical forces. 



The French followed the Americans in reducing 

 their force, withdrawing 9,000 men in May. In- 

 activity was fatal to discipline, and friction be- 

 tween the powers was reflected in the attitude of 

 their soldiers, who came near clashing on several 

 occasions. When the American force in Pekin was 

 reduced the Germans expected to be placed in 

 charge of the part of the Forbidden City that the 

 Americans were guarding, and vented their spleen 

 when disappointed by paying no attention to the 

 challenge of the American sentries, until one day 

 a German was shot. When Indian soldiers were 

 placed to guard the area at Tientsin that was in 

 dispute between Russia and England, the Russians 

 and French jeered the Sepoys and almost provoked 

 them to turn their weapons on their tormentors. 

 French soldiers off duty came into conflict with 



