276 REMINISCENCES OF 



done. In the meantime I rode up a steep bank 

 to the right, and found the ground so cut up with 

 water-courses and full of cavalry and infantry, that 

 rendered escape almost hopeless in that direction. 

 We decided, therefore, in the first instance to try for 

 a pass ; if that failed, to fight for it. Parkes ex- 

 pressed his readiness to go to the General if I went 

 with him, and we galloped off accompanied by the 

 Chinese officer and the old Sikh who had come in 

 with me as bearer of a flag of truce. 



" The millet in some parts was not yet off the 

 ground. It grows to an immense height and thick- 

 ness, quite sufficient to conceal a man on horseback. 

 Round a field of this the Chinese officer led us at a 

 gallop, and we found ourselves in the midst of a 

 body of infantry, who would have shot us down but 

 for the officer rushing in between. We pushed 

 through them towards a small stream, on the opposite 

 bank of which we saw some mounted mandarins. 

 As we got near the cry of 'Sang, Sang' ('The 

 Prince, the Prince') was raised, and up galloped 

 Prince Sangko-lin-sin, the Commander-in-Chief, at 

 that time, of the Chinese armies. As soon as he 

 came near Parkes called to him, and begged he 

 would give us a free pass for the escort to our 

 army, but the only answer he received was a volley 

 of abuse. The infantry had closed in upon us, half 

 a dozen matchlocks were pressing against our bodies 

 with matches ready to blow us out of our saddles. 

 Parkes turned to me and said, ' I fear we are 

 prisoners'. We consulted for a few moments if 



