DILATORY SIEGE OPERATIONS. 135 



among the crowd, killing and wounding several, and 

 putting the rest to flight. The fight, however, con- 

 tinued for a few days after this occurrence, until the 

 Chinese captured a part of the wall, and obliged the 

 defenders to retreat to another part of the fortifi- 

 cations. 



At this juncture, news was received of the mar- 

 riage of the Emperor of China. Siege operations 

 were immediately suspended, and a theatre was 

 built by the soldiers to celebrate the auspicious 

 event. The rejoicings, fireworks, and theatrical 

 representations were continued for a week, during 

 which time most of the officers and soldiers were 

 drunk, or insensible from opium-smoking ; and this 

 went on close to a still unconquered enemy. If the 

 Dungans had only had 100 men of any pluck 

 among them, they could, in one night attack, have 

 slain 1,000 Chinese soldiers, and dispersed the 

 remainder. But not even a handful of brave men 

 were to be found among the cowardly defenders of 

 Si-ning. They knew very well that as soon as the 

 Chinese had once taken possession of the town, they 

 would receive no grace, but yet they could not 

 muster up courage enough to profit by a singularly 

 favourable opportunity which thus presented itself. 



This is an instance of the moral degradation of 

 the East, where a man cannot overcome his animal 

 instinct of self-preservation, and invariably shows 

 sio^ns of cowardice when left to himself; but when 

 once the coward is in a position out of which he 

 cannot extricate himself, he becomes completely 



