COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 277 



resistance was possible, but as the slightest effort 

 would have led to our immediate death, we thought 

 it better to be resigned as we had no help for it, and 

 hope for something occurring that we might take 

 advantage of. We were pulled off our horses, taken 

 across the stream, and shoved down on our knees 

 before Sangko-lin-sin ; our heads were rubbed in 

 the dirt ; but after a good deal of abuse he had to 

 gallop off, and he ordered us to be taken to the 

 Prince Tsai. We were placed in a cart with the 

 old Sikh, and two Frenchmen who had somehow 

 been captured in another part of the field, and taken 

 off to Yung-chow. Four mules were harnessed to 

 the cart and they took us at a hard trot over the 

 most awful roads. The Prince Tsai not being in 

 the city, we were driven through the town along the 

 Peking road. Our escort inquired as they went for 

 the Prince, for they had been ordered to hand us 

 over to him. The road we were now taken along 

 was crowded with troops. After proceeding about 

 a mile along it, we came to a very handsome stone 

 bridge, crossing the Peking canal, called Pah-li-chow. 

 We were taken across the bridge, but we had not 

 gone far when an order came for us to return, and 

 we were taken into a large camp on the south side of 

 it. We were taken out of the cart and led before 

 the General commanding, whose name was Juli a 

 He was also one of the ministers of state. We were 

 thrown down upon our knees before him, and under- 

 went a long examination, utterly useless, for of course 

 Parkes never gave the information they desired to 



