A CKUISE UP THE YANGSTZE IN 1858-59. 209 



fear us. The penalty of firing on a flag of truce 

 they had had once before, by a British squadron, 

 fully explained to them ; they had fired on it now in 

 defiance of such a penalty, and it was most necessary 

 that the recollection of the crime should be imme- 

 diately connected with its punishment. Lord Elgin 

 fully concurred with Captain Barker in these opin- 

 ions, and gave him carte blanche as to the course to 

 be pursued on the morrow. It was simply this, to 

 drop doAvn at daylight, and knock the forts about 

 the ears of the Taepings, if they showed any more 

 stomach for fighting. Grey dawn saw us off the 

 nearest forts ; that abreast of the Furious came out 

 of the mist with ghostly distinctness. The first rap 

 of the 10 -inch shells upon it sounded chorus to the 

 broadside of the Cruiser, when Bythesea threw out 

 his challenge to the fort and earthen batteries on 

 the northern shore, and the Eetribution came down 

 with her heavy 68 -pounders in a hearty bellow, 

 whilst the gunboats barked a hoarse reveille through 

 the morning mists. All the response we could get 

 was a very desultory fire from a solitary battery. 

 By way, however, of leaving our mark, and exercis- 

 ing our men at the best of targets for it so hap- 

 pened that quarterly gunnery -returns would be soon 

 required we gave our men a short practice at one 

 or two of the forts out of which the Taepings had 

 bolted ; and having placed our mark in characters 

 sufficiently legible, the squadron went on its way up 



VOL. III. O 



