With the Allies to Pekin: A Tale of the Relief of the Legations

“That seems to be so, but that does not show that it is at all easy to enter the Forbidden City, still less to reach the Empress. The question is: Where is Prince Ching? It seems to me that he is the chap that we want to get hold of.”

“It is certain that he disapproves altogether of the proceedings of the Empress and Prince Tung, and the sounds of firing which we have heard several times in the city can only be accounted for by the supposition that his troops are fighting Tungʼs. Of course Ching lives somewhere in the Imperial City, and as the Northern Cathedral stands in that part, there must be some way of getting in.”

“You are not thinking of carrying him off, are you?”

“No, I should like to carry Tung off, so that we could stick him up in some prominent position and send him word that we should cut his head off if the troops attacking us did not withdraw. No, I had no intention of doing any carrying–off, but I was thinking that it would be possible to take out a message to Ching of a friendly character, of course from Sir Claude.”

“That is not quite such an impossible business,” Sandwich admitted, “though the betting would be a hundred to one against your being able to see him.”

“Well, of course, it would be difficult, but one could not say how difficult till one tried. Nevertheless, as that messenger went out this morning and came in again, it is evident that things are going on pretty well as usual in the town, except round here, and that people walk about without being questioned or interfered with.”

Rex thought the matter over all day while he was at work, and after his duty was over went into the Residency and asked to see the Minister. After waiting half an hour he was shown in.

“How are you, Mr. Bateman?” Sir Claude said. “I have not seen you for the past fortnight. Can I do anything for you?”

“Well, sir, you know that this morning one of the natives under Mr. Squiers went into the town and came out again safely?”

The Minister nodded.

“Well, sir, what one man has done another might do. I have thought that you might like to communicate with Prince Ching.”

“I should certainly like to do so if it were possible.”

“In that case, sir, I should be glad to try to take a communication to him. I have passed out several times as a Chinaman without exciting the slightest suspicion, and it seems to me that I could at any rate reach Chingʼs Palace without any special danger. How I should obtain an audience with him would, of course, depend upon circumstances, and I should guide myself by these when I got there. I do not at all say that I should succeed, but it seems to me that it would be well worth trying if you are desirous of communicating with him.”

“It is a bold proposal, Mr. Bateman, a very bold proposal. Certainly I should like to communicate with Ching, and to learn from him how he really stands affected towards us, what the Empressʼs intentions are, and to what extent Tung and his partisans influence her. Of course it would be a joint letter, signed by all of us – but it would be a fearfully dangerous service. As he is at enmity with Tung, and probably in bad repute with the Empress, he would be sure to be surrounded with guards and soldiers. Even if you were to reach him, you might not be safe. At the beginning of the trouble, he certainly assured us of his regard, and did his best to prevent Tung and the Boxers from attacking us, but there is no saying what his opinions may be now. Seeing how far the others have gone, he may have ceased to oppose them, and might either have you put to death or hand you over to the Empress.”

“I am perfectly well aware that there is danger, sir, but if there is a chance of my mission succeeding, or of conferring any benefit upon all here, I should be ready to undertake it. I do not engage to deliver the communication, but I will at least do all in my power to do so. Everyone here is risking his life every half–hour, and I do not think that I should be risking mine to any greater extent than the officers in the Fu, or indeed those at any of the barricades.”

“At any rate, Mr. Bateman, I thank you for the offer. We shall have, as usual, a council this evening of all the Ministers, and I will discuss your offer with my colleagues. Have you thought what character you will go in?”

“I should say either a Chinese bonze or a Buddhist priest. It seems to me that in either of these I should find it easier to obtain access to him than in any other character, except perhaps in that of a high–class mandarin. This would be in several respects the best, but I should have to be attended by at least four men. Of course my own man could be one, and the others could be natives got up in suitable attire.”

“That would certainly be the most appropriate. Perhaps as a second–or third–class mandarin, with two attendants, you might succeed as well. If you went as a first–class mandarin you might easily be recognized; whereas, as a third–class mandarin you might have arrived from the provinces and so be unknown. Well, I will think it over, Mr. Bateman. I should certainly be very glad to learn what Chingʼs real opinions are, and how far he will be inclined to aid us. Will you look in again to–night at ten oʼclock?”

“Yes, sir, and I hope you will have decided to make me useful.”

Rex said nothing either to his cousins or to Sandwich of the offer he had made, but he had a long talk with Ah Lo about it.

“I donʼt think there will be any difficulty in getting to the kingʼs palace, master, but I cannot say whether you could get into the palace. Ching will no doubt always have people with him. If he has, what would you say? You could not declare who you were before others.”

“No. I agree that that would be a difficulty.”

“I should be afraid that he would always have people with him.”

“Yes. I rather reckon upon there being a crowd. I expect the ante–room would be full, and my idea is that, if possible, I should slip away from the crowd and gain his private apartments, so that I might meet him after he had given his audience for the day. If I found that impossible, I should have to pray, when my time to speak to him came, for a private audience. If he demurred to this I could hand him my card, on which would be written in Chinese that I had come from Sir Claude Macdonald and implored a private interview. Of course it is possible that he might order me to be arrested, but it is more likely that he would see me. It is just a toss–up. If he is really friendly to us, I should be safe. If, on the other hand, he has only been playing, as so many of them do play, a double part, he might send me to Tung or the Empress for instant execution. In that case, of course, my only chance would be that you and the three men with you could effect a rescue, and that, of course, must depend on how many guards are sent with me.”

At the appointed hour Rex again went to the quarters of the British Ambassador.

“We have talked the matter over, Mr. Bateman. It is not a mission that we should think of asking anyone to undertake, but undoubtedly good might come of it, and at any rate, you will gather much valuable information. We therefore do not like to decline the offer you have made, so to–morrow morning we will have a letter to Ching written. What disguise have you settled upon?”

“I think, sir, a mandarin of the third or fourth class would be the most suitable.”

“The only thing against that is that we have no appropriate clothes and no means of obtaining them.”

“I was afraid that might be so, sir. In that case I might either be a Buddhist priest, whose garments could be made out of anything, or a respectable land–owner, who might reasonably wish to hand in some petition or complaint of bad conduct on the part of Chingʼs troops, or to ask for an order of protection against them.”

“That would be certainly much easier, so far as the costume goes. A land–owner might very well have a couple of armed retainers, and would, I should think, have as good a chance of obtaining an audience as a mandarin of low rank.”

“I should be glad to have a map of the town, sir, in order that I may see the exact position of the princeʼs palace.”

“That is easy enough;” and Sir Claude opened a bureau and drew out a large map.

“That is Chingʼs palace,” he said; “it is, as you see, by the side of the lake, about half–way between the Northern Cathedral and the bridge across the lake.”

Rex examined the map carefully.

“Thank you, sir!” he said when he had finished. “I shall be able to make my way there without difficulty.”

“I will give orders for the dress to be made; that and the letter to Ching shall be ready to–morrow afternoon, and I will request Mr. Cockburn to choose one of his most reliable men to accompany your man as an attendant. I need hardly say that it would be well not to mention to anyone what you are going to do. We have every reason to believe that in some way or other the Chinese get accurate information of all that passes here. Will you go out in broad daylight?”

“No, sir. I could scarcely hope to get out in that way. The Chinese are quietest toward morning, and by sallying out from the barricade near the Russian Consulate, I may be able to pass, as Mr. Squiersʼs messenger did, through the Chien Mên. Once through that, I should be perfectly safe, and could go round and enter by the Si Chi Mên. After that I should be quite master of my own movements, and, making my way round behind the city, might enter the Imperial City by the How Mên, and, passing between the Northern Cathedral and wall, make my way to Prince Chingʼs palace. The fact that I was going with a petition to him would be sufficient as an answer to any enquiries that might be made. It would be well that I should be furnished with a set of petitions in the usual form, asking for protection against the rough doings of some of his soldiers who had carried off several of my beasts and threatened me with personal violence.”

“A very good idea; that shall be ready for you with my letter.”

At two oʼclock the next day Rex obtained the documents, together with a pass to let him through the barricade, and some clothes that had been made for him, appropriate to the character that he was going to assume. Going to Mr. Cockburn he found the native ready for him. He was a strong, powerful man, who carried a native shield and a long broadsword and dagger, and who would have attracted no notice as a retainer of a well–to–do farmer. Ah Lo had obtained similar weapons from a heap of those that had been taken from the enemy who had fallen in the attacks upon our barricades. Rex directed the Chinaman to join Ah Lo in the evening, and to keep by his side. He himself passed the evening as usual with his friends.

The next morning at four oʼclock he put on his disguise. After the others had gone to sleep he had got up and shaved his head, with the exception of a top knot, and to this, before starting, he fastened a pigtail, which he curled up under a broad native hat. He placed his pistols out of sight under his girdle and put on a native sword. Then he made his way out to the spot where Ah Lo and the other man were lying. Both of them were awake, and at once rose and followed him. The Russian officer in charge of the barricade made some little demur at allowing him to go out, in spite of the pass, but when Rex made himself known to him he changed his attitude. The officer looked at him in surprise.

“You are well disguised, indeed, Mr. Bateman,” he said; “even knowing you as well as I do, I should not recognize you. You are going on a mission, I suppose?”

“Yes, I am going to see what the state of things is in the town.”

Keeping carefully in the shadow of such houses as were still standing, Rex, followed by the two men, made his way along noiselessly, and, reaching the Tung Pien Mên, passed out without interruption. They walked on till they were near the next gate, and when day had fairly broken, and the country people had begun to arrive, they entered with them and then moved quietly along the streets, looking into the shops. No one paid the slightest attention to them. There were many soldiers about, but few Boxers, who appeared to have fallen quite into the background since the regular troops took the siege in hand. It was supposed that they had been sent out of the city to be drilled and disciplined by regular officers, as these men were far more turbulent than the regular soldiers, whose conduct was orderly, and who in no way interfered with the populace. Their disappearance greatly diminished the danger of passage through the streets.

It took the little party two or three hours to make the circuit of the walls of the Imperial City. When they arrived at the gate near the Northern Cathedral Rex was glad to find that the French priests and their Christian converts were still holding out gallantly. Nevertheless he could not help feeling great anxiety for them. The position was certainly a strong one, but it seemed hardly possible that sufficient food could have been collected to enable them to support themselves during a prolonged siege. From this point he went round towards Prince Chingʼs palace. Many soldiers were loitering about in front of the palace, and people of all sorts – officers, peasants, merchants, and others – were going in and out. Leaving his followers he entered the large hall. No questions were asked, and after waiting a short time he went up to one of the officials.

“I desire an audience with the prince,” he said.

“Well,” the man said, “you see how many there are before you. There is little chance that you will get an audience to–day.”

“This is an urgent matter,” Rex said, and slipped four taels into the manʼs hand.

The official nodded significantly, and half an hour later showed him into the apartment where Ching was sitting with two or three secretaries.

Rex bowed to the ground.

“Your servant would request a private audience,” he said. “I have letters of importance to submit to your Excellency, and pray that you will receive me in private.”