A meeting of Consuls and Naval Commandants in Tientsin--More alarming news from the Capital--French and Russian advice--The usual formalities--Four trains proceed to the Relief of Pekin--Imperial troops at Yangtsun--The first troubles of the Expedition--Railway line damaged--Approaching enemy--The first engagement with Boxers--Great bravery of the fanatics--Reinforcements for the Allies--At Lanfang--Railway torn up.

On the evening of June 9 a meeting of Consuls and Naval Commandants was held in the French Consulate at Tientsin, to consider the urgent request of the Ministers in Pekin for the despatch to that city of a second contingent of guards.

The British, Italian, Japanese, Austrian, and American leaders agreed to send all men available as quickly as possible for the purpose of restoring the railway to the capital, and of releasing the Legations as soon as the line was in working order.

More alarming news continued to come from Pekin, and the country between Pekin and Tientsin was reported infested by Boxers. It was suggested by the Russians and French at this conference that it would be inadvisable and useless under the circumstances to despatch a force of less than 1500 men, as the railway had been torn up in many places. Troops were coming from Port Arthur, and their arrival might be awaited. Nevertheless, if it were decided to despatch detachments, both Russia and France, although recognising the inutility of such an expedition, would gladly take part.

Sir Claude MacDonald’s telegram of the 9th: “Situation extremely grave; unless arrangements are made for immediate advance to Pekin it will be too late,” spoke too plainly to allow of any delay, but the haste to rescue their fellow creatures from danger brought disastrous results to a brave and noble group of men.

The usual formalities were not done away with even in such a pressing emergency, and it was stipulated at the Consuls’ meeting that the Viceroy should be requested to furnish train accommodation for the detachments to leave on the morning of the 10th. In fact, three trains started on that date to convey the relief column to Pekin, and they were composed as follows:

No. 1 train.--Eight carriages, three uncovered trucks, one waggon with rails and sleepers.

No. 2 train.--Eleven carriages, eleven uncovered trucks, and one waggon with rails and sleepers. Three carriages were loaded with stores.

No. 3 train.--Three carriages, eight uncovered trucks, and five waggons loaded with sleepers.

A fourth and similar train to No. 3 was despatched the following day, the 11th. The uncovered trucks were directly behind the engine. They were armoured, and had Hotchkiss machine guns mounted on them.

[Sidenote: CHINESE TROOPS]

The trains left Tientsin at 9.30 +A.M.+ on June 10. The Allied forces carried on them were: 915 British, 450 Germans, 300 Russians, 158 French, 100 Americans, 52 Japanese, 40 Italians, 25 Austrians. One hundred coolies were also taken to repair the line where necessary.

The force was under the supreme command of Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Seymour, who proceeded in the first train with the British contingent. The Japanese, with Captain Mori, were in train No. 2.

The station of Yangtsun, 30 miles from Tientsin, was reached at 1 +P.M.+ the same day, and so far the railway line was in good condition, nor were any traces of the Boxers or of their destructive work noticeable. At Yangtsun, near the station, Chinese Imperial troops, under General Nieh, were encamped, and had mounted four guns commanding the station platform and railway line. The iron bridge was intact.

No hostile demonstration took place on the part of the Chinese, and after stopping for water the trains proceeded. There were Chinese soldiers posted all along the railway line.

Some three and a half miles beyond the Yangtsun bridge the troubles of the expedition began. The trains came to a dead stop, for the railway had been badly damaged, the rails torn up, the sleepers burnt, and the bridges partly destroyed. A halt was consequently called in order to repair the line, and the night was spent at that place.

Early the next morning the work was commenced, and before noon, with the materials conveyed in the trucks, the line was patched up enough for the trains to continue slowly towards the next station of Lappa.

_SKETCH MAP +OF+ COUNTRY TRAVERSED +BY+ SEYMOUR EXPEDITION_

_Drawn by A. H. Savage Landor._ ]

Late in the afternoon, at about six, the train stopped and the alarm was given that the enemy was approaching. Major Johnstone and six marines, followed by Midshipman Davies and ten marines, were marching some distance ahead of the train along the line to examine its condition, when a body of Boxers was noticed leaving the village, in order, apparently, to cut them off from the trains. Retreating in due haste towards the main body of the force, the small party kept up an exciting running fight with the enemy. When only a few hundred yards from the train the bluejackets poured a hot fire from the railway embankment into the Boxers, and drove them towards the main British force. The enemy was then exposed to a severe cross fire from the Maxims and rifles of the _Centurion’s_ men. The marines had alighted from the trucks to repel the attack of this horde of fanatics, who ran close under the guns, waving their swords, pitchforks and clubs. As they actually came within a range of two or three hundred yards, their red turbans and sashes could plainly be seen, showing that they were Boxers, and not regular troops. They carried no firearms to speak of, except old-fashioned matchlocks. Some of the enemy were mounted, but the majority were on foot, young boys, apparently in a state of hysterical frenzy, running wildly in front of the mad crowd. Their number in all was estimated at close upon 1500. They showed astounding bravery, dashing upon the British and exposing themselves with bare chests to the bullets of foreign rifles.

[Sidenote: A MAD CROWD]

For an hour the fusillade was kept up--on one side only--with Maxims and rifles while these fanatics dashed to the attack time after time with their primitive weapons. They were repulsed, and were believed to have suffered heavily. According to Sir E. Seymour, thirty-five were killed, but whether, during the night, they removed their dead and wounded, or for some other reason, only very few bodies of men and horses were found the following day on the battlefield. There were no casualties on the side of the Allies.

The trains, with the Allies, reinforced by two hundred more Russians and fifty-eight French (arrived on the 11th) and now, altogether 2000 strong, resumed their slow journey the following morning towards Lanfang, taking every precaution against a sudden attack.

Lanfang was reached at noon without further mishap, but north of this place the rails had been torn up, badly twisted or destroyed. In places the rails had been carried away bodily for several hundred yards of line, and thrown into the river, so that they could not be found. Reparation of the line was commenced at once, and with alacrity, but unfortunately a sufficient quantity of rails and sleepers were not at hand, and it became evident that several days must pass before the trains could go any further. Three hundred more Russians proceeded to the assistance of the expedition (June 12), bringing the total number of men under Sir Edward Seymour to 2300.