The manner in which they so coolly rode past fifty yards away
must have frightened some one, for when I passed here an hour later
the Austrian Legation and its street defences had been suddenly
abandoned by our men. We had surrendered, without striking a blow, a
quarter of our ground! I remember that I was only mildly interested at
this; everything was so _bouleverse_ and curious that a little more
could not matter. It was like in a dream. Tramping back, the Austrian
sailors crowded into the French Legation and all round their lines and
threw themselves down. One man was so drunk from lack of sleep that he
tumbled on the ground and could not be made to move again. Everybody
kicked him, but he was dead-finished and could be counted out. This
was beginning our warfare cheerfully.

On top of the Austrians a lot of volunteers came in at a double, very
angry, and cursing the Austrians for a retreat which was only
discovered by them by chance. Like so many units in war-time, these
volunteers had been forgotten along a line of positions which could
have been held for days. Nobody could give any explanation excepting
that Captain T----, the Austrian commander, said that he was not going
to sacrifice his men and risk being cut off, when there was nobody in
command over the whole area. T---- was very excited, and did not seem
to realise one thing of immense importance--that half our northeastern
defences have been surrendered without a shot being fired.

At the big French barricades facing north an angry altercation soon
began between the French and Austrian commanders. The French line of
barricades was but the third line of defence here, and only the
streets had been fortified, not the houses; but by the Austrian
retreat it had become the first, and the worn-out French sailors would
have hastily to do more weary fatigue-work carting more materials to
strengthen this contact point. I remember I began to get interested in
the discussion, when I found that there was an unfortified alley
leading right into the rear of this. It would be easy at night-time to
rush the whole line.

Meanwhile nobody knew what was going to happen. All the Ministers,
their wives and belongings, and the secretaries and nondescripts had
disappeared into the British Legation, and the sailors and the
volunteers became more and more bitter with rage. A number of young
Englishmen belonging to the Customs volunteers began telling the
French and Austrian sailo