d in
disorder. If this is so, I wonder how history has been made! Certainly
in this age there is very little of real valour and bravery. Perhaps
there has been a little in the past, and it is only the glozing-over
of time which makes it seem otherwise.

V

THE MYSTERIOUS BOARD OF TRUCE

25th June, 1900 (night-time).

* * * * *

It is always true that the unexpected affords relief when least
awaited. In our case it has been amply proved.

The sun, which had been shining fiercely all day long until we felt
fairly baked and very disconsolate, was heaving down slowly towards
the west, flooding the pink walls of the Imperial city with a golden
light and sinking the black outline of the sombre Tartar Wall that
towers so high above us, when all round our battered lines the
dropping rifle-fire drooped more and more until single shots alone
punctuated the silence. Our outposts, grouping together, leaned on
their rifles and gave vent to sighs of relief. Perhaps something had
at last really happened, for though five days only have passed since
the beginning of the real siege, they seemed to everyone more like
five weeks, or even five months, so clearly do startling events
separate one by huge gaps from the dull routine of every-day life. All
of us listened attentively, and presently on all sides the fierce
music of the long Chinese trumpets blared out uproariously--blare,
blare, sobbing on a high note tremulously, and then, boom, boom,
suddenly dropping to a thrilling basso profondissimo. Even the
children know that sound now. Louder and louder the trumpet-calls rang
out to one another in answering voice, imperatively calling off the
attacking forces. Impelled to retire by this constant clamour, all the
Chinese soldiery must have retreated, except a few straggling snipers,
who remained for a few minutes longer, dully and methodically loosing
off their rifles at our barricades. Ten or fifteen minutes passed, and
then, as if the growing solitude were oppressing them, these last
snipers desisted, and, coolly rising and disclosing their brightly
coloured tunics and sombre turbans, they sauntered off in full view. I
saw half a dozen go off in this way. Clearly something remarkable was
happening and our astonishment deepened.

Presently the word ran round our half-mile of barricades that a board,
with big Chinese characters written across it, had been placed by a
Chinese soldier bearing t