THE BATTLE OF PEITSANG
Gilbert felt his heart beat rapidly as he advanced at the head of the
second division of Company A. It was no slight thing to rush to the
firing line at any time, and he felt that the present movement was to
be hotly resisted.
The gun before them was situated on an elevation of ten feet above the
marsh, with a bank on the right and the left. In front of the gun was a
deep ditch, all of fifteen feet wide. But at one end of the ditch was a
small pile of dirt, which, in their haste, the Chinese had been unable
to remove.
Boom! the gun belched forth just as the battalion was crossing the
marsh, cutting down three of the soldiers and causing a momentary check
in Company B.
“Forward!” shouted the major. “Don’t hang back, boys. We’ll soon have
the hill!”
“Forward it is!” shouted an old regular. “Who’s afraid of the Chinks?
I’m not!” And he went on ahead.
So far, Gilbert had not fired; but now he saw a good chance, and,
aiming at one of the Celestial gunners, he discharged his pistol, and
the gunner immediately tumbled out of sight. But there were a dozen to
take his place; and soon the field-piece was loaded and fired again.
When the pile of mud in the ditch was reached, it was found almost too
soft for the soldiers to step upon; and the foremost men hesitated, not
knowing whether to go on or retreat.
“Down with your rolls!” shouted Gilbert, who was the nearest officer;
and at once a score of blanket rolls went down in the mud. More
followed; and these formed a temporary bridge, over which the soldiers
leaped in safety.
The ditch crossed, there came a wild yell from the top of the
embankment in front; and immediately a perfect horde of Chinese
soldiers appeared, waving their fantastic banners and discharging their
guns and pistols. But the Celestials were too excited to shoot very
straight; and most of their ammunition, consequently, went to waste.
“Come on up the hill!” cried Gilbert, as he started to lead the way. He
had seen a small opening, and was quick to take advantage of it. The
way was slippery, and the situation a critical one; but he knew that a
quick dash is worth a dozen common advances. In a minute he was at the
top of the slope, and half a company came upon his heels.
Gilbert now found himself confronted by two Chinese soldiers, each
of whom took aim at him as soon as he showed himself. Before the men
could fire, one was knocked over by a bullet from the rear. The second,
however, pulled trigger directly on Gilbert’s breast; and the bullet
scraped the young lieutenant’s ribs so deeply that the blood flowed
through his shirt.
“You are shot!” cried Captain Banner. “Better go to the rear.”
“Not yet!” was Gilbert’s answer. “Come on, boys! The gun will soon be
ours!” And again he led the way.
But the Chinese did not intend to give up their field-piece thus
easily; and soon a fierce hand-to-hand encounter was on, both sides
first emptying their weapons and then using their gun-stocks for
clubs. Finding they could not save the gun, the Chinese loaded it
to the very muzzle with a triple charge of powder and two shells,
intending to blow it up.
“They are going to blow up the gun!” was the cry. And, seeing the
movement, the majority of the Americans hurled themselves flat, to
avoid the force of the explosion. But, before the gunners could touch
off the piece, several sharpshooters picked them off; and the gun was
saved.
The Americans on the embankment were confronting at least ten times
their own number; and, as the tide of battle swept on, it looked as if
they would be wiped out by such a horde. They had been fighting since
five o’clock in the morning, and it was now half-past seven. More than
two-thirds of their ammunition had been spent.
The gun was the centre of attraction, and soon the whole battalion was
massed behind it. Some gunners tried to use the piece, but failed in
their efforts to clean it out.
At this juncture a strong force of Japanese were seen to be approaching
from the westward,--a force which had succeeded in turning the enemy’s
right wing. Seeing the Americans in front of the Chinese, they came up
in the rear; and thus the Celestials were caught between two fires.
For a few minutes it was as if pandemonium had broken loose; for both
the Chinese and the Japanese yelled like madmen, in the mean while
firing as rapidly as possible. Banner after banner of the upholders of
the Dragon went under, and then the Chinese turned to break through the
American ranks.
Major Morris had anticipated the shock; and, when it came, it found
our regulars standing shoulder to shoulder, and two deep all along
the fine. A solid volley was poured into the enemy; and scores of
Chinese went down, to rise no more. This terrific slaughter had its
desired effect; and the Chinese turned again, and scattered through the
Japanese, who cut them down on every side. But the Chinese could not
be stopped; and, terror-stricken, they fled through Peitsang toward
Yangtsun, still further up the river.
All told, the battle of Peitsang lasted from three o’clock, Sunday
morning, the 5th of August, until well toward noon. The principal
troops engaged were the Russian and Japanese, and the total loss to
the Allies was twelve hundred killed and wounded. How many the Chinese
lost will probably never be known, but they certainly numbered into the
thousands.
The capture of Peitsang was important, and many supposed that the
Allies would rest there. But this was not to be; for that would have
given the Chinese time to throw up intrenchments at Yangtsun, seven
miles distant.
“We must go right after them!” said more than one soldier. And go after
them they did, early on Monday; and by Tuesday Yangtsun had fallen, and
the Chinese were retreating in the direction of Ho-Si-Wu and Matow.
The awful heat told fearfully upon Captain Banner’s company; and most
of the soldiers were glad enough to rest at Yangtsun for half a day, to
await rations and some necessary equipments. The only troops who would
not rest were the Japanese. Those little fighters were on the go night
and day, and did not seem to know what exhaustion meant.
“They beat me,” declared Captain Banner. “I have seen Indians keep it
up pretty well, but never like these sons of Japan. I believe they’ll
go right straight through to Pekin without sleeping.” And the captain
was about right.
At Yangtsun, Gilbert was placed in charge of a detachment stationed
not far from the river, where there were a number of large warehouses
filled with rice and other produce. These warehouses were owned by
Americans, and it was the young lieutenant’s duty to see that they were
not destroyed.
The night was a gloomy one, as if rain was coming. It was Gilbert’s
time off, yet he felt too stirred up to sleep. Besides this, the wound
over his breast, while it did not hurt outright, itched considerably,
adding to his wakefulness.
Unconscious of danger, he walked slowly down the street upon which
the warehouses were located. He met a number of Chinese; but all were
unarmed, and appeared to be friendly.
At the end of the block was a sort of hotel, which was now almost
deserted. But there was one Chinaman standing at the front door; and,
as Gilbert passed, this fellow eyed the young lieutenant narrowly.
“It is the same!” he exclaimed in Chinese. “The very same!” And he
clenched his fists in rage.
“Did you speak?” asked a second Chinaman, standing within the front
room of the hotel.
“I did, Tung,” was the answer. “Do you see yonder American officer?”
And the man at the doorway pointed with his long bony finger.
“And what of that soldier?”
“It was he who caused my brother Fun’s house to be burnt down, and
caused Fun and Ching Wo to be killed.”
“Ah! You are sure of that?”
“I am positive.” Chow Ching grated his yellow teeth. “Would that I
could lay him low!”
“Would that we could lay all the foreign devils low!” answered the one
called Tung.
“We will do that in time. But this man,--he helped to kill my brother!”
“Then you shall kill him.”
“I will. And will you aid me?”
“I will, if we can do the deed under cover of the darkness. But we dare
not shoot him. The alarm would bring a hundred soldiers around us with
the speed of the wind.”
“Let us follow him, and see where he goes. We may be able to get him
into a corner.”
“You have your dagger?”
“Yes”
“And I have mine; and they are better than firearms, for they raise no
alarm.”
“The American may have some money on his person.”
“If so, we can divide it between us. Come, before he gets out of our
sight.”
A moment later the two Celestials left the hotel, and, like two
shadows, slunk after Gilbert in the fast-gathering darkness.