Towards the middle of April, to proceed with my regular yarn, within two
months of the time fixed for the ratification of this paper treaty, our
new chief arrived at Singapore; when, taking over the command from his
predecessor, who at once started off in the homeward mail steamer,
Admiral Hope sailed with the fleet to Shanghai--the _Candahar_ forming
part of the squadron that escorted our ambassador, Mr Bruce, to the
mouth of the Peiho River, where he was appointed to meet the Chinese
officials and with them journey on to Pekin, there to complete all the
requisite formalities for the final execution of the treaty.
Reaching Shanghai without mishap and finding Mr Bruce ready to
accompany us, although the mandarins had already interposed obstacles to
delay his departure in order to evade the obligations they had entered
into on behalf of their imperial master in the art of subterfuge and
evasion, we proceeded on the 11th June to the Gulf of Pechili; anchoring
under the lee of the Sha-liu-tien, or "Wide-spreading-sand Islands,"
some fifteen miles off the entrance to the Peiho.
The water here being too shoaly to allow the larger vessels of the fleet
to approach near the shore, the admiral embarked aboard one of the
smaller gunboats, thinking the coast clear and everything peaceful; but
on getting close to the mouth of the river, he discovered to his
surprise that a series of formidable earthworks had been erected on both
banks in place of the Taku Forts which Admiral Seymour had destroyed in
the preceding year.
The river itself, also, had been rendered impassable by a series of
booms and stakes, so arranged as to be protected by the fire of the
batteries, whose numerous embrasures spoke to their containing a large
number of guns; while, to remove any doubts as to the hostile character
of these preparations, the officer Admiral Hope sent to acquaint the
authorities in charge of these fortifications of the arrival of our
ambassador was refused permission to land.
On communicating this news to Mr Bruce, who was accompanied on his
ambassadorial mission by Monsieur Bourbillon, the representative of the
French Government,--a council of war was held on board the flagship;
when it was determined to force the passage of the river, so that the
ambassadors should be able to go up to Pekin in accordance with the
Emperor of China's express permission to that effect given under his
sign manual.
The admiral therefore forwarded off at once a letter to the commandant
in charge of the defences, telling him that unless the obstructions were
removed within the next forty-eight hours, he, the admiral, would set to
work to clear them away himself in the manner he thought best.
This was explicit enough; and as no answer was received to this
communication by sunset on the 24th, the limit of the ultimatum, Admiral
Hope proceeded to prove himself as good as his word.
An unsuccessful attempt was made by the boats of the flagship the very
same night to pull up some of the iron stakes driven into the bed of the
river, that held the booms in their position across its mouth.
This failed through the tenacity of the mud, the effort of the
bluejackets being discovered by the batteries, which fired on them,
compelling them to desist and return to their ship; but, this was a mere
flash in the pan, the real attack being planned for the morrow.
In the meantime, the fleet had moved in from the Sha-liu-tien Islands to
the anchorage opposite the entrance to the Peiho, where our ship and the
_Chesapeake_, with some of the others remained out of range of the
batteries, which we on our side, were unable to reach with our guns for
any effective purposes.
The gunboats of lesser draught, however, proceeded to cross the bar of
the river; where also the boats of the bigger ships were subsequently
despatched, filled with all the small-arms men and marines available to
form a reserve force which was to attack the principal batteries in the
flank after the gunboat had pounded them in front, as well as fill up
casualties in the first line.
Every man on board the _Candahar_ was on the alert on the morning of the
memorable 24th June, I can tell you, when the boatswain's pipe went
screeching through the ship at daylight, and the commander sang out the
order to "Man and arm boats."
"I bet we don't have any fight at all!" grumbled Mr Stormcock, as he
buckled on his sword and prepared to go in the launch with Mr Gilham,
who was directed to command her, Larkyns, having to play second fiddle
in the boat on this occasion. "Those blessed Chinamen won't come up to
the scratch as soon as they see we mean business."
"Perhaps not," said Mr Gilham. "But, they were precious sharp last
night in detecting those fellows that went after the booms. I think
they mean fighting this time, they're keeping so dark."
"Well, I only hope they do, sir," replied the master's mate, with a
heavy sigh that evidently came from the bottom of his heart. "For my
part, I think they'll cut and run at the first shot, as they've always
done before. I was out here, sir, in the Fatshan affair up the Canton
River in '57, and I remember as we boarded the junks on one side, all of
us racing after them up the creek, the yellow devils would jump out on
the other, without standing up against us for an instant."
While they were talking, I managed to scramble into the bows of the
launch unobserved, nobody noticing me till we had left the ship and it
was too late; and, though Mr Gilham shook his fist at me and told me I
was "acting against orders," he beckoned me to come aft, where Larkyns
and Mr Stormcock made a place for me between them in the sternsheets,
the rest of the boat being crammed with bluejackets and marines, the
latter sitting down on the bottom boards between the thwarts and the
knees of those pulling.
On pulling inshore we made fast to some junks which had been
requisitioned and moored just inside the bar for the purpose, and here
we remained while the gunboats went on to the assault; Admiral Hope
leading the advance in person and hoisting his flag on the little
_Plover_, which showed the way to the rest, moving onward to the first
obstruction in the river, a long row of iron piles linked together by
eight-inch hawsers hove taut.
As we watched our comrades making this forward movement at last, the
flood tide filled the turgid stream of the Peiho, flooding the reedy
marshes on either side of its banks; until, presently, a sheet of muddy
water stretched up to the base of the forts, lapping their wide earthen
escarpments.
These made no sign of defiance whatever, not a man being seen on the
parapets, nor a gun peeping from their embrasures, which were hidden
with mantlets.
Every heart beat high with excitement; and instead of fearing the worst,
the worst we feared was a hollow victory!
The gunboats all took up their several positions, anchoring so as to
command the forts and support those attacking the booms; and at two
p.m., when the ebb began to flow and there was no danger of the stream
carrying the vessels too close in, the _Opossum_ was ordered by signal
to pull up the first pile, which she did by the aid of tackles and steam
power.
On the removal of this obstacle, the admiral passed through towards the
second barrier, which was immediately under the concentric fire of the
batteries on both banks of the river.
Here the question would be decided at length whether the Chinese meant
fighting or not.
We had not long to wait for the decision.
Hardly had the bows of the _Plover_ touched the boom than "Bang" went a
single gun from the nearest earthwork.
This seemed like a signal; for, almost at the instant of its discharge,
a terrific fire of shot and shell from forty pieces of cannon was hurled
on the unfortunate _Plover_ and her consort the _Opossum_, which
followed her close up behind, both being immediately wreathed in smoke
and flame and having their decks swept fore and aft by every discharge.
It was a regular ambuscade, a hornet's nest!
In less than twenty minutes, the two gunboats were so badly shattered as
to be almost silenced; though the plucky little _Plover_ still remained
in the van, with the admiral's signal still flying, "Engage the enemy,"
with the red pennant under, which Mr Gilham told me meant "as close as
possible."
She held out, too, in spite of her not having nine men of her original
crew left efficient out of the party with which she commenced the
action; while Lieutenant Rason, who commanded her, was killed by being
cut in two by a round shot.
The admiral himself was grievously wounded by the splinter of a shell in
the thigh, and the rest of the officers swept down--a terrible amount of
slaughter in so small a space.
Of course, we did not know all this till afterwards; but we could see
the poor little temporary flagship's battered state, as she swung all
abroad across the sullen, dark-flowing river, now seemingly red with
blood from the flashes of the guns, whose murderous roar rent the air
each moment, sweeping down our comrades and laying them mangled and
bleeding on the deck, every time we heard the sound.
Then, we noticed a signal for assistance thrown out from the solitary
spar the _Plover_ had yet standing; and the _Lee_ and _Haughty_, which
were anchored below the first barrier and busily engaged with the
batteries on the left bank, at once weighed and proceeded to the
admiral's aid.
A few minutes later, Admiral Hope, though fainting from loss of blood,
transferred his flag to the _Opossum_, which had not been so badly
served out as the _Plover_; but, no sooner had the square white flag,
with its red Saint George's cross been seen flying on the second
gunboat, than every gun in every battery was apparently directed on her,
the admiral getting wounded a second time, while nearly every officer
and man was shot down.
"By heavens, it's too cruel!" cried Mr Stormcock, jumping up in the
launch as the _Opossum_ dropped down towards us on the ebb tide, away
from the withering fire. "Can't we do something to help them?"