During the interval that had elapsed since our defeat in front of the
Taku Forts, to proceed now to more stirring events, the English and
French Governments had been organising a joint expedition against China;
to demand an apology for the treatment their respective representatives
had received, and insist on the stipulations of the historical Treaty of
Tientsin being practically, and not merely formally, adhered to.
By the middle of the year 1860, the ten thousand men that comprised the
English contingent, under the leadership of Sir Hope Grant, had
assembled at Chusan, all ready for the campaign.
They were not joined here by the French under General Montauban, who
mustered only seven thousand bayonets, until some weeks later, our
allies being very dilatory in their movements.
On the 1st August, this imposing force, a joint army seventeen thousand
strong, which was conveyed up the Gulf of Pechili in no less a number
than a hundred and twenty transports, escorted by the French and English
fleets, that totalled over ninety sail, landed at Pahtang, some ten
miles to the north of the Peiho river. Here, their disembarkation was
not interfered with, our old friends the Chinese expecting us to make
another assault on the Taku Forts, that had before repulsed us, which
they had rendered much stronger in the months that had since elapsed.
But "once bitten twice shy" was our motto; and, by making a march across
country, we defeated a large army, mainly composed of Tartar cavalry, on
the way, our redcoats, in company with the battalions of Monsieur
Pantalou, made short work of the Chinese "braves."
The advance of the allies, indeed, was like a triumphal march; for we
reached the rear of the Taku Forts on the night of the 20th August and
took the formidable works by storm on the following morning, putting the
defenders to flight and revenging our bloody defeat a year and two
months after that tragic event.
The English and French forces then pursued their victorious march
towards Tientsin, with the intention of penetrating to the capital of
the emperor, should their just demands not be conceded without any
further delay, as well as a heavy indemnity paid for the expense we had
been put to by the evasions and treachery of the Manchurian monarch;
but, I am not able to speak of my own knowledge of the further progress
of the expedition after they had blown up the old forts and thrown open
the entrance to the Peiho.
An adventure happened to me, which not only prevented me from sharing in
the campaign, but very nearly put a stop to any possibility of my ever
telling this yarn.
This adventure I will now relate. As soon as the obstructions across
the mouth of the river, which had previously foiled us, had been removed
by working parties of sailors from the fleet, several gunboats went up
to Tientsin by water to make provision for the arrival of the main body
who were marching thither by land; and, amongst other officers of the
_Candahar_, Ned Anstruther and I were detailed for this duty, proceeding
to the port in question with a battery of artillery and military stores,
which we had to see to the landing of near the close of the month.
Ned and I were glad of the outing, besides escaping from the routine of
the ship, and when we got to Tientsin we strolled about having a look
round at the queer-looking shops and shanties, the like of which we had
never seen before.
Presently we got to some tea-gardens, where a funny old man, with a
yellow hat and a pigtail the size of a small hawser, accosted us.
By signs he invited us to enter a rather nice-looking building, built
just like one of those little pagodas resembling card-houses that you
see in the right-hand corner of a willow-pattern plate.
"What a rum old joker!" exclaimed Ned, as the old fellow came up to us.
"Chin, chin, Johnny, what you wantchee, no stoppee can do."
I laughed at Ned's "pijin English," which the Chinaman evidently did not
understand: but he bowed courteously and smiled very amiably, throwing
open the door of the card-house in such a pressingly hospitable way all
the while that I could not stand out any longer.
"Hang it all, Ned!" said I, "let us go in. An old chap like that can't
do us any harm; and, besides, we've got the cutter's crew within hail!"
"All right, old chap," replied Ned, taking the old fellow's arm and
leading the way in, while I followed him. "Here goes."
The moment, however, that we had entered the flimsy-looking building the
door was quickly slammed-to behind us; while a gang of ruffians of the
same kidney as the treacherous old scoundrel who had beguiled us, threw
Ned and myself on the ground and gagged and pinioned us like a pair of
trussed fowls, before we could call out or make a single movement in our
own defence.
When they saw that we were properly secured, our uniforms were torn off
our backs and a couple of blue cotton shirts, such as the Chinese
coolies wear, pulled over our shoulders, as a sort of disguise. An ugly
old pith hat, of the shape of a mushroom, was then jammed down on the
tops of our unfortunate heads; and we looked at one another in wonder as
to what would come next.
We were not long in suspense.
The old chap, who was evidently a person of authority, shouted out some
loud order or other, which sounded more like a pig grunting under a gate
than any language I had previously heard spoken, there being a strong
swinish flavour in the Chinese lingo, as about their fields, which Ned
Anstruther and I had smelt coming along on our unlucky walk!
He had evidently given some order to the attendants; for, no sooner had
he finished grunting than a couple of rum things somewhat like the
palanquins I had seen when at Bombay, were brought in and put down in
front of us.
They were, really, cages made of bamboo, and which only criminals are
confined in, as I afterwards found out.
Into these, Ned and I were thrust separately, one in each.
We were then lifted up by the poles attached to our novel sort of
conveyance, two men carrying mine and two more lifting Ned's "trap"--I
know I felt very much like what a mouse does when caught in one, for I
was caged with a vengeance--they trotted off with us, through a back
door, and then along a wide, country road, I knew not whither!