A BOXER TRAGEDY.

Waikato Argus, Volume IX, Issue 767, 29 September 1900, Page 1 (Supplement)

A BOXER TRAGEDY.

' I must say,' said the President dubiously, ' that in most inspects he didn't strike me as quite the man for the under-taking. A missionary needs physical stamina in all countries, but especially in China.' • And the state of the country is very discouraging just now,' remarked Woodrow, the vice-chair-man. His voice tokened decided disagreement with the Preskteut's choice. ' This Chinese post must be filled,' said the President, ' and if he can stand it, McLeod has one immense advantage, he can speak the language. A Briton who speaks Chinese well is as rare as a white crow, but McLeod was born at Wai-Lun, and talks Chinese as well as any European is likely to. And he's vastly keeu on going. But we'll have him in again. I beg, gentleman, you will remember that a man is not made by his inches, and that you will not let McLeod's appearance prejudice you against him. Ask McLeod to enter, somebody.' It was the board jf the missionary society of Little Fear, whereof the members were spread through every corner of the eu'th, bent upon enlightening the heathen. I will not bore you with dissertations upon this brotherhood but will call your attention to the fact chat these men, who feared no peril that the earth or skies could produce, did not threaten the poor native with fire and brimstone, but showed him first how to keep himself clean and honour the virtues. Then, having installed self-respect where no respect was, the purveyor of the Word could touch upon other matters. The board met in London, and were sadly exercised as to a certain new member, whose task was difficult and full of danger. Through the folding door walked lan McLeod, and stood before the assembly. He was not imposing to look at. His height totalled five feet three—maybe four—and his face was thin and white, His hair was sandy, and straggled in wisps over a forehead which looked out of place—for it was high and broad. lan's limbs were of the Chippendale order to look at. One might find stouter arms and legs on many a boy of sixfeen. But there was all the dignity of a strong man about him as he stood up and looked the assembled brother-hood in the eye, and his chin sat squarely upon his face The President spoke. ' We. have considered the proposal to send you on this mission, f McLeod,' he said, ' and we wish once more to impress it upon you that this is a dangerous and trying job. You may never come back.' '1 would rather not,'said McLeod quietly. ' Indeed,' said the President, raising bis eyebrows. ' Well, I admire your courage and your devotion. But the longer you live the more good you will he able to do you know. Don't forget the old proverb ' A live donkey is better than a dead lion !' I beg your pardon.' he continued hastily, ' I did not mean anything personal by that—that is—-' 1 In fact,' put in the vice-chair-man, who thought the President was becoming awkwardly entangled,< we have thought the matter over and ' i •And,' went on the President, who disliked interruptions, ' we have decided to send you.'

The full savageness of the Chinese summer had settled down when lau McLeod landed ut his coast statiou. He whs less white, but move spare of body, and the hard wiry sun-baked men of all gradea looked and wondered what wizened freak this might be that v/as cast up among them, The ' Little Un' was lan's name in the station, and it stuck to him duiiug the week he remaiued there,

preparing his kit for the journey up-country. When at the end of the week he went off up country, he fouud, as many have clone before him, that the heathen will accept a great deal of religion if he is aUoivedsoiriMtangible advantage with it. But when the advantage ceased, the religion failed lo interest the convert, who relapsed into his former slough of darkness and sin, However, he gained the esteem, outwardly, of the natives, and his work prospered. ; , 'I

Then came the order from' librae —he was to found a little brotherhood of his own among the converts, and give them a name. Thus should he bind their interest to the faith, and it was a wise order, especially considering that it emanate*! from a London source. lan gathered together the least faithless of his flock, and explained the matter to them. They would be nailed the Society of Bantams, and would live for the upholding of virtue and the spread of faith. They should live cleanly and honour ably, and be exalted above their brethren. This appealed strongly to the Bantams, all Chinese have a fondness for any kind of organised clan, for the Chinaman individually is weak and a coward, and likes to lean upon others. The Society of Bantams congregated in a small village of their own making, and their kins was lan McLeod, otherwise the ' Little Un'. And he seemed very little indeed in that wilderness of human brutes, but lati was white to the core, as you will see-

One day the local Boxers, who had been muttering and simmering for some time, hunched themselves into an armed mob, and with many yells ami shoutings raved through the streets and declaimed against the missionary and his craven converts. lan came out of his house and said many things to them—stinging scorn mingled with good advice, and even some kindly words. The Boxers, still muttering, withdrew. Next day there were five absentees from his settlement of thirty Bantams, and in the evening lan saw them among the Boxer ranks —they had reverted. McLeod* pushed his cause along in peace for another three days, and then the flood-gates of the Boxer wrath were opening against him, and lan saw at last that he was in deadly peril. A huge mob of the anti-foreigners, drawn from sixty square miles of country, arrived at the settlement and a gang of about three hundred of them flung themselves at the McLeod village. In the central house lan awaited the coming of the crowd after nightfall a long magazine rifle in hand, and quiet calm upon his face. The yellow surging mass of men rolled up to the village and commenced to break and kill, and lan, sighting calmly at the foremost of the ringleaders, tumbled him in a woeful heap, a bullet through his head. Again and again the long rifle spat its flicker of red flamo into the night, and for each shot a man fell. But the Boxers were aroused in earnest, curs as they were, and at the end of the first half-hour eleven Bantams lay dead upon the baked soil, beaten and slashed out of all resemblance to men. The rest decamped upon the north side of the village, but returned upon the rear of the enemy, and added themselves to the Boxer ranks. I think this desertion hurt McLeod more than anything else, and bitter were the thoughts that filled his mind when he saw himself utterly alone. Yet the enemy only danced and howled at a respectful distance from the centre house, for a rifle, was working swiftly and accurately. till at last a Boxer crept up and threw a flaming torch into the verandah, at lau'a back, The dry wood caught like tinder, and in thirty seoouds the house was ablaze Watching his chance, lan slipped out at the back, for the place was not surrounded, leaving his rifle still pointing through the trellis work, and darted into the cane

brake beyond. The yellow fiends still raved before the burning house as McLeod reached shelter, when a couple of his own Bantams, lately reverted to the Boxer army, suddenly came upon him. The Chinaman is seldom aggressive, except in safe numbers, but these were conscious of many friends close by, and as they imagined lan was unarmed, they turned upon him. ' You !'said lan witheringly, in their vernacular, ' you were beasts, and,l made you men by the grace of Sod ! Are you against me V

The bigger man of the two, armed with a heavy clnb. uttered a frantic imprecation' and hurled his weapon at lan. It struck him on the leg, a little below the knee, for no Chinaman can throw straight, with terrific force, and shattered the shinbone. lan dropped, his face ashy pale with pain, and as the second man rushed in to bludgeon him, he drew a long blue six-shooter from his hip-pocket, and fired into the ruffian's face. The Bantam fell limply, and McLeod fired again at the first aggressor. He also fell forward, and dying, (ore the dry turf with his teeth. Then lan swooned away.

When he awoke it was within an hour of dawn, and the bodies of the two renegade Bantams were stiffening close beside him. Dimly, McLeod heard voices close by in the cane-brake, and wondered if he was yet awake, ' To-morrow,' said the first voice, in the local dialect, 'about nightfall. There are many foreign devils in the place, and we shall stamp them out to the last man —and woman.'

Other voices chimed in, concurring, and lan realise! that a council of the Boxer leaders was in progress in the thicket, close by him. And as he listened, it was borne in upon him that they meant to sack Tsi-Kiang, fifteen miles away where a couple of German families were living. The plan and details, as the Boxers gava it. would make you extremely sick if I wrote them down here, but the listener understood. At last the conclave rose and went away, and lan lay back and thought hard. Was there any way to save the threatened people. His broken leg throbbed painfully, and after try ing three times to rise he fell back, with a despairing groan. Thereupon he heard a crashing in the canebrake close by, and a couple of strayed Boxers emerged from the thicket and came suddenly upon the wounded man. They were big yellow, and very evil-looking, and their dull eyes shone "as they saw that the little missionary was helpless. For a moment they looked at him, clubs in hand, and then it was that a new thought was born in lan's brains, He drew the blue revolver, ; and covered the nearer man.

' If either of you move, forward or backward. I will kill him,' said McLeod quietly. The two men, their-yellow faces paling to alight bilious tint dropped their clubs and stood stock still. It was certainly a victory for the dominant race, so far. ' Now,' continued McLeod, ' each of you has a sheath-knife. Cut down those two bamboos there.' Trembling, the men hacked down the two poles, keeping a timid eye on lan who watched them keenly, his weapon at the ready. When the pair of bamboos were down, lan made them cut half-a-dozen smallei/ sticks, and, still under ban of that long, blue pistol, the frightened men were directed to bind the small sticks cross - ways upon the two large ones, with dry esparto grass, forming a rough stretcher. There are materials for this work in every cane-brake in China, as the pioneers know, They laid the stretcher down, and fan dragged himself painfully on- to it.

' Now,' he said, grimly, l you will pick up this stretcher and carry it quietly. Throw away those knives—that is well. Further, you will start as quickly as may be for Tsi Kiarig, and look to it that you avoid any of your friends. The

first Boxer we meet, I shall kill you both, and if one of you disobeys for an instant, he will die promptly, Proceed !'

Sullenly, the men obeyed, and, after clearing the brake and getting well away from the Jjoxer bivouac, they broke into a light trot in.the direction of Tsi Kiang. Three times did lan let them . rest on the journey, and as the sun was at its height the bearers laid the stretcher down before Fritz Hermann's house in the centre of the settlement. The Europeans of the place crowded round him

' Never mind me, said lan, hi* face worried with pain ; ' the Boxers are on the way here and you must get out. You have the start of them till nightfall—go.' ' But you are hurt, ain't it f said Fritz, the big German, ' and dose bearers of yours, haf dey carried you all dat way 1 Vere are dey?' .

Inn looked round. The Boxers had slipped away in the crowd, and the little missionary bitterly regretted his shortsightedness. Then, thinking swiftly, he told the first lie of his life. The Germans would have to travel at speed if they meant to escape—even then it was uncertain. But there were only two grown men, Hans and Fritz, and if they had to carry him their chances would be small indeed.

'I am not coming with you,' said lan, ' I am too ill to travel, and the Boxers will not harm me. They love me—l am their frie.nd. Go ; I shall be well treated. They will care for me. It took some time lo convince Fritz, but lan was obstinate, and at last the big man believed him. The settlement cleared out at speed, and left lan with food and water on a truckle-bed in the house, lie slept peacefully till evening.

When the Boxers came they found the settlement empty, and great was their wrath. They searched the village, and found lan waiting for them, * revolver in hand, upon the bed. Three times they rushed the house, and nine of the howling mob dropped before the end came, and Boxer clubs made an end of lan McLeod. By midnight, that .vhich had once heen the little missionary was a horrible sight for the ways of the Boxer are more savage than the wrath of a wounded tiger. But the Germans arrived safely at Hung Fsu, and when the story reached England the vice-president of the Society, who had disapproved of lan on the ground of physique, felt that he had learned a new lesson.