The Russian loss of life at Port Arthur was invariably understated. Every one could see the lines of stretcher bearers conveying the wounded, knew of the funerals of twenty corpses at a time in trenches, could follow to the graves the remains of officers killed in action, yet the published totals of the dead, wounded and missing numbered less than the bodies interred that same day. Possibly this manipulation of figures helped to allay public uneasiness, and the town certainly recovered its accustomed gaiety very quickly. The places of public amusement attempted to reopen, but it was merely the last flicker of the burnt-out candle. With a town in total darkness after nightfall, and a rapidly decreasing attendance, paying performances even at small music-halls became impossible, and the artistes left the town. The circus horses were requisitioned by the authorities; the circus became a Red Cross emergency hospital; some of the minor performers and the attendants became drivers of public carriages, their horses being those rejected from military service on veterinary examination. As long as they could run, or haul any sort of load, they were worth more to their owners than those accepted, for these were all taken at one price, an order for 125 roubles, a sum any horse in private hands could earn in a few days. An Englishman, very fond of riding, managed to retain a saddle horse long after all others had been taken, by the simple method of riding about on it all day, and housing it in a different stable every night. Another foreigner secured a donkey and cart, which earned him a livelihood for weeks. The donkey was seized in the stable, but three men could neither coax nor coerce that donkey into making a journey to the examination depôt, so they themselves decided that such a beast was of no value to the military authorities. The destitute Chinese gave considerable trouble to the possessors of stores lying on the wharves. One afternoon, just as it was growing dusk, on a day when there had been some firing from the forts, a loud report was heard near Signal Hill. At once people rushed that way, and the attention of all the watchmen was directed to the same quarter. It was merely a preconcerted signal. From every nook and corner, as though by magic, a crowd of coolies appeared, and proceeding to a stack of flour on the Bund they took off the mats, and with their accustomed ejaculations started to carry away the whole parcel just as if they had been ordered to remove the flour to one of the go-downs up town. The ruse succeeded for a short time, when the bold theft was discovered, the gang dropped the flour and ran. Some of the bags were recovered half a mile from the Bund, and some were never seen more.