I. Riot at Marco Polo Bridge—Men Wounded by Captain Norregaard—Dr. Coltman Accompanies Governor Hu as Special Commissioner to Investigate—Anti-Foreign Feeling Expressed by Generals of Tung Fu’s Army—A Bargain with Prince Tuan 1 II. Yu Hsien Appointed Governor of Shantung, Removed by British Demands, Only to be Rewarded—Yuanshih Kai Succeeds Him—Causes of Hatred of Converts by People and Boxers—The Boxers and Their Tenets—The Empress Consults Astrologers 31 III. Cables to America Describing Growth of Boxer Movement from January to June, 1900 46 IV. Diary of the Author from June 1 to June 20 62 V. Diaries of the Author and His Son from June 20 to End of Siege 78 VI. Reflections, Incidents, and Memoranda Written During Siege 143 VII. Work During Siege Done by Russians—Work by Americans 167 VIII. Work Done by Staff of Imperial Maritime, Customs, and British Legation Staff 190 IX. Work Done by Austro—Hungarians—Mr. and Mrs. Chamot 209 X. Edicts Issued by the Empress During Siege, with a Few Comments Thereon 221 XI. Now What? 245 Beleaguered in Peking CHAPTER I _RIOT AT MARCO POLO BRIDGE—MEN WOUNDED BY CAPTAIN NORREGAARD—DR. COLTMAN ACCOMPANIES GOVERNOR HU AS SPECIAL COMMISSIONER TO INVESTIGATE—ANTI-FOREIGN FEELING EXPRESSED BY GENERALS OF TUNG FU’S ARMY—A BARGAIN WITH PRINCE TUAN._ [Illustration: The author in Chinese dress] IN THE autumn of 1898, in the month of October, very shortly after the famous _coup d’état_ of the Empress Dowager of China, an event occurred which may have been the influence that shaped after-events, or it may be that this occurrence was but the premature explosion of a mine being prepared by the Empress and her evil advisers, intended to shake the civilized world at a later date. I refer to the riot at Lukouch’iao, known to the English-speaking world as Marco Polo bridge, from its having been accurately described by that early traveler. This place had curiously enough been chosen as the northern terminus of the Hangkow-Peking railway, although ten miles west of Peking, and the road consequently is generally known as the Lu Han railway. The political history of the struggle between the Russian, French and British diplomats in Peking, with reference to obtaining the concession for, and the financing of, this road, is very interesting, and would fill a book of its own; but there is no reason why it should enter into this narrative more than to state that finally the Belgians, acting for Russia and France, obtained the concession to build and finance this greatest trunk line of China.