In the morning the attack was renewed with vigor, a battery of the Fifth United States Artillery sending shell after shell into the south gate of the Imperial City. A Gatling gun, also, did excellent work; and by noon the Americans, including the Fourteenth Regiment and the Ninth Mounted Infantry, had penetrated through four gates into the Forbidden City, and were at the doors of the Purple Palace. The fighting was very severe; and a number of Americans were killed, including Captain Reilly of Battery F. By this onslaught the Chinese were utterly demoralized, and fled in all directions, the guards of the inner palace throwing themselves upon the mercy of their conquerors. Late in the afternoon a conference of generals was held, at which it was decided that the object of the mission had been accomplished, and the Chinese had been punished enough; and then the Americans returned to their camp outside of the Tartar City. CHAPTER XXX THE BURNING OF THE PRISON For several days after the Americans had attacked the Forbidden City, Gilbert’s command had little to do but to guard one of the palaces. In the mean time the Japanese and the Russians were after the Emperor and Dowager Empress, who were said to have fled first to one city and then another. But the royal family had taken time by the forelock, and could not be overtaken. Looting had already begun in Pekin, and but little could be done to stop it while the fighting still continued. The scenes which had been enacted at Tien-Tsin were here repeated on a larger scale; and acres of buildings were first emptied of everything valuable, and then given over to the flames. As nearly the whole of China was now anxious for peace, it was thought at first to leave the Forbidden City alone. But this the Celestials would have taken as a sign of weakness upon the part of the Allies; and it was later on decided to open the great palace, and allow a detachment from each foreign nation to march through it, as a sign that the foreigners were absolute masters of the situation. This was done, after which the palace was locked up, and the grounds closely guarded against all vandalism. It was less than two weeks after the fall of Pekin when Gilbert received a letter which filled him with interest. It was from Mrs. Bartlett, and ran as follows:-- “_Dear Lieutenant_,--You will be surprised to hear from me, but I feel that I must let you know what has happened since your absence. “A few days after you left Tien-Tsin, the guard at our house was disturbed by a midnight intruder, who was at my husband’s desk, ransacking his private papers. The guard called upon the man to surrender, and with bad grace the intruder did so; and he proved to be--would you believe it possible?--Nuglich Polk!