“Oh, bother!” the middy said; “I canʼt be there to see it.”
“Well, I can,” Rex said, “I will come back and tell you all about it; but I donʼt suppose I shall hear much till evening. You will be off duty then, wonʼt you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, come and dine at our place. I shall get hold of two or three of the men I went up with if I can.”
He went off at a run and soon joined a number of residents and men off duty who were awaiting the arrival of the force. The head of the column was just coming in. A portion of the relief force led, and then Admiral Seymourʼs men, many of them carrying the sick and wounded on stretchers, doors, and other make–shifts. The rest of the force brought up the rear. Seeing Major Johnston coming along with his marines, Rex pressed forward to shake hands with him.
“Ah, you got through then, Bateman! I am glad to see you; I have wondered many times whether you got safely into Pekin. I certainly did not expect to see you here, though I thought we might meet when we marched into Pekin.”
“Yes, I got in all right. I stopped there till about a week ago, and then came back here. If you have nothing better to do, will you dine with us this evening, and bring Trimmer and Lawson with you?”
“With pleasure. We shall scarcely have time to make any mess arrangements for ourselves.”
“Have you had heavy fighting?”
“We have, indeed, and we have lost a good many men. I began to think at one time that we should not get back, and I believe if we had not taken the arsenal very few of us would have survived to tell the tale. However, I will tell you about that this evening.”