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268 were brought to a head by a revolt in the great Chinese city of Pekin, during which the German State Minister was shot down. Some of the Chinese soldiers joined in the Boxer movement, and the foreigners in and around Pekin were compelled to seek shelter and protection in the various buildings and grounds of the legations. Here they took a stand with guns and a small field-piece, determined to hold out to the last, and sell their lives if necessary as dearly as possible.

Among those to suffer were a number of Americans, missionaries and others, and as soon as our country was notified of this, President McKinley took steps looking to their rescue. An international army and a navy was hastily formed, composed of soldiers and sailors, as well as war-ships, belonging to the United States, England, Germany, France, Japan, and several other nations, and an attack was begun on the Taku forts, at the mouth of the Pei-ho River.

The bombardment of the forts was a furious one, and they soon capitulated, and then the Allied Troops, as they were termed, took possession of Taku and also Tongku, on the other side of the broad river, where