Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 2 (1876).djvu/157

139 among the crowd, killing and wounding several, and putting the rest to flight. The fight, however, continued for a few days after this occurrence, until the Chinese captured a part of the wall, and obliged the defenders to retreat to another part of the fortifications.

At this juncture, news was received of the marriage of the Emperor of China. Siege operations were immediately suspended, and a theatre was built by the soldiers to celebrate the auspicious event. The rejoicings, fireworks, and theatrical representations were continued for a week, during which time most of the officers and soldiers were drunk, or insensible from opium-smoking; and this went on close to a still unconquered enemy. If the Dungans had only had 100 men of any pluck among them, they could, in one night attack, have slain 1,000 Chinese soldiers, and dispersed the remainder. But not even a handful of brave men were to be found among the cowardly defenders of Si-ning. They knew very well that as soon as the Chinese had once taken possession of the town, they would receive no grace, but yet they could not muster up courage enough to profit by a singularly favourable opportunity which thus presented itself.

This is an instance of the moral degradation of the East, where a man cannot overcome his animal instinct of self-preservation, and invariably shows signs of cowardice when left to himself; but when once the coward is in a position out of which he cannot extricate himself, he becomes completely