Page:On to Pekin.djvu/247

Rh ; and into this soldiers and Chinese beggars had broken, and were wrangling over the possession of everything brought to light.

The gummy joss sticks gave forth a strong odor, which in the confined space was sickening; and presently Gilbert began to cough. The sound echoed dismally throughout the joss house proper, showing that the edifice was almost empty.

"I suppose that old Buddhist is somewhere about," thought the young lieutenant. "I'll venture to say he's none too good to run me through with a sword, if he gets the chance."

He began to speculate upon how to move, feeling that he could not remain in the narrow entry forever, when a faint sound reached his ears, as of somebody approaching in bare feet. He immediately raised his pistol, and tried harder than ever to pierce the gloom which confronted him. But the darkness was absolute, for the windows of the house of worship had been boarded up just before the fall of the city.

The footsteps came closer and closer, until Gilbert judged that the on-comer was less than ten feet away. Then he heard the faint swish of a robe, as it brushed