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Rh Are they as backward in that as in some other things?"

"Hardly. You see the war with Japan opened their eyes; and since that time they have been drilling their soldiers under the directions of European officers, and supplying them with the best rifles in the market. I understand, too, that their forts are supphed with Krupp guns."

"Then we won't have a walk-over."

"By no means, and for two reasons. First they are well armed, and in the second place there are so many of them that they may overpower the Allies by mere force of numbers. Nothing is known of Admiral Seymour's rellef party, and I shouldn't be surprised if he and brave Captain McCalla's men had been annihilated."

"Do you think we are bound for Tien-Tsin?"

"I think we are bound for the Pei-Ho. The government intends to get into Pekin, and save Minister Conger and his legation, as well as the other Americans. We may have a long fight to get there, though."

"Somebody said there had been a good deal of fighting around Tien-Tsin already."