and trembling shopkeepers, whose dirtied clothes and dishevelled hair showed that they had had days and nights of the most wretched existence.  Shakingly they asked what we wanted, adding that they had not a piece of silver or yet a string of cash left.  The Boxers had taken everything weeks before; now honourable foreign soldiery were beating them because they were so poor.  My men did not trouble to answer; they went to work.  They wanted boots and shoes, and plenty of them, since there were plenty to take, and so they searched and picked and chose.  But presently one man gave vent to an oath, and them, in his surprise, laughed coarsely.  He had discovered that there were only boots and shoes for the left foot.  There was nothing for the right foot, not a single boot, not a single shoe!  Once again they did not trouble to speak, but merely pushing fire-pieces against the luckless shopkeepers’ heads waited in silence.  Immediately the men broke down anew and began whining more explanations.  It was true there were no right feet, they said.  The right feet were over there in a neighbour’s shop.  That shop had all the right feet; they had only left feet.  This seemed strange humour.  Yet it was a good, if crude, device which these cunning shopkeepers had hit on even in their distress.  For they knew that looters would probably not waste time attempting to match shoes in such confusion, when so much better things were lying near.  They hoped at least to save their stock by this device; and it seemed certain that they would.  I said not a word; this was a family affair.

In the end a bargain was struck; two pairs of shoes for each man, and the rest to be left untouched.  Then the right feet appeared soon enough from hidden places, and the shopmen were saved from further loss.  With all the other things the same procedure was adopted along this shopman’s street.  A bargain was struck in each case, which saved one side from undue loss and gave the other far less trouble.  In this new fashion we captured chickens, eggs, sheep, rice, flour, and a dozen other necessaries, only taking a quarter of what we would have seized otherwise, in return for the help given.  It was curious shopping, but everybody was curious now.  What you did not take, somebody would seize ten minutes later.

These occupations were so peaceful and gave so little difficulty, that it soon seemed to me as if everything was actually settling down quietly in this one corner of the city.  Yet it was not so.  We were only having momentary luck.  For presently soldiers of various nationalities began passing in many directions, some returning from successful forays, and others just starting out to see what they could pick up.  And on top of them all came a curious young fellow from one of the Legations, galloping along on a big white horse he must have just looted.  He was accompanied by no one.  He had been half-mad for weeks during the siege and now seemed quite crazy as he rode.