Immediately on entering the pre mises the Settlement and Chinese police had to face a hail of bullets. The volleys were returned as promptly to the part of the house where the men were hidden. As they appeared to have unlimited supplies of ammunition, the police hat to withdraw to reload and to charge spare clips of ammunition, getting outside, they found that 50 City Volunteers had been called to the scene, while some minutes later when the firing com menced anew, the numbers were augmented by several hundred. Many-of the Volunteers had turned out in their long gowns and in military headdress.
The appalling confusion in the vicinity, and the spattering bullets fired by volunteers and police, failed for some time to destroy the morale of the bandits, who continued to defy the attackers.
For some while the police fired from the houses opposite. A. second attack was Inunched on the bandits'
Jair which proved more successful although these men, who are ge: erally credited with' shooting with more accuracy than the averaza Chinese soldier, were still far from beaten,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.