For half an hour the Defence Force alone held the gates and disarmed the Northern soldiers escaping into the Concession over walls, across the creek, and round the barbed wire fenees'on the river foreshore. It was indeed a sight to see some of these miserable troops crowding on to sampans over the creek and making their way into the Concession, throwing their arms into the water, discard ing badges and even taking off their uniforms. Some arrived in the Concession stark naked.
Presently the sailors from the American, British, Japanese and French warships in harbour began to land. Barbed wire concertinas were erected across the roads, sandbag parapets built and trenches dug, so that by nightfall the place assumed the appearance of an armed camp and the hoarse voices of sentries could be heard challenging those who ventured abroad, The one thousand or more fugi tives who had found their way into the Concession were herded into a Jarge empty godown and locked in for the night, it not being considered advisable to allow them to roam. at leisure all night through the Concession streets, ing continued all that afternoon and the following night. seems that the Southern advance at first was assisted by treachery and within a few hours there were Southern troops actually in the native town of Kiukiang, But later some bodies of loyal northern troops were met on the far side of the creek who put up a stiff fight. Throughout bullets fell in the Con cession and by morning there were few houses which could not show a bullet mark or two or a broken window pane. Fortunately the casualties in the Concession were light. Two Chinese were hit, one '#f whom subsequently died, and one British sailor, who was shot in the knee and ig still in hospital. An American officer was hit in the back [by a spent bullet, which made him jump but fortunately did not injure m, and a British officer had a bullet through his best service cap, much to his disgust,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.