CHAPTER XV
FIGHTING ALONG THE PEI-HO
"Give it to 'em hot-like, boys! Show 'em what American regulars can do!"
"Make every round tell. We haven't any ammunition to waste."
"The colonel expects us to give a good account of ourselves. Don't disappoint him."
So the cries ran on, while the regulars were advancing. But, as they drew closer to the enemy, a strange silence fell; for all realized that what was before them was no child's play.
The Boxers facing the American troops numbered at least a thousand, the others having pursued the Russians at the embankment. They were well armed; and a second volley from their first rank brought down two of the Americans, both seriously wounded. The Celestials were making a tremendous din, and the combined noise was deafening, while the wild waving of banners was well calculated to destroy a marksman's aim.
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