S----, who told me the whole story a few hours afterwards, said that
he added that as soon as his own personal business was finished, he
would attend to the general question of the Legations' departure from
Peking, if the diplomatic corps would give him authority. As time was
pressing they gave it to him promptly enough. I remember everything
that happened afterwards with a very extraordinary accuracy of detail,
because I had just walked past the Spanish Legation when the
Ministerial meeting broke up, and I had determined to follow any move
in person so as to know what our fate was to be.

The German Minister turned into his Legation, and after a time he
reappeared in his green and red official chair, with C----, the
dragonman, in a similar conveyance. There were only two Chinese
outriders with them, as Von K---- had refused to take any of his
guards. I remember Von K---- was smoking and leaning his arms on the
front bar of his sedan, for all the world as if he were going on a
picnic. The little _cortege_ soon turned a corner and was swallowed
up. I walked out some distance beyond our barricades with Baron R----,
of the Russian Legation, and we wondered how long he would take to
come back. We soon knew! How terrible that was! For not more than
fifteen minutes passed before, crashing their Manchu riding-sticks
terror-stricken on to their ponies' hides, the two outriders appeared
alone in a mad gallop and nearly rode us down. Through the barricades
they passed, yelling desperately. It was impossible to understand what
they were saying, but disaster was written in the air.

At this we started running after these two men, but when we reached
the corner of the French Legation the people there had already
understood, and said the German Minister had been shot down and was
stone-dead. Everybody was paralysed.