ention, but here he met with no better
success, and after a hand-to-mouth existence of a few months he turned
again to seafaring life, and shipped for China as the mate of an
American vessel. His arrival at Shanghai in 1859 was most opportune, for
there the chance for which he had been longing awaited him.

The great Tai-Ping rebellion, that half-Christian, wholly fanatical
uprising which devastated many flourishing provinces, had, at this time,
attained alarming proportions. Ching Wang, with a host of blood-crazed
rebels, had swept over the country in the vicinity of Shanghai with fire
and sword, and at the time of Ward's arrival these fanatics were within
eighteen miles of the city.

The Chinese merchants had appealed in vain to the foreign consuls for
assistance. The imperial government had made no plans for the
preservation of Shanghai. So the wealthy merchants, fearing for their
stores, resolved to take the matter into their own hands, and after a
consultation of many days, offered a reward of two hundred thousand
dollars to any body of foreigners who should drive the Tai-Pings from
the city of Sungkiang.

Salem's soldier of fortune, Frederick T. Ward, responded at once to the
opportunity thus offered. He accepted in June, 1860, the offer of Ta
Kee, the mandarin at the head of the merchant body, and in less than a
week--such was the magnetism of the man--had raised a body of one
hundred foreign sailors, and, with an American by the name of Henry
Burgevine as his lieutenant, had set out for Sungkiang. The men in
Ward's company were desperadoes, for the most part, but they were no
match, of course, for the twelve thousand Tai-Pings. This Ward realised
as soon as the skirmishing advance had been made, and he returned to
Shanghai for reinforcements.

From the Chinese imperial troops he obtained men to garrison whatever
courts the foreign legation might capture, an arrangement which left the
adventurers free to go wherever their action could be most effective.

Thus reinforced, Ward once more set out for Sungkiang. Even on this
occasion his men were outnumbered one hundred to one, but, such was the
desperation of the attacking force, the rebels were driven like sheep to
the slaughter, and the defeat of the Tai-Pings was overwhelming. It was
during this battle, it is interesting to know, that the term "foreign
devils" first found place in the Chinese vocabulary.

The promised reward was forthwith presented to the g