the Heavenly King, as the rebel chieftain, Hung, now called
himself. His army numbered some hundreds of thousands, divided under
five Wangs, or kings, and the Imperialists were driven closer and closer
to the cities of the seacoast.

In 1863 the British Government was applied to for assistance, and
Captain Gordon was selected to take command of the Imperial forces in
the place of an American adventurer named Burgevine, who had been
cashiered for corrupt practices. The _Ever-victorious Army_, as it was
called, numbered 4,000 men, when the young engineer took the command.
Carefully and gradually he organized and increased it, and as he always
led his men himself, and ever sought the post of danger, he soon
obtained their fullest confidence, and never failed to rally them to his
support.

He wore no arms, but always carried a small cane, with which he waved on
his men, and as stockade after stockade fell before him, and city after
city was taken, that little cane was looked upon as Gordon's magic wand
of victory. He seemed to have a charmed life, and was never disconcerted
by a hailstorm of bullets. Occasionally, when the Chinese officers
flinched and fell back before the terrible fusillade, he would quietly
take one by the arm and lead him into the thickest of the enemy's fire,
as calmly as though he were taking him in to dinner. Once, when his men
wavered under a hail of bullets, Gordon coolly lighted his cigar, and
waved his magic wand; his soldiers accepted the omen, came on with a
rush, and stormed the defense. He was wounded once only, by a shot in
the leg, but even then he stood giving his orders till he nearly
fainted, and had to be carried away.

Out of 100 officers he lost almost one-half in his terrible campaign,
besides nearly one-third of his men. But he crushed the rebellion, and
rescued China from the grasp of the most cruel and ruthless of spoilers.
His own estimate was that his victories had saved the lives of 100,000
human beings.

Then he left China without taking one penny of reward. Honors and wealth
were poured at his feet, but he accepted only such as were merely
honorary. He was made a _Ti-Tu_--the highest title to which a subject
can attain--and he received the Orders of the Star, the Yellow Jacket,
and the Peacock's Feather. When, however, the Imperial messengers
brought into his room great boxes containing L10,000 in coin, he drove
them out in anger. The money he divided amongst his troops. A