troops, supervised the
manufacture of shells, gave advice, brightened the Futai's intellect
about foreigners, and made peace, in which last accomplishment his
_forte_ lay"--wrote to him, stating that he had positive information
that Burgevine was enlisting men for some enterprise, that he had
already enrolled 300, and that he had even chosen a special flag for
his force. A few days later Burgevine, probably hearing of this
communication, wrote to Gordon, begging him not to believe any rumours
about him, and stating that he was coming up to see him. Gordon
unfortunately believed in this statement, and as he wished to exhibit
special lenience towards the man whom he had displaced in the command,
he went bail for him, so that he retained his personal liberty when
the Chinese arrested Burgevine's agent Beechy, and wished to arrest
Burgevine himself. On 2nd August Burgevine threw off the mask. At the
head of a band of thirty-two rowdies, he seized the new steamer
_Kajow_ at Sungkiang, and with that vessel hastened to join the
Taepings. The very day that this happened Gordon reached Shanghai for
the purpose of resigning his command, but on the receipt of this
intelligence he at once withdrew his resignation and hastened back to
Quinsan. Apart from public considerations, he felt doubly bound to do
this because Burgevine had not been arrested on his pledged word.

The position was undoubtedly critical, for the prospect of plunder
offered by Burgevine was very attractive to mercenaries like the Ever
Victorious Army, and there was a very real risk that the force at
Quinsan, deprived of its commander, might be induced to desert _en
masse_ under the persuasive promises of Burgevine. When Gordon reached
Quinsan he was so apprehensive as to what might occur that he removed
his heavy artillery and most of his munitions of war to Taitsan, where
General Brown, in command at Shanghai, undertook to see that they were
protected. The situation at Quinsan was full of peril, for although
Burgevine had thrown away a chance, by taking a roundabout instead of
a direct route to Soochow, of striking a decisive blow before Gordon
could get back, the Taeping leader, Mow Wang, had not been so
negligent, and his operations for the recovery of several places taken
by Gordon in the last few days of his command were on the point of
success, when that officer's return arrested the course of his plans.
It must be pointed out that after this date the Taepin