is army, and, as Gordon felt that his own good
faith and honour were pledged to punctual payment, he tendered his
resignation as commander. This frightened the emperor and his ministers
so much that the money due was quickly sent, and by the help of General
Staveley matters were arranged.

At the capture of Quinsan Gordon took prisoners about two thousand
Taepings, whom he drilled with care and enlisted in his own army,
turning them, he said, into much better soldiers than his old ones.
Eight hundred of them he made his own guard, and under his eye they
proved faithful and trustworthy. With the help of his new force he
determined to besiege the ancient town of Soo-chow, situated on the
Grand Canal and close to the Tai-ho, or great lake.

All around it were waterways leading to the sea, but the Grand Canal
itself, stretching away to the Yang-tse-kiang, was held by the Taeping
general Chung Wang.

* * * * *

Now the possession of Soo-chow was of great importance to both parties,
and Gordon at once proceeded to cut off its supplies that came by way of
the sea and the Tai-ho, by putting three of his steamers on the lake, so
that no provisions could get into the city except through the Grand
Canal. On the land side fighting was going on perpetually, and by the
help of a body of good Chinese troops Gordon gained a decisive victory
in the open field. We can scarcely, however, realise all the
difficulties he had to contend with in his army itself. General Ching
not only hated him, and always tried to upset his plans, but was quite
reckless, and if left to himself invariably got into mischief. Then the
minister, Li Hung Chang's brother, who had been given the command of
twenty thousand troops, was utterly without either instinct or
experience, and continually hampered Gordon's movements by some act of
folly. Worst of all, he could not feel sure of the fidelity of his own
officers, and during the siege he found that one of them had actually
given information of his plans to Chung Wang.

As soon as the man's guilt was certain Gordon sent for him, and in the
light of one whose soul had never held a thought that was not honourable
and true the traitor must have seen himself as he really was. We do not
know what Gordon said to him--most likely very little, but he offered
him one chance of retrieving himself, and that was that he should lead
the next forlorn hope.

In spite of his treachery the cu