ifted American
soldier, and immediately Ward accepted a second commission against the
rebels at Singpo. The Tai-Pings of this city were under the leadership
of a renegade Englishman named Savage, and the fighting was fast and
furious. Ward and his men performed many feats of valour, and actually
scaled the city wall, thirty feet in height, to fight like demons upon
its top. But it was without avail. With heavy losses, they were driven
back.

But the attempt was not abandoned. Retiring to Shanghai, Ward secured
the assistance of about one hundred new foreign recruits, and with them
returned once more to the scene of his defeat. Half a mile from the
walls of Singpo the little band of foreign soldiers of fortune and
poorly organised imperial troops were met by Savage and the Tai-Pings,
and the battle that resulted waged for hours. The rebels were the
aggressors, and ten miles of Ward's retreat upon Sungkiang saw fighting
every inch of the way. The line of retreat was strewn with rebel dead,
and such were their losses that they retired from the province
altogether.

Later Savage was killed, and the Tai-Pings quieted down. For his
exploits Ward received the monetary rewards agreed upon, and was also
granted the button of a mandarin of the fourth degree.

He had received severe wounds during the campaigns, and was taking time
to recuperate from them at Shanghai when the jealousy of other
foreigners made itself felt, and the soldier from Salem was obliged to
face a charge before the United States consul that he had violated the
neutrality laws. The matter was dropped, however, because the hero of
Sungkiang promptly swore that he was no longer an American citizen, as
he had become a naturalised subject of the Chinese emperor!

Realising the value of the Chinese as fighting men, Ward now determined
to organise a number of Chinese regiments, officer them with Europeans,
and arm and equip them after American methods. This he did, and in six
months he appeared at Shanghai at the head of three bodies of Chinese,
splendidly drilled and under iron discipline. He arrived in the nick of
time, and, routing a vastly superior force, saved the city from capture.

After this exploit he was no longer shunned by Europeans as an
adventurer and an outlaw. He was too prominent to be overlooked. His
Ever-Victorious Army, as it was afterward termed, entered upon a
campaign of glorious victory. One after another of the rebel strongholds
fell b