won for itself the name of
"Gordon's magic wand." On one occasion when leading a storming party his
men wavered under a most withering fire. Gordon coolly turned round and
waving his cane, bade his men follow him. The soldiers inspired by his
courage, followed with a tremendous rush and shout, and at once grandly
carried the position. After the capture of one of the Cities, Gordon was
firm in not allowing them to pillage, sack and burn such places; and for
this some of his men showed a spirit of insubordination. His artillery
men refused to fall in when ordered; nay more, they threatened to turn
upon him their guns and blow him and his officers to pieces. This news
was conveyed to him by a written declaration. His keen eye saw through
their scheme at a glance, and with that quiet determination which was his
peculiar strength, he summoned them into his presence and with a firmness
born of courage and faith in God, he declared that unless the ringleader
of this movement was given up, one out of every five would be shot! At
the same time he stepped to the front and with his own hand seized one of
the most suspicious looking of the men, dragged him out, and ordered him
to be shot on the spot at once, the order was instantly carried out by an
officer. After this he gave them half an hour to reconsider their
position at the end of which he found them ready to carry out any order
he might give. It transpired afterwards that the man who was shot was
the ringleader in this insubordination."

When Gordon had broken the neck of this far-reaching and disastrous
rebellion, and had restored to the Emperor of China the principal cities
and towns in peace, the London _Times_ wrote of him:--"Never did a
soldier of fortune deport himself with a nicer sense of military honour,
with more gallantry against the resisting, with more mercy towards the
vanquished, with more disinterested neglect of opportunities of personal
advantage, or with more entire devotion to the objects and desires of the
Government he served, than this officer, who, after all his splendid
victories, has just laid down his sword."

Before leaving China he was offered a very large reward in cash, as it
was acknowledged on all hands he had saved the Empire more than 5,000,000
pounds sterling. All money he refused; he, however, asked that some of
it might be given to the troops, who had served him on the whole with
great loyalty, and this was granted. A gold m