te from which he had emerged. But his foe was
implacable; pursuit was kept up, his band lost heavily in various
encounters, and at length, while on a foraging trip in search of food,
he was surprised in a village by a superior force. A sharp combat
followed, in which Li was the first to fall, and his head was carried in
triumph to the nearest mandarin.

Thus ended the career of a remarkable man. Whatever the Chinese thought
of the Manchus, they could not but detest the cruel bandit whom they
supplanted, and who, but for their aid and the courage of a single
opponent, would have placed himself upon the throne of China.

Wou Sankwei, having rid himself of his great enemy, now became anxious
for the departure of his allies. But he soon found that they had no
intention of leaving Peking, of which they were then in full control. At
their head was Taitsong's young son, still a child, yet already giving
evidence of much sagacity. His uncle, Prince Dorgan,--or Ama Wang
(Father Prince), as his nephew called him,--was made regent, and
hastened to proclaim the youth emperor of China, under the name of
Chuntche. Every effort was made to obtain the support of Wou Sankwei:
honors and titles were conferred upon him, and the new government showed
such moderation and sound judgment in dealing with the people as to win
him to its support,--especially as no Chinese candidate for the throne
appeared whose ability promised to equal that of the young Manchu
prince.

The Manchus, indeed, were far from being rulers of the kingdom as yet.
They held only a few provinces of the north, and a prince of the late
native dynasty had been set up in the south, with his capital at
Nanking. Had he been a capable ruler, with qualities suited to call Wou
Sankwei to his support and enlist the energies of the people, the tide
of Manchu conquest would very probably have been stayed. But he proved
worthless, and Nanking was soon in the hands of his foes, its officials
being spared, but required to shave their heads,--the shaved head and
the pigtail of the modern Chinaman being the badge of submission to
Tartar supremacy.

A succession of new emperors was set up, but all met the same fate, and
in the end the millions of China fell under the Manchu yoke, and the
ancient empire was once more subjected to Tartar rule. The emperor
Chuntche died young, and his son, Kanghi, came to the throne when but
nine years of age. He was destined to reign for more than sixty