mass of rebels came yells of fear.
It was the garrison of Quinsan, some seven or eight thousand, trying to
escape to Soochow. In terror they fled in every direction--8000 men
fleeing before thirty. The _Hyson_ fired as seldom as she could, but
even then, that day the rebels must have lost from three to four
thousand men, killed, drowned, and prisoners. All their arms also,
they lost, and a great number of boats.

Next morning at dawn, Gordon and his army took possession of Quinsan.
They had fought almost from daybreak until daybreak. "The rebels
certainly never got such a licking before," wrote Gordon.

The Ever-Victorious Army was delighted with itself, and very proud of
its leader. But they were less well-pleased with Gordon when they
found that instead of going on to a town where they could sell the
things they had managed to loot, they were to stay at Quinsan.

They were so angry that they drew up a proclamation saying that unless
they were allowed to go to a town they liked better, they would blow
their officers to pieces with the big guns. Gordon felt sure that the
non-commissioned officers were at the bottom of the mischief. He made
them parade before him, and told them that if they did not at once tell
him the name of the man who had written the proclamation, he would have
one out of every five of them shot. At this they all groaned, to show
what a monster they thought Gordon. One corporal groaned louder than
all the rest, and Gordon turned on him, his eyes blazing. So sure was
Gordon that this was their leader that, with his own hands, he dragged
him from the ranks.

[Illustration: With his own hands, he dragged him from the ranks]

"Shoot this fellow!" he said to two of his bodyguard. The soldiers
fired, and the corporal fell dead.

The other non-commissioned officers he sent into imprisonment for one
hour.

"If at the end of that time," said he, "the men do not fall in at their
officers' commands, and if I am not given the name of the writer of
that proclamation, every fifth man of you shall be shot."

At the end of the hour the men fell in, and the name of the writer of
the proclamation was given to Gordon. The man had already been
punished. It was the corporal who had groaned so loud an hour before.

This was not the only case that Gordon had in his own army. More than
once his officers were rebellious and troublesome. General Ching, a
Chinese general, was jealous of him. Ching one