give his
troops two months' pay. Li refused, but presently gave them pay for
one month, and Gordon marched his grumbling soldiers back to Quinsan,
unable to trust them in a city where so much rich plunder was to be had.

As Gordon left the city the Wangs, wearing no arms, and laughing and
talking, rode past him on their way to a banquet with Li Hung Chang.

He never saw them alive again.

He had some time to wait for the steamer that was to take him to
Quinsan, so, having seen his army marching safely off, he rode round
the walls of the city. In front of Li Hung Chang's quarters he saw a
great crowd, but so sure did he feel that Li would not break his solemn
promises that he did not feel uneasy. A little later a large number of
General Ching's men entered the city, yelling loudly, and firing off
their guns. This was so unlike the peaceful way that Gordon and Ching
had promised they should behave, that Gordon went and spoke to their
officers.

"This will never do," he said. "There are still many rebels in the
city, and if our men get excited the rebels will get excited too, and
there will be fearful rioting."

Just then General Ching appeared. He had fancied Gordon safely
steaming across the lake, and when he saw him he turned pale.

In answer to Gordon's questions as to the meaning of the disturbance,
he gave some silly answer, which it was easy to see was untrue. Gordon
at once rode to the house of Nar Wang, the chief of the Wangs and the
bravest of them, to find out for himself what was wrong. On his way he
met crowds of excited rebels, and a large band of Ching's soldiers
laden with plunder. Nar Wang's house, he found, had been emptied of
everything by the thieving soldiers. An uncle of Nar Wang begged
Gordon to help him to take the women of Nar Wang's house to his own
home, where they would be in safety. Unarmed as he was, Gordon did so,
but when they got to the house of Nar Wang's uncle they found the
courtyard filled with thousands of rebel soldiers. The doors and gates
were shut at once, and Gordon was a prisoner. During the night more
and more rebels came to the house. They all said that Li Hung Chang
and Gordon had laid a trap for the Wangs and had taken them prisoners,
but none knew exactly what had happened to them. It was well for
Gordon that they did not. Probably they would have tortured him in one
of the many hideous ways the Chinese knew so well, and then put him to
death. At len