The Mineral argus., 1884-02-21
CHINESE GoRDON,s STICK
A ReminisOence orthe Campaign an
China by an Old ArtiUervmaD

~ OAA NLAANEENNnAn
From the New York Tribune.
although 1 actually served unda,
Chinese Gordon" said the captain of a
National Line steamer to a ribnne
reader, "yet the truth is 1 never ex-
changed words with him but once. and
that was when l went to him for a COM
mission in the imperial service. That
was in 1868 or 1864, 1 forget which. /
was chief officer on a vessel that came
into Shanghai, and l left her determined
to join Gordon. All the young fellows
al that time were crazy to join Gordon.
So l went to General Gamble at Shang-
hal. He was in reality only a captain in
Her Majesty's forces, but was acting un-
der Gordon as Quartermaster Cen
eral. He gave me a chit, or letter of
recommendation, to the great man, and
l went up the river in a sail-boat, a ma
ave craft, to Quin-San, where he had his
headquarters. l had learned that Mi
Europeans who had any knowledge of
guhnery were appointed ~lieutenants
with a pay of $40 a month
to say nothing of the chances OF
loot picking up things you know, in a
captured town. When l got to Quin.San
l found where his place was. 1t was a
large Chinese house, with a courtyard
round it. There was an orderly outside
the door, who asked what l wanted. l
said that l wished to see General Cor
don. He went into the room and COM
ing back, told me to go in. The famous
man was in a white shirt and white
trousers, and his red sash lay upon a bit
of carpet on the floor. He was at a desk
studying over a nap. l stood in front
OF the desk waiting. Presently he stood
up and fixed a pair of gray eyes full on
me-, and said:
"What do you wantP
Ian appointment
"'Where have you been? What do
you know? Are you acquainted with
g1nnery?
81 told him as briefly as possible,
showed him my credentials from the
Royal Naval Reserve, and my warrant
rine. He nodded, and said: Very
good and then wrote a note to the chief
officer commanding the Fifth Regiment,
Ming DOS we used to call them. l went
of about the town and anchored myself
for the night in a sort of military hotel:
On the piazza were a lot of officers of
GOrdon's force, some military, some
naval, and there was a good deal of
chatting about the two arms Of the SER
vice. |, being a sailor, naturally sided
with the sailors, and said my say. l no.
ticed that the captain of
ONE OF GoRDoN's GUNBoATs
was attentive to my remarks. Present.
ly he asked me some questions about
what l was going to do, and l told him.
He mounted his pony and rode off at a
hand-gallop. In half an hour he came
back a1d handed me a commission as
lieutenant of his u -boat, the FREELY.
So l went on board next morning, and
remained OH her for five months, when
| left Gordon's force, and returned to
the commercial marine.
"And was that all you ever saw of
Gordon?"
ooh. no. But that was all | ever had
to say to him, or he to me. If / had
joined the Ning-pos, no doubt l should
nave been brought often ia contact with
him. | often saw him at the head of his
expeditions to take stockades, and it was
queer to see him marching in front of
Ills men, twirling in the fingers of his
right hand a short black stick. There
were queer yarns in the force about
that stick. 1t was said to have extra
ordinary powers. He has been known
W CICGpb W IllC DhllSduC6 Vi d blOChhubs
put one end of the stick to his ear and
the other to the bottom of the poles.
He would listen %intently, and then he
would come back and detail a captain,
two ~lieutenants, and a hundred men to
be at a certain part of the stockade at a
certain hour. A couple of guns drawn
by Chinese soldiers, but manned by
European artillerists, lieutenants every
man of them, would be of the espedi-
lion. He would suddenly announce to
them that the guns at that particu-
lar part had been withdrawn to another
part ofthe stockade, and that if breach
were briskly made, it could be stormed
with little loss. As soon as the guns had
made a hole the infantry would go at it.
GORDON AHEAD Oh EVERYBODY,
as likely as not without his sword, but
with q revolver and his little black stick.
was very humane, and was most
in taking precautions to lose as
few lives as possible. He seemed to
realize that his Europeans were worth
everything TO him. When one was
he always felt it and showed
that he did :"
WAS there anything particular about
the stick?"
mot that l know of. Shortly after we
took Soo-Chow, where he led his troops
as calamity as ever, with the stick twirl-
ing between his fingers, there was a ru-
NOR thati it was lost. There was a procla-
offering a large reward for il, land
it was recovered. Some men stole
it, probably, for the hope of
a reward. l re-
member there was a great deal of talk
it. Captain Curtis, who command
ed our boat, the FREELY, was an Amer
lean, and he thought it was hollow, and
loaded with some chemical arrangement
made il remit sounds with singular
Others thOuoht IL was flied |