Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-05-04

Although I actually served under
Chinese Gordon" said the captain Of a
National line steamer. yet the truth Is
never exchanged words with him bu.
once, and that Was when went to him
Tor commission in the Imperial ser
vice That was in 1858 or 1854. forget
which. WAS chief officer on vessel
that came into Shanghai. and left her
determined to JOIN Gordon. All of the
Young fellows st that time were crazy 10
JOIN Gordon. So | went to Gen. Gamble
AT Shanghai. de WAS in reality only
Captain IN Her Maiesty's forces. but was
acting under Gordon as Quar,ermaster
General. He gave me chit. or letter
OF recommendation. TO the great man.
ana went mp the river IN a sailboat. a
native craft, 10 Gain San, where he lad
MS headquarters. | had learned that
ali Europeans who had any knowledge
OF Sunnery Were appointed as lieuteu-
ants With pay of $l4c month. TO say
nothing OF the chances of loot-pickinr
up Things, You know. i'll q captured town.
"hen got 10 Qnin- San | found where
hls place was. 1t was large Chimes,
house With a courtyard round it, There
was an orderly outside tie door who
asked what | wanted. said | wished
TO see General Gordon. He Went into
the rooIs, and, coming back. told me TO |
go IN. lne famous man was III white |
snlti ana white tfowSers, and his red |
sash lay upon bit of carpet on the |
roor. tie Was at a desk STUDYING over |
map. l stood In front OF the desk |
waiting. Presently he looked up and |
hAed a pair of gray eyes iull on NE and |
said:
What do You want:
An appointment"
here have you been! What d
you know: Are you acquainted with
lloid him as briefly as possible. showed
him my Credentials from the Royal Ma
val Reserve and my warrant as a chief
officer of the mercantile marine. He
nodded and said Very good." and then
wrote note to the officer commanding
the Fifth Regiment, Ming pos We used
TO call them. | went Oft about the town
ana anchored myself for the night IN
sort of military hotel. On the piazza
we're a lot of officers of Gordon's force.
some military, some naval, and there
vas good deal of chatting about the
wo arms of the service. |, being a sailor.
sided with the sailors and said
ny say. l noticed that the Captain of
me OF Gordon's gunboats was attentive
o my remarks. Presently he asked me
ome questions about what | WAS going
q do, and told him. he mounted his
'ony and rode Oft al hand gallop. In
lalf an hour he came back and handed
ne commission as lieutenant of his
,unboat. the FREELY. SO went on board
he next morning, and remained on her
or tive months. when | left Gordon's {,
orce and returned to the commercial t
marine.
And was that all you ever saw of !
IordOn?"
"Oh, no. But that WAS all ever had
o say to him, or he to me. If had
oined the Ming pos. no doubt should
ave been brought often into contact
With him. often saw him at the head
f his expeditions to take stockades,
nd 1t WAS queer to see him marching in
ront of his men, tHirling in the fingers
f his right hand short black stick.
here were queer yarns in the force
bout that stick. 1t was said to have
powers. He has been
nown to creep to the palisades of a
put one end of it to his ear
nd the other to the bottom of the poles.
IL would listen intentlv, and then he
'ould come back and detail a captain,
wO lieutenants and hundred men to
9 at a certain part of the stOckade at a
ertain hour. A couple Of guns drawn
y Chinese soldiers, but manned by Eu-
opean artillerIsts, lIeutenants every man
t them, would be of the expedition.
le would suddenly announce to them
hat the guns at that particular part
ad been withdrawn to another part of
ne stOckade, and that if breach were
risky made it could be stormed with
tile loss. As soon as the guns had made
hole, the infantry would go at it, Cor
on ahead of every body, as likely as not
'ithout his sword. but with revolver
nd his little black stick. He was very
and was most careful in taking
recautlons to lose as few lives as posi-
lie. He seemed to realize that his Eu
opeans were worth everything to him.
\ hen one was killed, he always felt it
nd showed that he did"
" Was there anything peculiar about
ne stick2"
&" Not that l know of. Shortly after
70 took 500 Chow, where he led his
rOops as calamity rs ever, with the
lick twirllng between his fingers, there
'as n rumor that it WAS lost. There
'as proclamation offering large re
ard for it, and ii was recovered. Some
IAN stole it probably for the hope of
citing a reward. | remember there
as a great deal of talk about it. Capt.
urtis. who commanded our boat, the
lrehy was An American, and he thought C,
40 stick was h low, and loaded with "
Dme chemical arrangement that made A
remit sounds with singular delioacy. A
'therS thought it was filled with quick -
liver. and others had still stranger no
ons. But it had its effect, and most
Gordon's officers had short black
.ioks. There was one major of the Ming
os who had five gold rings on his stick,
hich made it quite fancy article"