By this date, for two days' march in all
directions from Chao-t'ong, the rebels had camped, and a motley crowd
they were--Mohammendans, Chinese, I-pien, Hua Miao, and other hooligans.
Mobilization was effected by spies taking round secret cases (the
_ch'uandan_) containing two pieces of coal and a feather--a simile
meaning that the rebels were to burn like fire and fly like birds.
Meanwhile, military forces had been dispatched from Yuen-nan-fu, the
capital (twelve days away), and from Ch'u-tsing-fu (seven or eight days
away), and these, to the strength of a thousand, now came to the city,
and it was thought that the brigadier-general would be able to cope with
the trouble now that he had so many armed troops. Soldiers patrolled the
city walls (which, by the way, had to be built up so that the soldiers
might be able to get decent patrol), more were stationed on the premises
of the Europeans, and every defensive precaution was taken. The
officials were in daily communication by telegraph with the Viceroy, and
at first the riot was kept well in hand by Government authorities.
But the rebels had by this time got together no less than three thousand
men, and were holding three impregnable positions on the adjacent hills,
and had effectually cut off communication by the main road.
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