A fellow campaigner in China writes: "What is perhaps most striking in
Gordon's career in China, is the entire devotion with which the native
soldiers served him, and the implicit faith they had in the result of
operations in which he was personally present. In their eyes General
Gordon was literally a magician to whom all things were possible. They
believed him to bear a charmed life; and a short stick or rattan cane
which he invariably carried about, and with which he always pointed in
directing the fire of artillery or other operations, was firmly looked
on as a wand or talisman. These notions, especially the men's idea
that their general had a charmed existence, were substantially aided by
Gordon's constant habit, when the troops were under fire, of appearing
suddenly, usually unattended, and calmly standing in the very hottest
part of the fire."
As to Gordon's personal appearance, a pen picture by a comrade-in-arms,
Colonel Butler, deserves place:
"In figure Gordon, at forty years of age, stood somewhat under middle
height, slight but strong, active, and muscular. A profusion of thick
brown hair clustered above a broad open forehead. His features were
regular, his mouth firm, and his expression when silent had a certain
undertone of sadness, which instantly vanished when he spoke.
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