ABSTRACT
The coffin just then passed in front of Liu Ming-ch'uan. Seven or eight mourners in front of the coffin were weeping so hysterically that they seemed to lack strength to continue walking; they were supported by other women mourners. The one carrying the funeral flag seemed to make a careless slip as he passed by Liu Ming-ch'uan, dropping the incense pot for burning paper money to the dead. The Ch'ing soldiers raced for four or five li toward the south. There they discovered a coffin on the bank of the river. The cover of the coffin was off and there were scattered mourners' garments by its side. Liu Ming-ch'uan rushed to take a look at the empty coffin. Furious, he turned his gaze toward the Canal, where he spotted more than ten Nien ferries cruising downstream. As the Nien were retreating, the Ch'ing troops suddenly swarmed forward from the south and west, surrounding them like ants.
