PROGRESS OF THEIR INSURRECTION; 123 



liberation from the Chinese yoke, which was their 

 main object, over a vast extent of territory situated 

 to the west of the Great Wall and near the sources 

 of the Yellow River ; but they soon gave up acting 

 on the offensive, and confined themselves to bri- 

 gandage in the neighbouring districts of China and 

 Mongolia. Their last sio^nal successes were the 

 devastation of Ordos and Ala-shan on the east ; 

 Uliassutai, Kobdo, and Bulun-tokhoi on the west ; 

 soon afterwards they were defeated by the Chinese, 

 and were finally obliged to defend themselves 

 against the decisive measures taken by their oppo- 

 nents to the east of the Upper Hoang-ho. Here we 

 were witnesses of some encraijements between the 

 insurgents and Chinese troops. The following nar 

 rative will, therefore, refer only to the action of both 

 parties in the province of Kan-su. 



The Mahommedan insurrection broke out in this 

 province in 1862, and some important successes were 

 at first gained by the insurgents. Three large towns, 

 Si-ning, Tatung, and Suh-chau, fell into their hands ; 

 the Chinese garrisons were either put to the sw^rd, 

 or compelled to adopt the Mahommedan religion and 

 enter the ranks of the rebels. Chinese garrisons, 

 however, still held out in some towns situated near 

 those which had freed themselves, and Dj'ung-ling, 

 Sa-yan-chen,^ Tajing, Lang-chau, and Kan-chau 



' Sa-yan-chen is not to be found in Prejevalsky's Map, but we find 

 in Kiepert's ' Asia' (1863), Sanyantsing, very near the position of Pre- 

 jevalsky's Yunan-chen. It is probable, however, that this position is 

 only Kiepert's interpretation of Hue's vague indications, for San-ycn- 



