Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstrait121878roya).pdf/122

 accepted this new omen as favourable, the whole assembly adopted these four characters for the Flag, around which to rally their adherents. On the same day, they also recruited one hundred and seven men, and besides these, there appeared a youth who offered himself; on the priests enquiring his name, he replied: "I am no other than Chu-hung-chok, the grandson of the late Emperor Chungcheng; the son of the concubine Li-sien."

On hearing this, all bowed down before the youth, and acknowledged him as their sovereign Lord.—Kin-lam was appointed Commander in Chief and Sin-Seng, or Grand master; Ho-Khai and Tan phian were made Brigadiers, and Tho-hong with Tho-leng received commissions as Generals of the advanced guard and pioneers;—Go, Ang, Li, To, and Lim, were appointed Generals of the left wing; and Go, Pang, Tiuⁿ, Inⁿ, and Lim, Generals of the right.

The five priests were appointed as Generals in Chief of the rear guard.

Having arranged the Pavilion, all the assembly mixed blood and took the oath of fidelity, when suddenly a man named So-Ang-Kong was announced. Kin-lam, seeing that the new-comer was a person of great ability, appointed him after easting lots, as the Sien Hong or Vanguard, to clear the way for the army by bridging over the rivers. As Kin-lam was making this appointment, a red light shone in the eastern heavens, and Kin-lam availing himself of the omen, and being filled with righteous intentions, changed the name of So-Kong to Thien-yu-hung or "Heaven will protect the "Hung." The brotherhood assumed the surname of "Hung" or "universal," and adopted the words 'Obey Heaven and walk righteously' as their motto.

On the appointed day, having sacrificed to the standards, the army was set in motion, and the first day they marched to the "Ban-hun" Mountain in Chet-Kang. On this Mountain dwelt a man, Ban-hun-lung, whose native place was Hu-po, in the prefecture of Tai Chhang.

This man's original name was Tah-chung, but having retired from the world, and entered the priesthood, he had taken the Dame "Ho-boan."

At home, he had left three sons, Heng, Seng, and Phiu, and the reason he had abandoned his family was, because about the middle of the year, he had killed a man. Bau-lung was nine feet high, his face was like a large hand-basin; his head was as