CHAPTER IV.

“In the love of a brave and faithful man, there is always a strain of maternal tenderness; he gives out again those beams of protecting fondness, which were shed on him as he lay upon his mother’s knee.”—Geo. Elliott.

A son of one of our missionaries (J. Johnson) says of Gordon “he was one of the most unassuming and gentle men I ever met; and I well remember his saintly conversation, as he sat at tea with us. I also remember, (though only a youth) being struck with his humility, especially for one of his rank and profession. He generally had on a well worn greyish overcoat, the side pockets of which gaped somewhat with constant usage for into them he would cram a large number of tracts and sally forth in company with me or another of the missionaries, or as sometimes happened he went alone, drop a tract here or there and speak a seasonable word. Hespoke to me as a youth, as some of our saintly old pastors used to do to the children of the penniless where they stayed. He wrote me occasionally. A specimen I herewith append.”

Letter to Mr. Johnson, junr.:

“My dear J. . . . since we had a few words together you have not been out of my mind for any length of time together, and I was very glad to hear of you to-day from your father. God acts in mysterious ways and He gave me comfort concerning you on that evening. Trust Him with all thine heart. He says (He who cannot lie) He lives in you if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God. His word is truth whatever may be our feelings, which change as the clouds. You are my dear friend, saved not on account of your feelings, but because our blessed Lord loved you unto death, and has washed you in His own blood . . . . I will not write more than express my hope that He who has begun a good work may perfect it. Yea he surely will, for He says He will perfect that which concerneth us—make you useful in His service. May He strengthen you to fight the good fight of faith, and give you that crown of glory which fadeth not away; I am very sure He will. May His will be done on this poor sorrowing world, for the longer we live the more fleeting are its glories. Good-bye, my dear young friend. Believe meYours sincerelyC. G. Gordon.”

Yours sincerelyC. G. Gordon.”

Also a further letter to Mr. Johnson. This was written during my illness and leave of absence from duty—

“My dear Mr. Johnson, I have received your letter with many thanks. I am so much obliged for your letting me know ofmy lads, and have written to them a few lines. I wish sometimes I was with you. I like your quiet earnestness; there is little of that here, and I like the work; I have also said a few words to your son; the Holy Ghost is the teacher for Him, and will not leave His work till he is happy.I hope Mr. Wardle is improving in health. “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Silver is spoilt if heated too much, therefore the refiner sits watching; until it is purified when the refiner sees his image reflected in its surface; so with us, our Lord will see that we are not too much heated, only just enough to reflect His image. Will you thank Mr. Fielden for his kind letter, I quite feel for his trials in that district, but he has a fellow helper and worker in his kind Lord who feels for him and will support him through all. Give my kind regard to Spence, your wife and son, and to all my friends.And believe me my dear Mr. Johnson,Yours sincerely,C. G. Gordon.”

I hope Mr. Wardle is improving in health. “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Silver is spoilt if heated too much, therefore the refiner sits watching; until it is purified when the refiner sees his image reflected in its surface; so with us, our Lord will see that we are not too much heated, only just enough to reflect His image. Will you thank Mr. Fielden for his kind letter, I quite feel for his trials in that district, but he has a fellow helper and worker in his kind Lord who feels for him and will support him through all. Give my kind regard to Spence, your wife and son, and to all my friends.

And believe me my dear Mr. Johnson,

Yours sincerely,C. G. Gordon.”

Mr. Johnson writes:—

“One evening after I had been observing his patient endurance and perseverance with one of the reckless,insolent lads as we left the school, I, in a quiet pleasant way remarked “I fear Colonel, your Christian work in Dark Lane Ragged School will never get the fame and applause from this world that your military achievements in China have lately secured for you.”“My dear Sir,” he replied “If I can but be the means in the hands of God of leading any of these precious sons to Jesus, I must place that amongst the most glorious trophies of my life, and to hear the Master at last say ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these, ye have done it unto Me,’ will be to me a resplendent undying glory when so many of earth’s fleeting honours have tarnished.”“It is impossible (says Lord Blatchford about General Gordon) to imagine a man more completely in the presence of God, or more absolutely careless of his own distinction, comfort, wealth or life. A man unreservedly devoted to the cause of the oppressed. One bows before him as before a man of a superior order of things.” Mr. Boulger says, “There will never be another Gordon.” Sir William Butler said of him, “He was unselfish as Sydney; of courage, dauntless as Wolfe; of honour, stainless as Outram; of sympathy, wide-reaching as Drummond; of honesty,straightforward as Napier; of faith, as steadfast as Moore.”

“My dear Sir,” he replied “If I can but be the means in the hands of God of leading any of these precious sons to Jesus, I must place that amongst the most glorious trophies of my life, and to hear the Master at last say ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these, ye have done it unto Me,’ will be to me a resplendent undying glory when so many of earth’s fleeting honours have tarnished.”

“It is impossible (says Lord Blatchford about General Gordon) to imagine a man more completely in the presence of God, or more absolutely careless of his own distinction, comfort, wealth or life. A man unreservedly devoted to the cause of the oppressed. One bows before him as before a man of a superior order of things.” Mr. Boulger says, “There will never be another Gordon.” Sir William Butler said of him, “He was unselfish as Sydney; of courage, dauntless as Wolfe; of honour, stainless as Outram; of sympathy, wide-reaching as Drummond; of honesty,straightforward as Napier; of faith, as steadfast as Moore.”

We believe Gordon answered to all these encomiums and well deserved them.

Edgmont Hake, writing of him says:—“He lived wholly for others; his home at Gravesend was school, hospital, church, and almshouse all in one. His work more like that of a Home missionary than of a military officer. The troubles of all interested him alike, but he had a warm corner in his heart for lads.” This will be seen from letters produced. Many of the lads he rescued from the slums and gutters; he cleaned them, clothed them, fed them, and gave them shelter and home, sometimes for weeks and even longer. He taught in the evenings lessons suitable to their conditions; not forgetting the moral and spiritual side of his work. And he did this work without fee or reward, and he did it with all his heart. He was as enthusiastic about this duty as he was about his military duties. He called these lads “His kings.”

Leigh Hunt’s ideal of a king describes very closely Gordon’s ideal:—

“’Tis not the wealth that makes a kingNor the purple colouring,Nor a brow that’s bound with gold,Nor gate on mighty hinges rolled;That king is he who void of fear,Can look abroad with bosom clear,Who can tread ambition down,Nor be swayed by smile nor frown,Nor for all the treasure cares,That mine conceals or harvest wears,Or that golden sands deliver,Bosomed on a glassy river,Safe with wisdom for his crown,He looks on all things calmly down,He has no fear of earthly thing,This is it that makes a king,And all of us who e’er we beMay carve us out such royalty.”

On one occasion a lad in the employ of a Gravesend tradesman was discovered to have been pilfering on a somewhat serious scale. When the fact was proved beyond question, the master declared he would have the boy punished by imprisonment. The mother of the boy, hearing of this sad affair, was almost broken-hearted, and at her wit’s end. Someone who had heard of Gordon’s love for lads, also hisintense desire to help all in trouble, suggested that she should see him and explain her case. So, with all a mother’s earnestness, she went at once to Gordon and told him the whole story, and begged with tears for his sympathy and help. After hearing the story his heart was touched, he could not refuse a mother’s appeal. When a mother pleads, there is power and pathos difficult for any to withstand, much less Gordon. So he went to the lad’s late employer, and after considerable argument, the master undertook not to prosecute, but only on condition that Gordon would personally undertake to look after the lad himself, for one year at least. This Gordon promised, and he took the boy to his own home, sent him to a good school at his own expense for the year; then he got him a good situation on board one of Her Majesty’s vessels. That lad became a man of honour and respectability, secured good situations, won for himself a good character, and the mother and the sailor boy in their heart often blessed Gordon, who saved the boy from prison, ruin and disgrace, and the mother from a broken heart. His rescue work amongst boys was work he lovedsupremely, in it he found his highest joys. His pleasures were not secured where many seek them, viz., at the theatre, at the gambling-house, at the racecourse, at the public-house, or in accumulating wealth, or in winning renown and glory—these were nothing to Gordon. To save a fallen lad, was to him the highest gratification; in this work he was very successful.

Many a rescued lad was he able to restore to his home and to society, and to the world. For many of these lads he was able to secure situations on board ship. To show his interest in them when away he had a large map on his study wall, in this map were pins in very many places. These, he told a visitor, showed the position of the ships on which his lads were located; and he moved the pins as the ships moved and prayed for each boy from day to day. The workhouse and the infirmary were places he used to visit, and his visits were remembered by the inmates, as all the fruits and flowers he could grow were given to these places and to the sick and poor whom he visited. Very often the dying sent for him in preference to a clergyman, and he was, if at home, always ready;no matter what the weather or what the distance. His works were essentially works of charity, and these were not done to be seen of men. He was one of the humblest men I ever met. He would not occupy the chair at a meeting or even go on to the platform. Once I remember he addressed a gathering after tea of those who had been rescued and who were likely to be useful to others, but he would not be lionised or praised. He would say, “No; I am but the instrument: the praise belongs to God.” His spirit was the fruitful cause of all the work he did.

“Give me that lowest place,Not that I dare ask for that lowest place.But Thou hast died that I might shareThy glory by Thy side.Give me that lowest place, or if for meThat lowest place too highMake one more low, where I may sitAnd see my God; and love Thee so.”

He recognised “that pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless, and the widows in their affliction, and to keep unspotted from the world.” Thiskindled his enthusiasm, influenced his chivalrous character, and we think had largely to do with his success. To know him was to know a Christian, a Christlike man—God’s man.

With Job (ch. 29, verses 11, 12, etc.) he could say truly—

“When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me. Because I delivered the poor that cried and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I was eyes to the blind and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and the cause which I knew not I searched out.”

He could truly say

“I live for those that love me:For those that know me true;For the heaven that smiles above meAnd waits my coming too.For the cause that needs assistance,For the wrong that needs resistance.For the future in the distance,And for the good that I can do.”

Upon his removal from Gravesend in 1873 a local newspaper writing of his removal, anddeploring his loss, said—“Our readers will hear with regret of the departure of Colonel Gordon from the town, in which he has resided for six years; gaining a name for the most exquisite charity that will long be remembered. Nor will he be less missed than remembered, for in the lowest walks of life he has been so unwearied in well-doing that his departure will be felt as a terrible calamity. His charity was essential charity, having its root in deep philanthropic feeling and goodness, and always shunning the light of publicity.” Many were the friends who grieved over his departure from Gravesend, for they ne’er would look upon his like again.

“If a man do not erect in this age his own tomb e’er he dies, he shall live no longer in monuments than the bell rings and his widow weeps.”—Shakespeare.

A new chapter now opens in our story of Gordon. Sir Samuel Baker had resigned the honoured position of Governor General of the Soudan. Gordon was selected as the man who, of all others, was most suitable for such an appointment. Our Government acquiesced in the Khedive’s offer of this post to Gordon, so he accepted the responsible position.

The Khedive offered him, it is stated, a salary £10,000 per annum; this, however, he refused to accept. He said “Your Majesty I cannot accept it, as I should look upon it as the life’s blood wrung out of those poor people over whom you wish me to rule.” “Name your own terms then,” said the Khedive. “Well,” replied Gordon, “£2,000 per annum I think will keepbody and soul together, what should I require more than this for.” About the close of the year 1873 he left his country and loved ones behind him, for that lone sad land, with its ancient history. We think Gordon played such a part that his name will be honourably associated with Egypt, and remembered from generation to generation.

I am indebted to the author ofGordon in Central Africafor the following abstract of the Khedive’s final instructions to Col. Gordon, dated Feb. 16th, 1874.

“The province which Colonel Gordon has undertaken to organise and to govern is but little known. Up to the last few years, it had been in the hands of adventurers who had thought of nothing but their own lawless gains, and who had traded in ivory and slaves. They established factories and governed them with armed men. The neighbouring tribes were forced to traffic with them whether they liked it or not. The Egyptian Government, in the hope of putting an end to this inhuman trade had taken the factories into their own hands, paying the owners an indemnification.Some of these men, nevertheless, had been still allowed to carry on trade in the district, under a promise that they would not deal in slaves. They had been placed under the control of the Governor of the Soudan. His authority,however, had scarcely been able to make itself felt in these remote countries. The Khedive had resolved therefore to form them into a separate government, and to claim as a monopoly of the State, the whole of the trade with the outside world. There was no other way of putting an end to the slave trade which at present was carried on by force of arms in defiance of law. When once brigandage had become a thing of the past, and when once a breach had been made in the lawless customs of long ages, then trade might be made free to all. If the men who had been in the pay of adventurers were willing to enter the service of the Government, Col. Gordon was to make all the use of them he could. If on the other hand they attempted to follow their old course of life, whether openly or secretly, he was to put in force against them to the utmost severity of martial law. Such men as these must find in the Governor neither indulgence, nor mercy. The lesson must be made clear even in those remote parts that a mere difference of colour does not turn men into wares, and that life and liberty are sacred things.”

Some of these men, nevertheless, had been still allowed to carry on trade in the district, under a promise that they would not deal in slaves. They had been placed under the control of the Governor of the Soudan. His authority,however, had scarcely been able to make itself felt in these remote countries. The Khedive had resolved therefore to form them into a separate government, and to claim as a monopoly of the State, the whole of the trade with the outside world. There was no other way of putting an end to the slave trade which at present was carried on by force of arms in defiance of law. When once brigandage had become a thing of the past, and when once a breach had been made in the lawless customs of long ages, then trade might be made free to all. If the men who had been in the pay of adventurers were willing to enter the service of the Government, Col. Gordon was to make all the use of them he could. If on the other hand they attempted to follow their old course of life, whether openly or secretly, he was to put in force against them to the utmost severity of martial law. Such men as these must find in the Governor neither indulgence, nor mercy. The lesson must be made clear even in those remote parts that a mere difference of colour does not turn men into wares, and that life and liberty are sacred things.”

Another object of the new Governor should be to establish a line of posts through all his provinces, so that from one end to the other they might be brought into direct communication with Khartoum. Those posts should follow, as far as was possible, the line of the Nile; but for a distance of seventy miles the navigation ofthat river was hindered by rapids. He was to search out the best way of overcoming this hindrance, and to make a report thereon to the Khedive.

In dealing with theChieftainsof the tribes which dwelt on the shores of the lakes, the Governor was above all to try to win their confidence. He must respect their territory, and conciliate them by presents, and whatever influence he gains over them, he must use in the endeavour to persuade them to put an end to the wars, which they so often make on each other in the hope of carrying off slaves. Much tact would be needed, for should he succeed in stopping the slave trade, while wars were still waged among the chiefs, it might well come to pass that, for want of a market, the prisoners would, in such a case, be slaughtered. Should he find it needful to exercise a real control over any of these tribes, it will be better to leave to the chieftains the direct government. Their obedience must be secured by making them dread his power.

He made the journey to Khartoum without any mishap or serious difficulty, reaching therein May, 1874, and was installed in office on the fifth. A royal salute from the government house guns was fired in honour of this event; the new Governor-General was, of course, expected to make a speech, after the order of his predecessors. But all he said was, “With the help of God I will hold the balance level.” This was received with the greatest enthusiasm, for it evidently pleased the people more than if he had addressed them for an hour. His attention was soon directed towards the poverty-stricken and helpless people all around him. He caused special enquiries to be made; then he began to distribute his gifts of charity to all who he believed were really in need; and in three days he had given away one thousand pounds of his first year’s salary. He had not been long in the Soudan before he realized the tremendous responsibilities he had assumed; and with all his strength of character, and his trust in his Almighty, ever-present Friend, it is not to be wondered at that when alone in the trackless desert, with the results of ages of wrong-doing before him, this man of heroic action and indomitable spirit sometimes gave way todepression and murmuring; although this was exceedingly rare. If we remember what he had already done and suffered for down-trodden humanity. And that now he was doing heroic work for the true hero’s wages—the love of Christ, and the good of his fellow-men. He was labouring not for himself, but as the hand of God in providence, in the faith that his work was of God’s own appointing. The wonder is that in the face of perils so dangerous, work so difficult, and sufferings so intense, that his spirit was not completely crushed and broken. We must bear in mind, his work there was to secure peace to a country that appeared to be bent on war; to suppress slavery amongst a people to whom it was a second nature, and to whom the trade in human flesh was life, and honour, and fortune. To make and discipline an army out of the rawest recruits ever put in the field, to develop and grow a flourishing trade, and to obtain a fair revenue, amid the wildest anarchy in the world; the immensity of the undertaking, the infinity of detail involved in a single step toward this end, the countless odds to be faced; the many pests, the deadly climate, the nightly and daily alternations of overpowering heat, and of bitter cold, to be endured and overcome; the environment of bestial savagery, and ruthless fanaticism;—all these contributed to make the achievement unique in human history.He was face to face with evil in its worst form, and saw it in all its appalling effects upon the nation and its people. He seemed to have everything against him, and to be utterly alone. There stood in front of him the grim ruined land. He faced it, however, as a saint and soldier should do; he stood for right, truth, and for God.

Gordon on his favourite camel

“He would dare to do right. Dare to be trueHe had a work that no other could do;He would do it so wisely, so bravely, so well,That angels might hasten the story to tell.”

After some time he writes:—

“How the Khedive is towards me I don’t know, but thank God he prevents me caring for any one’s favour or disfavour. I honestly say I do not know anyone who would endure the exile and worries of my position out here. Some might fear if they were dismissed, that the world would talk. Thank God! I am screened from that fear. I know that I have done my best, as far as my intellect would allow me, for the Khedive, and have tried to be just to all.”

On contemplating retirement, he writes:—

“Now imagine what I lose by coming back, if God so wills it; a life in a tent, with a cold humid air at night, to which if, from the heat of the tent you expose yourself, you will suffer for it, either in liver or elsewhere. The most ordinary fare.Mostordinary I can assure you; no vegetables, dry biscuits, a few bits of broiled meat, and some dry macaroni, boiled in water and sugar. I forgot some soup; up at dawn and to bed between eight and nine p.m. No books but one, and that not often read for long, for I cannot sit down for a study of those mysteries. All day long, worrying about writing orders, to be obeyed by others in the degree as they are near or distant from me: obliged to think of the veriest trifle, even to the knocking off the white ants from the stores, etc.—that is one’s life; and, speaking materially, for what gain? At the end of two years, say £2,000. At the end of three say £3,500 at the outside. The gain to be called ‘His Excellency,’ and this money. Yet his poor ‘Excellency’ has to slave more than any individual; to pull ropes, to mend this; make a cover to that (just finished a capital cover to the duck Gun). I often say, ‘drop the excellency, and do this instead.’”

Again he writes:—

“This country would soon cure a man of his ambition, I think, and make him content with his lot. The intense heat, and other stagnation except you have some disagreeable incident, would tame the most enthusiastic; a thin,miserable tent under which you sit, with the perspiration pouring off you. A month of this life, and you would be dissatisfied with your lot.”

Gordon had kept up some very interesting correspondence with an old friend in China; an old officer in Gordon’s “Ever victorious Army,” Li Hung Chang. While Gordon is feeling unwell, and disposed to send his resignation to the Khedive—he writes in his journal:—

July 21st, 1879.“I shall (D.V.) leave for Cairo in ten days, and I hope to see you soon; but I may have to go to Johannis before I go to Cairo. I am a wreck, like the portion of the ‘Victory’ towed into Gibraltar after Trafalgar; but God has enabled me, or rather has used me, to do what I wished to do—that is, break down the slave trade. “Those that honour me I will honour.” May I be ground to dust, if He will glorify Himself in me; but give me a humble heart, for then he dwells there in comfort. I wrote you a letter about my illness and tore it up. Thank God, I am pretty well now, but I have passed the grave once lately, and never thought to see Khartoum. The new Khedive is more civil, but I no longer distress myself with such things. God is the sole ruler, and I try to walk sincerely before Him.”

July 21st, 1879.

“I shall (D.V.) leave for Cairo in ten days, and I hope to see you soon; but I may have to go to Johannis before I go to Cairo. I am a wreck, like the portion of the ‘Victory’ towed into Gibraltar after Trafalgar; but God has enabled me, or rather has used me, to do what I wished to do—that is, break down the slave trade. “Those that honour me I will honour.” May I be ground to dust, if He will glorify Himself in me; but give me a humble heart, for then he dwells there in comfort. I wrote you a letter about my illness and tore it up. Thank God, I am pretty well now, but I have passed the grave once lately, and never thought to see Khartoum. The new Khedive is more civil, but I no longer distress myself with such things. God is the sole ruler, and I try to walk sincerely before Him.”

The letter from Li Hung Chang was to him a source of great satisfaction and pleasure, as it showed his example had affected for good this eastern ambassador, who visited this country only a very few years ago.

The letter ran thus:—

Tientsin,March 22nd,1879.“To His Excellency Colonel C. G. Gordon,Khartoum, Egypt.“Dear Sir.—I am instructed by his Excellency the Grand Secretary, Li, to answer your esteemed favour, dated the 27th October, 1878, from Khartoum, which was duly received. I am right glad to hear from you. It is now fourteen years since we parted from each other. Although I have not written to you, I often speak of you, and remember you with very great interest. The benefit you have conferred on China does not appear with your person, but is felt throughout the regions in which you played so important and active a part. All those people bless you for the blessings of peace and prosperity which they now enjoy.Your achievements in Egypt are well known throughout the civilized world. I see often in the papers of your noble works on the Upper Nile. You are a man of ampleresources, with which you suit yourself to any emergency. My hope is that you may long be spared to improve the conditions of the people amongst whom your lot is cast. I am striving hard to advance my people to a higher state of development, and to unite both this and all other nations within the ‘Four seas’ under one common brotherhood.I wish you all manner of happiness and prosperity. With my highest regards,I remain,Yours truly,Li Hung Chang.”

Tientsin,March 22nd,1879.

“To His Excellency Colonel C. G. Gordon,Khartoum, Egypt.

“Dear Sir.—I am instructed by his Excellency the Grand Secretary, Li, to answer your esteemed favour, dated the 27th October, 1878, from Khartoum, which was duly received. I am right glad to hear from you. It is now fourteen years since we parted from each other. Although I have not written to you, I often speak of you, and remember you with very great interest. The benefit you have conferred on China does not appear with your person, but is felt throughout the regions in which you played so important and active a part. All those people bless you for the blessings of peace and prosperity which they now enjoy.

Your achievements in Egypt are well known throughout the civilized world. I see often in the papers of your noble works on the Upper Nile. You are a man of ampleresources, with which you suit yourself to any emergency. My hope is that you may long be spared to improve the conditions of the people amongst whom your lot is cast. I am striving hard to advance my people to a higher state of development, and to unite both this and all other nations within the ‘Four seas’ under one common brotherhood.

I wish you all manner of happiness and prosperity. With my highest regards,

I remain,Yours truly,Li Hung Chang.”

In all, and through all these various trying vicissitudes he remained true to his innate religious convictions, and looked upon it all as the filling in of a plan, which was divine. His hours for prayer were maintained with as great a regularity as were those of another eastern official servant, Daniel, who “three times a day kneeled on his knees and prayed and gave thanks to God.” Gordon, when at prayer, placed outside his tent a white handkerchief, this was the sign the Governor was at his devotions, and no servant or messenger must disturb him. He kept closely in touch with God, so to speak. His outer life might be ruffled by storms and tempests, but within he had the perfect peace.

While Gordon was hoping to get away from the trying climate and yet more trying circumstances around him, a message (not unexpected) reached him, giving him instructions to proceed to Abyssinia, and see if he could settle the dispute or misunderstanding that had arisen between Johannis the King and the Khedive. He proceeded on that very risky mission as he states in his letters; the journey was “indescribable in its solitary grandeur. These interminable deserts, and arid mountain passes fill the heart with far different thoughts than civilized lands do.” With few attendants, he writes:—“We are still slowly crawling over the world’s crust. Reaching the dominions of the King of Abyssinia, we camped near Ras Alonla, and the priests used to gather at 3 a.m. in knots of two and three and chant for an hour in a wild melodious manner the Psalms of David. Awakened at this unearthly hour no one could help being impressed. Some of them had children who chanted.” Again he writes:—“We have just passed a famous convent. The great high priest, who only comes out to meet the King, and who is supposed to be the King’sright hand in religious questions, came out to meet us. I had some splendid silk brocade, which I gave him. He held a gold cross in his hand, and spoke of the love of Christ. He seemed to be a deeply religious man.”

Father Soho says of Abyssinia:—

“No country in the world is so full of churches, monasteries, and ecclesiastics, as Abyssinia. It is hardly possible to sing in one church, or monastery, without being heard in another, and perhaps by several. They sing the Psalms of David, of which they have a very exact translation in their own language. They begin their concert by stamping their feet on the ground, and playing gently on their instruments; but when have become warm by degrees, they leave off drumming, and fall to leaping, dancing, shouting and clapping hands, till their is neither tune nor pause, but rather a religious riot. For this manner of religious worship, they quote the Psalm—“O clap your hands, all ye nations.” Gordon says, “I could not but like this poor simple-minded peasantry.”

Again he writes:—

“We are about a days march from the river Taczzi, which joins the Nile at Berber. Nearing the Palace, if so I may call it, I was met by the King’s body guard. I was of course wearing the Crest and Field Marshal’s uniform; the soldiers were sitting on their heels and nevergot up. Passing through them I found my mule so tired that I got down and walked. On arrival at the Palace, I was admitted to the King, who sat upon a raised däis, with the Itagè, or Chief Priest on the ground at his left hand. Then guns were fired, and the King said, “That is in your honour, and you can retire,” which I did, to see him again shortly. Again Gordon visited the Royal personage, and was granted permission to present his case, but Gordon considered himself unduly humbled as he was ordered to stand afar off; a stool at length was placed for him to sit upon. This humble position Gordon would at other times have accepted and tolerated, but not here and now; he must show his dignity as the representative of a Foreign, powerful monarch; he seized the stool and carried it up to near where the King sat, and placed it by his side, saying, “Though in your hands I may be a prisoner, I am a man as much as you are, and can only meet you as an equal.” His sable Majesty was greatly annoyed at Gordon’s audacious conduct, and remarking said, “Gordon Pasha don’t you know I am the King, and could kill you if I wished.” “I am perfectly aware of that,” said Gordon, “Do so at once if it is your Royal pleasure, I am ready.” “What,” said the King, “Ready to be killed?” “Certainly,” said Gordon, “I am always ready to die, and so far from fearing you putting me to death, you would confer a favour on me by so doing, for you would be doing for me that which I am precluded by my religious convictions from doing for myself. You would relieve me from all the troubles the future may have in store for me.” “Then my power hasno terror for you, Gordon!” “None whatever,” he replied. So Gordon proved more than a match for this half-civilized Abyssinian King. His visit, however, could not be considered successful as his Majesty was unreasonable in all his demands, and so put out of the power of Gordon to reach any settlement. So he left the King without effecting what he came to do. How to get away now was to him a source of anxiety. As he surmised, they were not likely to allow him to carry back the valuables he had in his possession. It required all his tact and wit and discretion in this perilous position. He, however, at the cost of about £1,400 in bribes and gifts, managed to get away. Then he had to find his way back alone. This was a severe ordeal. Over mountains covered with snow, and through defiles of rocky places, now meeting with wild hordes of the dog-faced baboons, then with the uncivilized tribes of the human species none the less dangerous. He, however, by the care of an ever watchful Providence, had escaped serious harm and reached Khartoum in safety.”

“There is no death, what seems so is transition.This life of mortal breath is but the suburb of the life Elysian,Whose portals we call Death.”—Longfellow.

Gordon had felt for some time uneasy in his position, as the under officials looked upon him as a religious fanatic, and too strict to govern; they tried to annoy him, and they succeeded: so he sent in his resignation to the Khedive, and as soon as he could conveniently, he turned his face homeward.

First of course he visited the Khedive, and he received from him a princely welcome, being addressed by him in these words: “I am glad to see you Gordon Pasha again amongst us, and have great pleasure in once more personally acknowledging the loyalty with which you always served my country, and my government. I should very much like you to remain in myservice, but if you must retire from us, as you say you must, then I am reluctantly compelled to accept your resignation. I regret, my dear Gordon, to lose so valued a counsellor and friend, and the hearty co-operation of so useful a servant: and in parting from you, I desire to express my sincere thanks to you; assuring you that my remembrance of you and of your services to this country will never be forgotten.”

Gordon was greatly in need of the rest he now seemed to have secured by his resignation. His over sensitive nature could not have borne up much longer; a frame of iron must have gone under in such circumstances; for on his own individual shoulders he carried each man’s burden, causing him days of anxiety and nights of unrest. At Alexandria he was examined by Dr. MacKie the surgeon to the British Consulate, who certified that he was “suffering from symptoms of nervous exhaustion. I have recommended him (the Dr. adds) to retire for several months for complete rest, and quiet—and that he may be able to enjoy fresh and wholesome food, as I consider much of this illness is the result of continued bodily fatigue, anxiety andindigestible food. I have strongly insisted on his abstaining from all exciting work—especially such as implies business or political excitement.” Splendid advice, but would Gordon follow it? Could his active life be suppressed even for so short a time? None find it harder to rest than those who need it most. Gordon had often thought of what pleasure in rest he would find when his retirement was an accomplished fact. He would lie in bed until dinner. He would take short walks after dinner. He would undertake no long journeys, either driving or by railway. He would not be tempted to go to dinner parties. He would really have a quiet time; it was, however, only for a short period.

The private secretaryship to Lord Ripon was vacant, and it was offered to Gordon; he accepted it, but on landing at Bombay he found the position would not be to his liking. He says of Lord Ripon, “we parted perfect friends.” After Gordon left Egypt someone there wrote to our press saying, “The name of Gordon whenever and wherever mentioned sends a thrill of admiration and love throughout the vast Soudan territory. For a hand so strong, yetwithal so beneficent, has never before ruled the peoples of this unhappy country.” Gordon left the Soudan peaceful, prosperous and happy, comparatively. After his resignation of the position of private secretary to Lord Ripon, he was invited to visit China again by Mr. Hart, Chinese Commissioner of Customs at Pekin, who said to Gordon, “I am directed to invite you here (that is to say China). Please come and see for yourself. This opportunity for doing really useful work on a large scale ought not to be lost: work, position, conditions can all be arranged with yourself here to your satisfaction. Do take six months leave and come.” It was characteristic of Gordon that he replied as follows:—“Inform Hart, Gordon will leave for Shanghai first opportunity; as for the conditions, Gordon is indifferent.”

He applied to our Government for leave of absence on the grounds that he was invited to go to China. They asked him to state more particularly what for, and what position he was intending to fill. “I am ignorant” was his reply. This was not considered satisfactory and leave was refused. He,however, sent his resignation to the War Office, and proceeded to China. Reaching the flowery land, once more he proceeded from Shanghai to Tientsin and there he had an interview with his old friend and companion in arms, Li Hung Chang. From him he learned the condition in which national and political matters stood. His stay in China was not very prolonged, but his influence was felt in the Councils of the Empire; and when he left he knew that peace prevailed, and that the war between Russia and China had been averted. In the meantime things in the Soudan began to give trouble, the cloud on the horizon gathered in blackness. Almost immediately Gordon left the Soudan the Turkish Pashas began their plundering, robbing and ill-treating the poor Soudanese so much that we cannot wonder at the rising of the natives in favour of the Madhi, for the latter was promising them deliverance from this cruel oppression. The rule of the Pashas and Bashi-Ba-Zoucks, the Duke of Argyle declared to be “cruel, intolerant, and unbearable.”

Colonel Stewart, in his report, stated that “he believed not one half of the taxes wrung fromthese poor people ever found their money go into the treasury of the Khedive.” They were taxed and levied so unjustly and unmercifully that whole districts were reduced to absolute destitution. The general rising of the natives against this dire oppression, threw them into the arms of the Madhi. He very soon had a most powerful following, and he quickly mobilized an army that in 1882 was believed to number not less than 200,000 fighting men. In July of that year this boastful usurper pushed his forces into conflict with the Egyptians, when the latter were worsted with terrible loss. About 6,000 of their bravest men were either killed in battle or left wounded on the field and the remainder were routed. Shortly after another great battle followed. This also went in favour of the usurper, and a loss of 10,000 men inflicted. One engagement followed another and all went to show that the Madhi had won the sympathy and support of the masses of the people, and it appeared likely he would soon have undisputed sway over the entire Soudan. Still another effort was to be made to hurl back this powerful and persistent foe. Hicks Pasha,“a brave leader,” “a noble general,” with an army of 10,000 men, with 6,000 camels, a large number of pack horses and mules, was sent to arrest the advance of this desperate foe. For some time no news reached us, as he was shut out from all means of communication with the outer world. At length the appalling news came, not only of his defeat, but of his utter destruction. One man only was known to have escaped to tell the tale. He states, “We were led by a treacherous guide into a mountain pass or defile, and there shut in by rocks; we were confronted and surrounded by probably 100,000 of the enemy. For three days and nights the battle raged; the few British officers fought like lions against these overwhelming odds, until, so completely cut up by sword, bullet and spear, that he feared he was the only man who managed to escape.” This large army was literally annihilated—1,200 officers perished in this one battle. The Madhi took 17,000 Remington rifles, 7 Krupp guns, 6 Nordenfelts, 29 brass mounted cannon, and a very large amount of ammunition. So that he appeared to be master of the situation. “What next for the Soudan?” was beingeverywhere asked in Egypt and in the Soudan. “Oh that Gordon was here,” was the cry of many of the poor down-trodden Soudanese. They believed him to be the only man who could bring peace to their desolate and unhappy country.

Gordon was at that time taking a quiet rest near Jaffa, in the Holy Land, and making investigations into places specially spoken of in the Scriptures. He thought he could locate the place where Samuel took Agag and hewed him to pieces. Also the well, called “Jacob’s Well,” and other places of interest. It is said at this juncture, things in the Soudan had become hopeless. A gentleman sent to one of the papers at Cairo the following message: “Would to God that an angel would stand at the elbow of Lord Granville in London, and say, And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Gordon, and he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.” Strange to say, about this time, Gordon was sent for to London, where he had interviews with Lord Hartington, Secretary of State for War, Lord Granville, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lord Northbrook, First Lord ofthe Admiralty, and Sir Charles Dilke, President of the Local Government Board, at the War Office, and in a very short space of time, the question, which was destined to have far reaching results, was settled, and Gordon declared his willingness to go to Khartoum at the earliest possible date. Indeed he said, “At once,” and to go alone.

Something like the following conversation is said to have taken place between Gordon and one of his very intimate friends: “Well, General, have you got your kit ready?” His reply was, “I have got what I always have: this hat is good enough, so are these clothes, my boots I think are strong enough.” “And how are you off for cash?” “Ah! I was nearly forgetting that. I had to borrow £25 from the King of the Belgians to bring me home from Palestine; this I must repay, and I shall of course need a little more for common daily use.” “How much do you think, two or three thousand pounds?” “Oh dear no! One hundred pounds apiece for myself and Stewart, will be enough; what on earth should we want so much money for.” And so the gallant general, with his faithfulcompanion—the late lamented Colonel Stewart, started.

We are told they were accompanied to Charing Cross railway station by H. R. H. the Duke of Cambridge, who took their tickets for them; also by Lord Wolseley (who would insist on carrying Gordon’s portmanteau), Colonel Brackenbury, and Lord Hartington’s private secretary, who bade them good-bye, and God speed on their mission, from which they were never to return. We think history will never record a more heroic example of patriotism, than that of this God-fearing officer, riding forth upon his swift footed camel, with only one English friend and companion, the Colonel Stewart, and a few Arab attendants, to confront and settle the wild and barbarous hordes of the Madhi.

One of our papers published the following appropriate lines:—

“Not with an army at command,Not fenced about with guns and swords,But trusting to their single hands,Amid a host of savage hordes,The hero Gordon wends in haste,Across the desert’s arid waste,Beset with perils lies his way,Yet fear he knows not: Nelson like,His life would be an easy prey,If but the Arab dare to strike.But over him there hangs a spell,The Soudan people know full well:Oft he had taught the Eastern mindThe grace of noble-hearted deeds;Oft cast abuses to the wind,And succoured men in direst needs;Nor shall the charm that all allowIs grandly his, forsake him now:Oh! should the power of his nameBend the false prophet to its thrallAnd make him deem the hero came,To pay him just a friendly call,The ruthless carnage soon might cease,And Egypt be again at peace.”

The subject of Gordon’s mission came up several times in the British House of Commons as might be expected. Sir Stafford Northcote on one occasion said—“There is one point upon which all our minds are fixed—I mean the mission of General Gordon. On that point I was anxious to say little or nothing. General Gordon is now engaged in an attempt of the most gallant and dangerous kind. No one can speak with too much admiration of his courage and self-devotion: no one can fail, inthis country to sympathise with him, and earnestly desire his safety and success.”

Reaching Cairo, Gordon received his plans and instructions from the Khedive, and here we think arose some of the complications and misunderstandings as to his actual position. Was he in the employ of the Khedive, or was he still responsible to the Home Government? The Khedive expressed himself to Gordon in a letter dated Jan. 26, 1884.

“Excellency,—You are aware that the object of your arrival here, and of your mission to the Soudan is to carry into execution the evacuation of those territories, and to withdraw our troops, civil officials, and such of the inhabitants, together with their belongings, as may wish to leave for Egypt. We trust that your Excellency will adopt the most effective measures for the accomplishment of your mission in this respect, and that, after completing the evacuation, you will take the necessary steps for establishing an organized Government in the different provinces of the Soudan, for the maintenance of order, and the cessation of disasters, and incitement to revolt. We have full confidencein your tried abilities and tact, and are convinced that you will accomplish your mission according to your desire.”

This was hardly in harmony with a telegram from Lord Granville who said that “undertaking military expeditions was beyond the scope of the Commission he held,and at variance with the pacific policy which was the purpose of his mission to the Soudan.” Between the Khedive’s instructions and commission to Gordon, and his holding commission as an officer of the Crown, Gordon was in a very difficult position, and those who have blamed Mr. Gladstone, for what they may have been pleased to call “desertion of Gordon,” should acquaint themselves with all the circumstances of the case before doing so, and when all is known, such blame will be withheld.

Gordon, without lingering in Cairo, hastened to cross the desert and get to Khartoum as quickly as possible. Thus our hero went forth with a gallantry never surpassed, if ever equalled. He rode his camel across that land of storm and drought, trusting only in Him, who had so often “covered his defenceless head, beneath the shadow of His wing.”

“Not all who seem to fail have failed indeed,Not all who fail have therefore worked in vain;There is no failure for the good and wise;What though the seed should fall by the way-side,And the birds snatch it; yet the birds are fed,Or they may bear it far across the tideTo give rich harvests after thou art dead.”Kingsley.

Kingsley.

Sir E. Baring wired to Lord Granville, “The interview between Gordon and the Khedive was very satisfactory.” Again—“Gordon leaves Cairo in good spirits.”

His arrival at Khartoum, it is stated, was marked by wonderful demonstrations of welcome by the people; thousands of them pressing towards him to kiss his feet: calling him the “Sultan of the Soudan.” His first speech was received with the wildest enthusiasm. He said, “I come not with soldiers but with God on myside, to redress the wrongs of the Soudan.” The day after he held a levee at the palace, when vast multitudes thronged around him, kissing the ground on which he walked, calling him “Father,” “Sultan,” “Saviour.” He appreciated highly their apparent loyalty and devotion, and he had offices opened at once where everyone who had a grievance might bring it, have it heard and judged.

The Government books recording the outstanding debts of the over-taxed people,were publicly burned in the presence of thousands of onlookers; the kourbasher,whips,and implements of torture were thrown down upon the blazing pile: thus the evidence of debts, and the emblems of oppression perished together in the presence of an almost frenzied people! Next Gordon visited the prisons; there he found dreadful dens of misery; over two hundred poor starving emaciated beings were confined therein; some bound with chains: some mere boys, some old men and women. Many of them were there simply on suspicion, and had never had a hearing. The cases were quickly and carefully enquired into, and before sunset that day, mostof the unhappy wretches had their chains struck off and their freedom given them.

For many days, the markets and shops, and bazaars were finely illuminated; and the rejoicing for Gordon’s presence and deeds was general and universal. Alas, however, the cloud which had so long hung over the Soudan began to thicken. The Madhi was not to be cheated of what he thought his rightful authority and dominion. The following letter recorded in Gordon’s journal was received by him from the Madhi:—

“In the name of God the merciful and compassionate;Praise be to God, the bountiful ruler, and blessingon our Lord Mahomet and peace. From the servant whotrusts in God—Mahomet, the son of Abdallah.To Gordon Pasha of Khartoum,—May God guide him into the path of virtue, Amen! Know that your small steamer, named ‘Abbas’ which you sent with the intention of forwarding your news to Cairo, by the way of Dongola, the persons sent being your representative, Stewart Pasha, and the two Consuls, French and English, with other persons, has been captured bythe will of God. Those who believed in us as the Madhi and surrendered, have been delivered; and those who did not have been destroyed. As your representative afore-named, with the Consuls and the rest—whose souls God has condemned to the fire and to eternal misery: That steamer and all that was in it have fallen a prey to the Moslems, and we have taken knowledge of all the letters and telegrams which were in it, in Arabic and in Frankish (languages) and of the maps, which were opened to us (translated) by those on whom God has bestowed his gifts, and has enlightened their hearts with faith, and the benefits of willing submission. Also we have found therein the letters sent from you to the Mudir of Dongola, with the letters, &c., accompanying to be forwarded to Egypt and to European countries. All have been seized, and the contents are known. It should all have been returned to you, not being wanted here; but as it was originally sent from you, and is known to you, we prefer to send you part of the contents, and mention the property therein, so that you may be certified: and in order that the truth may make a lasting impression onmy mind—in the hope that God may guide thee to the faith of Islam, and to surrender to him and to us, that so you and they may obtain everlasting good and happiness. Now, first among the documents seized is the cipher dated September 22, 1884, ‘to the Mudir of Dongola.’ . . . On the back of which is your telegram to the Khedive of Egypt . . . We have also taken knowledge of your journal (daily record) of the provision in the granary . . . Also your letters written in European all about the size of Khartoum; and all about the arranging of the steamers, with the number of troops in them and their arms, and the cannon, and about the movements of the troops, and the defeat of your people, and your request for reinforcements, even if only a single regiment, and all about how your agent Cuzzi turned Moslem. Also many letters which had come to you from your lieutenants and what they contained of advice, also stating the number of Europeans at Khartoum . . . . Also the diary (registry) of the arms, ammunition, guns and soldiers . . . . We have also noted the telegrams of the officials and of thepresidents of Courts, and of the Kadi and the Muftis, and Ulema, numbering 34, sent to the Mohurdâr of the Khedive in Egypt, dated Aug. 28th, 1884, in which they ask for succour from the Egyptian Government . . . Also your cipher telegrams to the Mohurdâr of the Khedive in which you explain that on your arrival at Khartoum the impossibility had become clear to you of withdrawing the troops and the employés, and sending them to Egypt, on account of the rebellions in the country, and on the closing of the roads; for which reason you ask for reinforcements which did not come . . . Also about your coming to Khartoum with seven men after the annihilation of Hicks’ army; and your requesting a telegram to be sent to you in Arabic, in plain language, about the Soudan to show to the people of Khartoum—as the telegrams in European cipher do not explain enough . . . Also your letter to the Khedive of Egypt, without date, in which you ask to have English soldiers sent . . . And your letter to the President of the Council and the English Minister at Cairo, in which you speak of your appointing three steamers to go andinquire as to the state of Sennaar, and that you will send soldiers to Berber by the steamers to recapture it, sending with them Stewart and the Consuls, whom the Most High God has destroyed. Also we have seen the two seals engraved with our name to imitate our seals . . . . Tricks in making ciphers, and using so many languages, are of no avail. From the Most High God, to whom be praise, no secrets can be hidden. As to your expecting reinforcements, reliance for succour on others than God, that will bring you nothing but destruction, and cause you to fall into utmost danger in this world and the next. For God Most High has dispersed sedition through our manifestation, and has vanquished the wicked and obstinate people, and has guided those who have understanding in the way of righteousness. And there is no refuge but in God, and in obedience to His command, and that of His prophet and of His Madhi. No doubt you have heard what has happened to your brethren from whom you expected help, at Suakin and elsewhere, whom God has destroyed, and dispersed and abandoned. Notwithstanding all this, as we havearrived at a days journey from Omdurman and are coming please God, to your place, if you return to the most High God and become a Moslem and surrender to His Order and that of His prophet, and believe in us as the Madhi, send us a message from thee, and from those with thee, after laying down your arms and giving up the thought of fighting, so that I may send you one with safe conduct, by which you will obtain assurance of benefits of the blessings of this world and the next. Otherwise, and if you do not act thus, you will have to encounter war from God and His prophet. And know that the Most High God is mighty for thy destruction, as He has destroyed others before thee, who were much stronger than thee, and more numerous. And you, and your children and your property, will be for a prey to the monsters, and you will repent when repentance will not avail . . . And there is no succourer or strength but in God, and peace be upon those who have followed the Madhi. (Guidance.)Postscript.—“In one of your cipher-telegrams sent to Bahkri and seized, you mention that the troops present in Bahr Gazelle and the Equator and elsewherenumber 30,000 soldiers whom you cannot leave behind, even though you should die. And know that Bahr Gazelle and the Equator are both of them under our power and both have followed us as Madhi, and that they and their chiefs and all their officers are now among the auxiliaries of the Madhi. And they have joined our lieutenants in that part, and letters from them are constantly coming and going without hinderence or diminution of numbers. . . . By this thou wilt see and understand that it is not under thy command as thou thinkest. And for thy better information and our compassion for thee we have added this postscript.(Seal.)There is no God but Allah.Mahomet is the prophet Allah.Mahomet the Madhi, son of Abd Allah.”Year 1292.

To Gordon Pasha of Khartoum,—May God guide him into the path of virtue, Amen! Know that your small steamer, named ‘Abbas’ which you sent with the intention of forwarding your news to Cairo, by the way of Dongola, the persons sent being your representative, Stewart Pasha, and the two Consuls, French and English, with other persons, has been captured bythe will of God. Those who believed in us as the Madhi and surrendered, have been delivered; and those who did not have been destroyed. As your representative afore-named, with the Consuls and the rest—whose souls God has condemned to the fire and to eternal misery: That steamer and all that was in it have fallen a prey to the Moslems, and we have taken knowledge of all the letters and telegrams which were in it, in Arabic and in Frankish (languages) and of the maps, which were opened to us (translated) by those on whom God has bestowed his gifts, and has enlightened their hearts with faith, and the benefits of willing submission. Also we have found therein the letters sent from you to the Mudir of Dongola, with the letters, &c., accompanying to be forwarded to Egypt and to European countries. All have been seized, and the contents are known. It should all have been returned to you, not being wanted here; but as it was originally sent from you, and is known to you, we prefer to send you part of the contents, and mention the property therein, so that you may be certified: and in order that the truth may make a lasting impression onmy mind—in the hope that God may guide thee to the faith of Islam, and to surrender to him and to us, that so you and they may obtain everlasting good and happiness. Now, first among the documents seized is the cipher dated September 22, 1884, ‘to the Mudir of Dongola.’ . . . On the back of which is your telegram to the Khedive of Egypt . . . We have also taken knowledge of your journal (daily record) of the provision in the granary . . . Also your letters written in European all about the size of Khartoum; and all about the arranging of the steamers, with the number of troops in them and their arms, and the cannon, and about the movements of the troops, and the defeat of your people, and your request for reinforcements, even if only a single regiment, and all about how your agent Cuzzi turned Moslem. Also many letters which had come to you from your lieutenants and what they contained of advice, also stating the number of Europeans at Khartoum . . . . Also the diary (registry) of the arms, ammunition, guns and soldiers . . . . We have also noted the telegrams of the officials and of thepresidents of Courts, and of the Kadi and the Muftis, and Ulema, numbering 34, sent to the Mohurdâr of the Khedive in Egypt, dated Aug. 28th, 1884, in which they ask for succour from the Egyptian Government . . . Also your cipher telegrams to the Mohurdâr of the Khedive in which you explain that on your arrival at Khartoum the impossibility had become clear to you of withdrawing the troops and the employés, and sending them to Egypt, on account of the rebellions in the country, and on the closing of the roads; for which reason you ask for reinforcements which did not come . . . Also about your coming to Khartoum with seven men after the annihilation of Hicks’ army; and your requesting a telegram to be sent to you in Arabic, in plain language, about the Soudan to show to the people of Khartoum—as the telegrams in European cipher do not explain enough . . . Also your letter to the Khedive of Egypt, without date, in which you ask to have English soldiers sent . . . And your letter to the President of the Council and the English Minister at Cairo, in which you speak of your appointing three steamers to go andinquire as to the state of Sennaar, and that you will send soldiers to Berber by the steamers to recapture it, sending with them Stewart and the Consuls, whom the Most High God has destroyed. Also we have seen the two seals engraved with our name to imitate our seals . . . . Tricks in making ciphers, and using so many languages, are of no avail. From the Most High God, to whom be praise, no secrets can be hidden. As to your expecting reinforcements, reliance for succour on others than God, that will bring you nothing but destruction, and cause you to fall into utmost danger in this world and the next. For God Most High has dispersed sedition through our manifestation, and has vanquished the wicked and obstinate people, and has guided those who have understanding in the way of righteousness. And there is no refuge but in God, and in obedience to His command, and that of His prophet and of His Madhi. No doubt you have heard what has happened to your brethren from whom you expected help, at Suakin and elsewhere, whom God has destroyed, and dispersed and abandoned. Notwithstanding all this, as we havearrived at a days journey from Omdurman and are coming please God, to your place, if you return to the most High God and become a Moslem and surrender to His Order and that of His prophet, and believe in us as the Madhi, send us a message from thee, and from those with thee, after laying down your arms and giving up the thought of fighting, so that I may send you one with safe conduct, by which you will obtain assurance of benefits of the blessings of this world and the next. Otherwise, and if you do not act thus, you will have to encounter war from God and His prophet. And know that the Most High God is mighty for thy destruction, as He has destroyed others before thee, who were much stronger than thee, and more numerous. And you, and your children and your property, will be for a prey to the monsters, and you will repent when repentance will not avail . . . And there is no succourer or strength but in God, and peace be upon those who have followed the Madhi. (Guidance.)

Postscript.—“In one of your cipher-telegrams sent to Bahkri and seized, you mention that the troops present in Bahr Gazelle and the Equator and elsewherenumber 30,000 soldiers whom you cannot leave behind, even though you should die. And know that Bahr Gazelle and the Equator are both of them under our power and both have followed us as Madhi, and that they and their chiefs and all their officers are now among the auxiliaries of the Madhi. And they have joined our lieutenants in that part, and letters from them are constantly coming and going without hinderence or diminution of numbers. . . . By this thou wilt see and understand that it is not under thy command as thou thinkest. And for thy better information and our compassion for thee we have added this postscript.

(Seal.)

There is no God but Allah.Mahomet is the prophet Allah.Mahomet the Madhi, son of Abd Allah.”

Year 1292.

Gordon’s reply was just what we should expect from an officer of his temperament and experience. It is true things looked anything but cheering and our hero needed all his force of character and confidence in the God of Israel. This he had and kept brightly burning. To the Madhi he replied—

“Sheikh Mahomed Achmed has sent us a letter to inform us that Lupton Bey, Mudir of ‘Bahr Gazelle’ hassurrendered to him, and that the small steamer in which was Stewart Pasha, has been captured by him, together with what was therein. But to me it is all one whether Lupton Bey has surrendered or has not surrendered. And whether he has captured twenty thousand steamers like the ‘Abbas’ or twenty thousand officers like Stuart Pasha or not; it is all one to me. I am here like iron, and hope to see the newly arrived English; and if Mahomed Achmed says that the English die, it is all the same to me. And you must take a copy of this and give it to the messenger from Slatin, and send him out early in the morning, that he may go to him. It is impossible for me to have any more words with Mahomed Achmed, only lead; and if Mahomed Achmed is willing to fight he had better, instead of going to Omdurman, go to the white hill by the moat.”(Signed)C. G. Gordon.

(Signed)C. G. Gordon.

Gordon, though borne up by a sense of the Divine presence, yet he occasionally at least, felt as if he was leading a forlorn hope. We know not, nor can we ever know all the deeds of heroism he did for that down trodden people.

“A life long year unsuccoured and aloneHe stemmed the fury of fanatic strife,Till all lands claimed the hero as their own,And wondering would he there lay down his life.”

It is a mystery, and one that will never be solved, how he supported his vast family in Khartoum; for food had to be distributed to each individual member for months. It is also a sad but remarkable fact, that through the last ten months he had to depend upon the most unreliable and worthless of troops. And for four of those weary months, he had been without the cheering presence of his companion in arms, Colonel Stewart. Yet he held out bravely, courageously, and in hope of English help. At this juncture a poetess wrote—

“A message from one who went in hasteCame flashing across the sea,It told not of weakness, but trust in God,When it asked us—pray for me.And since from Churches, and English homes,In the day or the twilight dim,A chorus of prayers went up to God—Bless and take care of him:A lonely man to those strange far lands,He has gone with a word of peace;And a million hearts are questioningWith a pain that cannot cease:Is Gordon safe? Is there news of him?What will the tidings be?There is little to do but trust and wait;Yet utterly safe is he.Was he not safe when the Chinese shots,Were flying about his head,When trouble thickened with every day,And he was sore bestead;Was he not safe in his dreary rides,Over the desert sands;Safe with the Abyssinian King;Safe with the robber bands;We know not the dangers around him now,But this we surely know—He has with him in his hour of need,His Protector of long ago;He is not alone, but a Friend is byWho answers to every need;God is his refuge and strength at hand,Gordon is safe indeed:Safe in living, in dying safe, where is the need of pain;We may pray—God give the hero long life,But death would be infinite gain.

“There is a better thing on earth than wealth, a better thing than life itself, and that is to have done something before you die, for which good men may honour you, and God your Father smile upon your work.”—Geo. Macdonald.

—Geo. Macdonald.

The last Arab messenger that came from Khartoum before it fell, said, “Gordon goes every morning at sunrise to the top of his Palace wall, and with his large field glass, sweeps the horizon as far as possible, and notes as clearly as may be the position of the Madhi’s forces, which now surrounded the City. As night falls, he visits the men at their various stations, to give them advice, or encouragement, as the case might be deemed necessary. In the daytime he studies his maps and reads his Bible, and a work on “Holy living,” by Thomas à Kempis, and preserves such a faith in God as inspired all around him with a courage akin to his own.

“He held the city, he so longFaithful mid falterers, mid much weakness strong,Upon those ramparts now he fought, he planned,That Citadel was by one true man well manned.”

A letter from Kitchener reached Gordon, which raised his hopes and considerably brightened his prospects for the time being. It ran thus:—

“Dear General Gordon.—Mr. Edgerton has asked me to send you the following:—‘August 30th. Tell Gordon steamers are being passed over the Second Cataracts, and that we wish to be informed through Dongola exactly when he expects to be in difficulties as to provision and ammunition.’ Message ends—“Lord Wolseley is coming out to command; the 35th regiment is now being sent from Halfa to Dongola. Sir E. Wood is at Halfa, General Earle, Dormer, Buller, and Freemantle are coming up the Nile with troops. I think an expedition will be sent across from here to Khartoum, while another goes with steamers to Berber. A few words about what you wish to be done would be acceptable.”

Gordon’s last slumber

In Gordon’s journal he says:—“My view is this as to the operations of British forces. I will put three steamers each with two guns on them, and an armed force of infantry atthe disposal of any British authority; will send these steamers to either Methemma opposite Shendy, or to the cataract below Berber to meet there any British force which may come across country to the Nile. . . . I cannot too much impress upon you that this expedition will not encounter any enemy worth the name in a European sense of the word; the struggle is with the climate and destitution of the country. It is one of time and patience, and of small parties of determined men backed by native allies, which are to be got by policy and money. . . . It is the country of the irregular, not of the regular. If you move in mass you will find no end of difficulties; whereas if you let detached parties dash out here and there, you will spread dismay in the Arab camps. The time to attack is the dawn, or rather before it, but sixty men would put the Arabs to flight just before dawn, while one thousand would not accomplish in daylight. The reason is that the strength of the Arabs is in their horsemen, who do not dare to act in the dark. I do hope that you will not drag on the artillery, it will only cause delay and do no good.”

To his sister he writes:—

November 5th,1884.“Your kind letter, August 7th, came yesterday. We have the Madhi close to us, but the Arabs are very quiet. . . . . Terrible news—I hear the steamer I sent down with Stewart, Power, and Herbin (French Consul) has been captured and all are killed. I cannot understand it—whether an act of treachery by someone, or struck on a rock, it is to me unaccountable, for she was well armed and had a gun with her; if she is lost, so is the journal of events from Jan. 3rd, 1884, to Sept. 10th, 1884. A huge volume illustrated and full of interest. I have put my steamers at Metemma to wait for the troops. I am very well but very gray, with the continual strain upon my nerves. I have been putting the Sheikh-el-Islam and Cadi in prison; they were suspected of writing to the Madhi. I let them out yesterday. I am very grieved for the relatives of Stewart, Power, and Herbin.”

November 5th,1884.

“Your kind letter, August 7th, came yesterday. We have the Madhi close to us, but the Arabs are very quiet. . . . . Terrible news—I hear the steamer I sent down with Stewart, Power, and Herbin (French Consul) has been captured and all are killed. I cannot understand it—whether an act of treachery by someone, or struck on a rock, it is to me unaccountable, for she was well armed and had a gun with her; if she is lost, so is the journal of events from Jan. 3rd, 1884, to Sept. 10th, 1884. A huge volume illustrated and full of interest. I have put my steamers at Metemma to wait for the troops. I am very well but very gray, with the continual strain upon my nerves. I have been putting the Sheikh-el-Islam and Cadi in prison; they were suspected of writing to the Madhi. I let them out yesterday. I am very grieved for the relatives of Stewart, Power, and Herbin.”

Again he writes:—

Dec. 14th,1884.“This may be the last letter you will receive from me, for we are on our last legs, owing to the delay of the expedition. However, God rules all, and I know He will rule to His glory and our welfare. I fear that, owing to circumstances, my affairs pecuniarily are not over bright.Your affectionate brother,C. G. Gordon.”P.S.—“I am very happy, thank God, and, like Lawrence, ‘I have tried to do my duty.’”

Dec. 14th,1884.

“This may be the last letter you will receive from me, for we are on our last legs, owing to the delay of the expedition. However, God rules all, and I know He will rule to His glory and our welfare. I fear that, owing to circumstances, my affairs pecuniarily are not over bright.

Your affectionate brother,C. G. Gordon.”

P.S.—“I am very happy, thank God, and, like Lawrence, ‘I have tried to do my duty.’”

Meanwhile, Gordon is thus hemmed in. General Wolseley and his noble band are on their way to his relief. Many and peculiar are the difficulties of both climate, country, and foes; yet they face them like brave, true Englishmen. The journey from Cairo to Ambukol, a distance of more than one thousand miles, had been traversed without serious opposition. From here, however, as they near Khartoum, now about two hundred and fifty miles, taking the nearest desert route. Lord Wolseley seems here to halt and hesitate, whether it is best to go by the Nile, which, as shown on a map, takes a bend, forming the shape of a letter ‘S’ nearly; or whether to take the shortest cut and risk the opposition that may be expected. He eventually decides that the Camel Corps and a portion of the Infantry shall take the short cut; the desert route to Metemmeh: the rest to go by the Nile. It is evidently Wolseley’s wish to punish the tribes who murdered Stewart, and his companions; so he orders the South Staffordshire, 38th, and the Royal Sussex, 35th, and the Black Watch, 42nd, to advance to Abu Hamed, which lies at the northern bend of the ‘S,’which the Nile makes between Dongola and Metemmeh.

The Camel Corps are ordered to make a dash across the desert to the same place. Little did our force dream of the difficulties, dangers and deaths that lay before them as they entered upon that desert march. We only indicate some of them. On their march we are told that having nearly reached Abu Klea “we were turning into our zareba, when it was noticed that a group of some two hundred Arabs were on the hills, not far from us. Two shells were sent amongst them, which caused them to retire, but we soon found their sharpshooters had crept to within 1,200 yards of our right flank. Also they began to drop bullets into our midst, which were annoying and destructive. Half a company of Mounted Infantry were told off to drive them away. All officers were to see that the men were at their posts, with bayonets fixed, ready to jump to their feet at the very first alarm. With their overcoats on and their blankets wrapped around them, men lay down on that memorable night. All lights put out, all talking and smoking strictly prohibited. A deadly stillness,disturbed only by the whizzing or thud of the shot from the enemy’s guns. Colonel Burnaby, who had managed somehow to find a place in the Expedition, expressed his great delight in having arrived in time to engage in what he now saw to be the prospect of a terrible struggle.

He stated, “that he had arrived at that time of life when the two things that interested him most were war and politics; and was just as happy in the desert fighting the Arabs, as he was at home slating an unworthy politician. Here, however, he was, and must face the conflict.” January, 16th, 1885. About 10 p.m. The sentries came rushing into the lines. The officers called out, “stand to your arms men.” The alarm, however, was false—only a feint on the part of the enemy. Still (says the writer), they kept harassing us by a continual dropping of shot from their long rangers. About 7.30 a.m., General Stewart prepared to send out an attacking column, with the object of driving them from the wells, which were now only four or five miles distant. The troops marched out—Mounted Infantry, Royal Artillery with three guns, Guards (this was the Front Face); Right Face—Guards, RoyalSussex; Left Face—Mounted Infantry, Heavy Cavalry Regiment. The 19th Hussars, under Colonel Barrow, numbering 90 sabres, were sent to left flank to advance along the spur of land on the north of the wady. Their duty was to move forward on a line paralleled with the Square, and prevent the enemy on our left from gaining the high ground across the little wady. A squadron of the 19th, thirty sabres strong, followed the Square, marching by the front right to assist the skirmishers. The Heavies were in charge of Colonel Talbot; the Guards by Colonel Boscowen; the Mounted Infantry by Major Barrow; the Naval Brigade by Lord Charles Beresford; the Royal Sussex by Major Sunderland; the Royal Artillery by Captain Norton; and the Royal Engineers by Major Dorwood. So they marched slowly forward. The progress was like that of some ponderous machine, slow, regular, compact, despite the hail of bullets that came from front, left and right, and ultimately from the rear. Some ten or twelve thousand Arabs it was seen had surrounded the Zareba. There was no retreat; it was “do or die!” About 9.50 a.m., about 5000 of the enemy were seen on theopposite side of the square, 400 or 500 yards distant, and seemed as if they would make a dash for our square. Dervishes on horseback, and some on foot, marshalled them, standing a few paces in front of the frantic host. With banners fluttering, tom-toms clamouring, and shouts of Allah, they began to move towards our square. The skirmisher’s fire seemed to have no effect; though a few of them fell, they ultimately made a run towards us like the roll of a black surf. Lord Charles Beresford’s superintendence was moved to the left face, rear corner, to be brought into action; for here they seemed to press the attack. Unhappily, before many rounds had been fired, the cartridges stuck and the weapon was useless. Still down came the Arab wave. One terrible rush of swordsmen and spearmen—scarcely any carrying guns—their rifle fire had practically ceased. In wild excitement, their white teeth glistening and the sheen of their brandished weapons flashing like thousands of mirrors; onward they came against us.”

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