file which includes the original illustration4 ,see #bhggc-;h4htm or #bhggc-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#bhggc_/pg#bhggc-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#bh ggc_/bhggc-;h4zip7 ,,general ,,gordon ,illustration3 ,c4 ,g4 ,gordon ,p4,s4 ,i am quite happy1 thank ,god1 like ,lawrence1 ,i have tried to do my duty4 ,copied from the ,original ,engraving by permission of ,f4 ,c4 ,,mcqueen ,,sons1 sole ,proprietors of the ,copyright4 ,,general ,,gordon ,a ,christian ,hero by ,,lieut4-,,colonel ,,seton ,,churchill ,author of ,stepping-,stones to ,higher ,things1 ,etc4 #acth ,edition 7,completing #da1jjj ,copies7 ,london ,james ,nisbet ,co41 ,limited #ba ,berners ,street #aijg ,printed by ,ballantyne1 ,hanson ,co4 ,at the ,ballantyne ,press1 ,edinburgh ,,dedicated ,,to ,,the ,,young ,,men ,,of ,,england ,,with ,,the ,,earnest ,,desire ,,that ,,some ,,of ,,the ,,noble ,,godlike ,,characteristics ,,of ,,this ,,christian ,,soldier ,,and ,,hero ,,may ,,be ,,reproduced ,,in ,,future ,,generations ,,contents ,,chap4 ,,page ,i4 ,,introduction #a ,,ii4 ,,early ,,life ,,and ,,crimean ,,war #ab ,,iii4 ,,chinese ,,war ,,and ,,taiping ,,rebellion #be ,,iv4 ,,gordon',s ,,first ,,command #cf ,v4 ,,progress ,,of ,,the ,,rebellion #ej ,,vi4 ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,rebellion #fe ,,vii4 ,,at ,,gravesend #hj ,,viii4 ,,gordon',s ,,simple ,,faith #ib ,,ix4 ,,his ,,catholicity #aad ,x4 ,,governor ,,of ,,the ,,equatorial ,,province #ace ,,xi4 ,,governor-,,general ,,of ,,the ,,soudan #aeg ,,xii4 ,,abyssinia1 ,,india1 ,,and ,,china #agh ,,xiii4 ,,mauritius1 ,,cape1 ,,and ,,palestine #aij ,,xiv4 ,,khartoum #bji ,,xv4 ,,the ,,siege #bcj ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,fall ,,of ,,khartoum #bdf ,,xvii4 ,,conclusion #bfc ,,life ,,of ,,gordon ,,chapter ,i ,,introduction ,lord ,wolseley1 on hearing an officer say that ,general ,gordon was mad1 remarked1 in language similar to that used by ,george ,,ii4 to the ,duke of ,newcastle about ,general ,wolfe1 that it was a great pity ,gordon had not bitten more ,generals1 so that they might have been infected with some of his madness4 ,nor is there any reason why the motive power which could make a man do such noble deeds and lead such a splendid life should be confined to ,generals4 ,there are thousands of young men in this country who may be helped to live better lives by the study of such a ,christian hero as ,charles ,george ,gordon undoubtedly was1 and it is with that end in view that ,i have endeavoured to write a popular sketch of his life and character4 ,my object in adding to the number of biographies#a already written of ,general ,gordon is to meet the demand for a popular book for young men and others1 which will focus the events of his life into one handy volume1 and which shall at the same time give a clear insight into the religious life of this ,christian hero4 ,this ,i have attempted to combine with a sketch of his military1 political1 and social life1 setting forth not only the deeds of the man1 but the motive which prompted them4 ,the best writers on ,gordon have taken up parts of his life only1 so that no one can get a view of it as a whole without wading through a large number of volumes1 some of them very ponderous4 ,the best record of his career in ,china is a work by ,mr4 ,andrew ,wilson called ,the ,ever-,victorious ,army4 ,a smaller book by ,mr4 ,w4 ,e4 ,lilley gives an interesting account of ,gordon's life at ,gravesend4 ,the first part of his life in ,africa is given in a larger volume by ,dr4 ,g4 ,birkbeck ,hill1 called ,colonel ,gordon in ,central ,africa4 ,the late ,prebendary ,barnes edited a small book1 ,reflections in ,palestine1 and ,mr4 ,a4 ,egmont ,hake has published a complete account of the hero's career at ,khartoum in ,the ,journals of ,general ,gordon1 which were given to him in manuscript to be edited4 ,in addition to this valuable work1 the same writer1 who is a distant cousin of ,gordon's1 has written two large volumes1 embracing the whole of his life1 under the title ,the ,story of ,chinese ,gordon4 #a ,in certain points where ,i have differed from other writers1 ,i have relied on the opinion of a near relative of the late ,general ,gordon1 as to the accuracy of the statements put forward4 ,the late ,sir ,henry ,gordon has also written a biography2 but though an able man and very fond of his brother1 it is not generally considered that he did full justice to his memory4 ,the brothers were widely separated in age1 there being fourteen years between them2 and owing to the younger one having spent so much of his life abroad1 they had not seen much of each other4 ,colonel ,sir ,william ,f4 ,butler has written the ablest and most interesting of all the biographies which embrace the whole of ,gordon's life1 but as he is a ,roman ,catholic1 it could not be expected that he would enter largely into the religious views of his hero4 ,the remarks he does make on the subject are1 however1 excellent and in good taste4 ,another capital sketch of ,gordon has been produced by the celebrated war correspondent ,archibald ,forbes1 who not unnaturally devotes most of his space to the military aspect of ,gordon's career1 and says but little about his religious life4 ,from the religious standpoint the best information can be got from the ,letters of ,general ,gordon to his ,sister1 edited by ,miss ,gordon4 ,there seems to have been a special bond of sympathy between the brother and sister1 and she seems to have been made the recipient of all his confidences1 religious and otherwise4 ,in order to get a clear and accurate conception of ,gordon's many-sided character1 ,i have made myself acquainted with all these authorities on the subject4 ,there is another little book to which ,i am indebted--,letters from ,khartoum1 written by the late ,frank ,power1 correspondent of the ,times at ,khartoum during the siege4 ,it gives a good insight into ,gordon's life in the beleaguered city4 ,i have further had the advantage of hearing many anecdotes and incidents that throw a light upon the personality of one who undeniably ranks amongst the great men of the century4 ,nevertheless ,i feel that to represent the religious and professional life of a man like ,gordon1 who was so essentially original and unlike other people1 is a very difficult task1 so ,i have1 as far as possible1 quoted his own words in giving expression to his views4 ,the play of ,hamlet without its leading character could not be more deficient than a sketch of the life of ,general ,gordon without a careful setting-forth of his religious views4 ,it would be impossible to point to one in this nineteenth century who was a more complete living embodiment of the truth contained in the text1 ,this is the victory that overcometh the world1 even our faith4 ,he was a man of faith1 a man of prayer1 a devout student of the ,word of ,god2 and though he was in the world1 and took far more than his share of the ordinary duties of life1 he was not of the world4 ,mr4 ,gladstone was right when he said from his seat in the ,house of ,commons1 ,such examples are fruitful in the future1 and ,i trust that there will grow from the contemplation of that character and those deeds other men who in future time may emulate his noble and most ,christian example4 ,gordon must ever remain a mystery to those who have not got the key to his character1 and my desire is simply to place that key in the hands of young men1 so that they may study him for themselves1 and may learn to turn to the same source whence he derived his wisdom and his force of character4 ,such noble examples are not often seen1 for ,christian heroes in this world are all too few4 ,it is1 then1 our bounden duty to take pains that the example set by one who has been termed the youngest of the saints shall not be lost on the young men who come after him1 and who have not had the privilege of seeing him and knowing him while alive4 ,lives of great men all remind us ,we can make our lives sublime1 ,and1 departing1 leave behind us ,footprints in the sands of time4 ,goodness in the abstract we are all prepared to admire2 but while we do this1 how often we are tempted to declare it an impossible thing to live up to a high standard4 ,god1 recognising the weakness of human nature1 sent ,his only-begotten ,son to reveal the ,father1 and show us a life of goodness in human form4 ,he has further descended to our weakness by permitting us from time to time to see in our midst living examples of how ,christians can follow out the principles of ,christ4 ,the ,apostle ,paul in one of his ,epistles urges his readers to follow him even as he followed ,christ4 ,good men have their failings1 and these we are to avoid2 but while doing so1 we should aim at imitating that which is good and noble and ,christlike in their characters4 ,it is a great privilege to be permitted to come in contact with living men of the type of ,gordon1 but that privilege is only for the few4 ,as the great majority of our fellow-creatures are denied it1 the next best thing for them is to be able to read about these heroes1 and thus endeavour to catch their spirit4 ,some are inclined to sneer at biographies1 and to say that1 speaking generally1 they set forward only the good part of the character of their subjects1 omitting all that is faulty4 ,to a certain extent this is undoubtedly true1 owing to the very nature of things2 but1 on the other hand1 it must be remembered that it is only the good that we are to follow1 and therefore it is useless to direct attention to a man's failings4 ,there have been few men who have attained to eminence whose inner life could be closely investigated and betray so few faults as did ,gordon's4 ,the late ,sir ,stafford ,northcote 7afterwards ,lord ,iddesleigh71 leader of the ,conservative ,opposition in the ,house of ,commons at the time of ,gordon's death1 only expressed the literal truth when he said3 ,general ,gordon was a hero1 and permit me to say he was still more--he was a hero among heroes4 ,for there have been men who have obtained and deserved the praise of heroism whose heroism was manifested on the field of battle or in other conflicts1 and who1 when examined in the tenor of their personal lives1 were not altogether blameless2 but if you take the case of this man1 pursue him into privacy1 investigate his heart and his mind1 you will find that he proposed to himself not any ideal of wealth and power1 or even fame1 but to do good was the object he proposed to himself in his whole life1 and on that one object it was his one desire to spend his existence4 ,but though ,gordon's inner life was so thoroughly open to investigation1 there was something about him that made him very human4 ,he had his full share of faults1 and a quickness of temper which manifested itself unmistakably on occasions4 ,he had also that kind of hasty impatience to which men are liable who are themselves quick at taking in ideas1 or seeing how a thing should be done1 when they are brought into contact with others of a slower temperament4 ,he was painfully conscious of his own defects1 and judged them far more severely than other people would do4 ,what made him so really great was the happy combination of so many virtues with a corresponding absence of ordinary defects4 ,there have been ,christians as earnest and devout as he2 there have been soldiers as brave and capable2 there have been men as kind-hearted2 but there have been few who1 while combining all of these good points and many more1 have exhibited so complete an absence of the numerous defects which blemish the characters of most great men4 ,the late ,prebendary ,barnes1 who was very intimate with him1 remarks that there are no popular illusions to be dispelled as one studies his inner life4 ,sir ,john ,lubbock in one of his lectures says of ,napoleon1 that he was a man of genius1 but not a hero4 ,now1 while ,gordon was essentially a genius1 he was even more essentially a hero4 ,true heroism is inseparably associated with self-sacrifice4 ,a man may be as brave as a bulldog1 yet be entirely wanting in all that goes to make him a hero4 ,the dictionary definition by no means embraces all that the word implies4 ,lord ,wolseley in a magazine article remarked that he had met but two heroes in his eventful life2 one of them was that noble ,christian officer ,general ,lee1 who commanded the ,southerners in the ,american ,war1 and the other was ,gordon4 ,it was his complete forgetfulness of self1 his entire willingness to sink his own individuality1 his own comfort1 his own position1 his good name1 that made ,gordon so ,christlike1 and lifted him above the level of his fellows4 ,we are accustomed to read of brave men1 of original thinkers1 of great statesmen1 of men of genius in different departments of life1 but we seldom read of one who was so entirely free from what ,milton calls the last infirmity of great men--the love of fame--that he was willing to be nothing that the cause he had espoused might triumph4 ,when ,columbus first saw the ,river ,orinoco1 some one remarked to him that he must have discovered an island4 ,his reply was1 ,no such river as that flows from an island2 that mighty torrent must drain the waters of a continent2 and his prediction proved to be correct4 ,when we see the deep stream of true heroism flowing from the heart of such a man as ,gordon1 we instinctively feel that no mere human heart could produce such a torrent of good works1 but that behind the human being there must be something more4 ,it has been my object in this memoir to show that the stream that went forth from ,gordon's heart to cheer and bless all with whom he came in contact1 sprang from no isolated fountain1 but had its origin in the great ocean of ,divine love1 which has existed in all ages1 but was revealed more distinctly on ,calvary4 99 99 99 ,this is a material1 sceptical age1 when many pride themselves on their want of faith1 quite forgetting that to believe too little is as clearly an indication of mental weakness as to believe too much4 ,god suddenly raised up a man in our midst who was as strong in faith as he was indifferent to the material things of this world4 ,it was indeed his faith in things eternal and unseen that made him so indifferent to things temporal4 ,gordon might have lived and died amongst us without being known beyond a limited circle1 but that his ,master placed him on high so that men should be compelled to hear about his life4 ,sir ,william ,butler in his interesting book1 ,the ,campaign of the ,cataracts1 does not at all exaggerate when he says3-- ,who is this far-off figure looming so large between the rifts in the dense leaguer which the ,arab has drawn around ,khartoum8 ,we cannot save him with all this host and all this piled-up treasure2 but1 behold6 our failure shall be his triumph2 for ,god has raised a colossal pedestal in the midst of this vast desert1 and placing upon it ,his noblest ,christian knight1 has lighted around the base the torch of ,moslem revolt1 so that all men through coming time may know the greatness of ,his soldier4 ,in spite1 however1 of the fact that many failed to appreciate him while he was alive1 we may be thankful to think that there is much good left in ,old ,england yet2 for when the events of his noble career were made public1 there was a widespread feeling of regret that we had as a nation failed to value adequately a man of so much true nobility4 ,in an interesting article in ,the ,young ,man1 ,mr4 ,william ,t4 ,stead hit off the prominent characteristic of the hero's life when he said3 ,general ,gordon taught the world that it is possible to be good without being goody-goody4 ,that it is possible to live like a ,christ and to die like a ,christ for your fellow-men1 without going out of the world or refusing to do your own fair share of the day's work of the world1 is one of those truths which need to be revealed anew to each successive generation by the practical demonstration of an actual life4 ,gordon was essentially a manly man1 but with all his courage and bravery he combined the tenderness of a woman4 ,he could be truest friend and noblest foe4 ,his courage and deeds of daring would have won him that much-coveted distinction the ,victoria ,cross1 had they been performed in an ,english campaign2 yet the sufferings of a child1 or even of an animal1 caused him the greatest grief4 ,he had a keen sense of humour1 and might have cultivated the mere pleasure-seeking part of his nature1 and become socially very popular4 ,it has been well said that ,humanity wants more than this2 it craves to have its best and noblest powers called into play1 and exercised into action that will tend in some way to promote the general good4 ,it is for this reason that his example is such a noble one to set before young men4 ,most young fellows who are worthy of the name of men have within them a spirit which admires all that is manly1 noble1 and chivalrous2 and for such it is a grand thing to have a high ideal1 even if they do not attain to it4 ,as it is true of men that they cannot habitually think mean thoughts without becoming mean1 or set before themselves a low ideal without lowering themselves1 so is it true that men cannot adopt a high ideal without instinctively cultivating noble and lofty aims4 ,frederick ,robertson of ,brighton once said1 ,hate hypocrisy1 hate cant1 hate intolerance1 hate oppression1 hate injustice1 hate pharisaism1 hate them as ,christ hated them1 with a deep1 living1 ,godlike hatred4 ,it would be difficult to point to one who was more thoroughly influenced by the teaching conveyed in this short sentence than was ,gordon4 ,but negative virtues of this kind were not enough for him4 ,one of his most prominent characteristics was his love for that which is good1 and his incessant efforts to do good4 ,his career was one long effort to relieve the sufferings of his fellow-creatures1 to inculcate ,divine truths1 and in every way to make the world better4 ,few labourers have been called to such a variety of work2 but it was all one to him4 ,he worked for ,god in ,china when fighting to quell a civil war2 he served the same ,master at ,gravesend when he visited the sick and the dying1 and rescued little street arabs from lives of sin2 and the same motives prompted him when1 later on1 he devoted all his energies to mitigating and attempting to abolish the horrors of the slave-trade4 ,he is dead1 but his noble example still lives4 ,press on1 press on6 nor doubt1 nor fear1 ,from age to age1 this voice shall cheer2 ,whate'er may die and be forgot1 ,work done for ,god--it dieth not4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,early ,,life ,,and ,,crimean ,,war ,charles ,george ,gordon was born on ,january #bh1 #ahcc1 at ,woolwich1 so that he began his life among soldiers4 ,he was the fourth son of ,general ,henry ,william ,gordon1 who was in the ,royal ,artillery4 ,his father came from a good family1 which for centuries had been associated with the army4 ,the old ,general appears to have been a good officer and a kind-hearted man1 and doubtless the son inherited not only the instincts of a soldier1 but a certain nobility of character which was conspicuous in the father4 ,when the father held a high command at ,corfu1 he made a point of seeking out and paying attention to the forlorn and uninteresting1 who are usually overlooked by others4 ,those who have been richly endowed by ,nature have little difficulty in gaining the smiles of society2 but in all classes there are a few unfortunate ones1 who are not specially gifted and attractive1 and who consequently often have the cold shoulder turned towards them4 ,it was characteristic of ,charles ,gordon's father1 as it was of himself in later years1 that these were the ones he befriended and looked after4 ,if ,charles ,gordon inherited from his father the instincts of a soldier1 there can be little doubt that on his mother's side he inherited a spirit of enterprise4 ,his mother was ,elizabeth ,enderby1 the daughter of an enterprising merchant1 who had ships on every sea4 ,it is men of this class1 quite as much as our soldiers and sailors1 who have made ,england what she is4 ,samuel ,enderby was one of the best-known among the great merchant-princes of ,england1 and he it was chiefly who opened to commerce the previously unknown waters of the ,south ,pacific1 after the exploring expeditions of ,captain ,cook4 ,it is supposed that the first batch of convicts sent to ,botany ,bay were conveyed in one of his ships1 and1 but for his whaling fleet1 ,australia might never have been peopled by ,english emigrants4 ,his ships carried on a busy trade with ,america1 and it was one of his fleet that carried the historic cargo of tea which was thrown into ,boston harbour when the ,americans severed their connection with the mother country4 ,his daughter had a large family1 numbering five sons and six daughters4 ,three only of the sons survived1 and they all attained the rank of ,general in the army4 ,one of them became ,general ,enderby ,gordon1 ,c4,b41 of the ,royal ,artillery1 who distinguished himself in the ,crimean ,war1 and also in the ,indian ,mutiny4 ,another became ,general ,sir ,henry ,william ,gordon1 already alluded to as the author of ,events in the ,life of ,charles ,george ,gordon4 ,charlie ,gordon1 to use the name by which the subject of this memoir was always known among his friends1 was a delicate lad1 and1 perhaps for this reason1 was the special favourite of his mother1 who appears to have been a fond parent and a sensible woman4 ,she was always proud of her boy1 and once or twice even annoyed him by speaking of him in terms of praise to others4 ,the ,gordon family seems to have been a very happy one1 which to a great extent must have been the result of the mother's influence4 ,one only needs to read the published ,letters of ,general ,gordon to his ,sister to see how passionately fond the two were of each other4 ,it might well have been ,gordon that ,browning had in his mind when he said-- ,i think1 am sure1 a brother's love exceeds ,all the world's love in its unworldliness4 ,a few lines from a letter of one of his brothers1 written from the ,crimea1 show the fond and almost parental care that the elder exhibited on behalf of the younger brother4 ,the extract is as follows3--,only a few lines to say ,charlie is all right1 and has escaped amidst a terrific shower of grape and shells of every description4 ,you may imagine the suspense ,i was kept in until assured of his safety4 ,like all soldiers' sons1 ,gordon when young had plenty of opportunities of moving about and seeing different parts of the world4 ,in many ways this roving life is disadvantageous to a lad1 as in after years he can never look back to one spot as his home1 and consequently he can never localise the charming associations connected with that word4 ,a boy also suffers considerably by being moved from one school to another4 ,on the other hand1 his wits1 as a rule1 get sharpened by contact with new people and new circumstances4 ,before ,gordon was seven years old1 he had accompanied his father on successive moves to ,dublin1 and to ,leith ,fort4 ,in #ahdj he went to ,corfu1 where his father was in command of the ,royal ,artillery4 ,it was here the ,duke of ,cambridge first made his acquaintance1 as they occupied quarters next to each other1 and ,his ,royal ,highness1 just forty-five years afterwards1 after ,gordon's death1 said in a speech at the ,mansion ,house1 that he remembered the little lad then4 ,as ,gordon returned to ,england with his mother at the age of ten1 the fact that the ,commander-in-,chief remembered him at all is another proof of the wonderful faculty of memory which the ,royal ,family are said to possess4 ,how differently the ,duke would have thought of that little fair-haired boy with the blue penetrating eyes could he have looked into the future6 ,it was in #ahdc that ,mrs4 ,gordon brought her son to ,england for the sake of his education4 ,he went to school at ,taunton for a few years1 and then to ,mr4 ,jeffery's1 ,shooters ,hill1 ,woolwich1 preparatory to entering the ,royal ,military ,academy4 ,his father had been given an appointment at the ,arsenal at ,woolwich1 so that his holidays1 as well as much of his school life1 were spent at that great garrison town4 ,there was nothing about the youth at this time that indicated what his future would be4 ,indeed1 the very energies which in after life made him undertake so much1 finding no other vent1 gave him a turn for mischief and fun of all sorts4 ,later in life1 and even amid all his troubles in the ,soudan1 he would in his letters recall with pleasure the boyish days spent at ,woolwich4 99 99 99 ,in #ahdh he entered the ,royal ,military ,academy at ,woolwich1 where he remained till #aheb1 when1 at the age of nineteen1 he received his commission in the ,royal ,engineers4 ,although he was an adept at surveying and at fortification1 two branches of military knowledge which served him well in after years1 he was deficient in mathematics1 and consequently did not make much progress4 ,an event which took place here might have had very serious consequences1 and shows that even then he had the daring nature which afterwards characterised him4 ,for some reason it became necessary to restrain the cadets when leaving the dining-hall1 the approach to which was by a narrow staircase4 ,at the top of this staircase stood the senior corporal1 with outstretched arms1 facing the cadets4 ,this was too much for one so full of fun and energy and so reckless of consequences as ,gordon2 so1 putting down his head1 he charged1 and butting the corporal in the pit of the stomach1 sent him flying down the staircase and through a window beyond4 ,fortunately the corporal was unhurt1 but ,gordon was perilously near dismissal1 and having his military career cut short4 ,the act of insubordination was1 however1 overlooked by the authorities1 but that it did not subdue his spirit is evident from the fact that on another occasion1 when told by ,captain ,eardley ,wilmot that he would never make an officer1 he tore the epaulets from his shoulders and threw them at the feet of his superior4 ,this officer1 afterwards ,general ,eardley ,wilmot1 became one of his greatest friends4 ,later on1 for another offence1 in which many were concerned1 and of which it is doubtful if ,gordon really was guilty1 he was deprived of half a year's seniority in the army4 ,this punishment really did him a good turn1 for it enabled him to secure a commission in the ,royal ,engineers instead of the ,royal ,artillery1 to which he would otherwise have been posted4 ,on the #bcrd ,june #aheb ,gordon was gazetted to the ,engineers1 and on the #bith ,november #ahed he was ordered to ,corfu4 ,as the ,crimean ,war was going on he was much disappointed at this order1 and at first attributed it to his mother's influence1 who1 he thought1 wanted him to be sent to a safe place4 ,through the influence of ,sir ,john ,burgoyne1 an old family friend1 his destination was changed1 and on the #dth of ,december1 during that bitterly cold winter1 he writes1 ,i received my orders for the ,crimea1 and was off the same day4 ,this was not the only time that he exhibited such promptitude in leaving his native land at the call of his country4 ,thirty years afterwards he left ,england for the ,soudan the very day he received his orders4 ,he arrived in the ,crimea on ,new ,year's ,day #ahee1 when all the celebrated historical battles were over4 ,his martial ardour had doubtless been stirred by hearing how bravely our men swarmed up the heights at ,alma1 charged the ,russian gunners at ,balaklava1 and drove back the sortie at ,inkerman4 ,when he arrived1 the siege of ,sebastopol had commenced in earnest1 and for some time it was an engineer's campaign1 in which the spade did more than the rifle1 or1 to speak more correctly1 the musket2 for very few of our men had rifles then4 ,disease and exhaustion from hardship slew far more than the bullet4 ,altogether1 it was rather a trying time for a young officer full of fire and spirit1 anxious to see service of that more dashing kind that appeals to the imagination4 ,the slow advance of the trenches must have tried his somewhat impatient spirit1 which1 even in later years1 when it might have been modified by time1 was always more ready for a rapid march1 a brilliant flank movement1 or something of that kind4 ,but though the trench-work must have been wearisome and distasteful to a degree1 he threw himself heart and soul into it1 meriting the following praise from ,colonel ,chesney1 an eminent engineer officer3 ,in his humble position as an engineer subaltern he had attracted the notice of his superiors1 not merely by his energy and activity 7for these are not1 it may be asserted1 uncommon characteristics of his class71 but by an extraordinary aptitude for war1 developing itself amid the trench-work before ,sebastopol in a personal knowledge of the enemy's movements such as no other officer attained4 ',we always used to send him out to find what new move the ,russians were making1' was the testimony given to his genius by one of the most distinguished officers he served under4 ,he not only exhibited the aptitude for war of which ,colonel ,chesney speaks1 but it appears that he also displayed on several occasions a great deal of that personal courage for which he afterwards became so renowned4 ,a single incident may be taken as a specimen of many4 ,one day as he was passing along the trenches1 he overheard a heated altercation between a sapper and a corporal1 both belonging to his own corps4 ,on inquiring into the cause1 he discovered that the corporal had ordered a man to stand on the parapet1 where he was exposed to the enemy's fire1 while the corporal1 under cover1 was going to hand him some gabions for repairing the parapet4 ,gordon at once jumped on to the parapet himself and called the corporal to join him1 letting the sapper hand up the gabions from a place of safety4 ,gordon remained until the work was completed1 in spite of the fire of the ,russians1 and then turning to the corporal said1 ,never order a man to do anything you are afraid to do yourself4 ,his warlike genius and his courage were by no means his only remarkable characteristics1 and it may not be out of place to mention here a trifling event1 which possibly had a marked influence on his whole life4 ,it so happened that ,colonel ,staveley1 an officer who afterwards attained to some eminence1 but who at that time was of no great note beyond being the second in command of a distinguished corps1 the #ddth ,regiment1 mentioned in ,gordon's hearing that he had been appointed field-officer of the day for the trenches for the following day1 but owing to his having been on sick leave1 was ignorant of the geography of the place4 ,now considering that ,gordon was at this time greatly overworked in the trenches1 he might well have been excused had he allowed ,colonel ,staveley's remark to pass2 for it must be remembered that it is no part of the duty of a young engineer officer to instruct infantry field-officers in their duties4 ,but this was not ,gordon's style4 ,he1 at all events1 never limited himself to a strict routine of mere duty1 and so he cheerfully volunteered assistance1 saying1 ,oh6 come down with me to-night after dark1 and ,i will show you over the trenches4 ,colonel ,staveley says1 ,he drew me out a very clear sketch of the lines 7which ,i have now71 and down ,i went accordingly4 ,he explained every nook and corner1 and took me along outside our most advanced trench1 the bouquets and other missiles flying about us in1 to me1 a very unpleasant manner2 he taking the matter remarkably coolly4 ,napoleon somewhere remarked that the smallest trifles produce the greatest results1 an expression to which ,gordon himself once referred4 ,this ,colonel ,staveley afterwards became ,general ,sir ,charles ,staveley1 and he it was who first recommended ,gordon1 when quite a young captain in ,china1 to take command of that army for which he did so much1 and with which he acquired such renown4 ,had it not been for ,sir ,charles ,staveley1 possibly ,gordon would never have had the opportunity he needed to show of what good stuff he was made2 and who but the ,general himself can tell how much that night adventure in the trenches had to do with his selection later on8 99 99 99 ,as ,i have taken a later opportunity to enlarge on ,gordon's simple faith1 ,i will only say here that up to this period there are no indications that he was very decided4 ,it appears that during the year #ahed1 when stationed at ,pembroke1 a distinct spiritual change came over him2 and if we may judge from one of his letters to his sister ,augusta1 it was she who influenced him for good4 ,but there can be no question that he did not at this time enter into that full assurance of faith which afterwards characterised him2 still1 his faith at this period1 though weak1 was real4 ,in a letter home1 referring to the death of a ,captain ,craigie1 who was killed by a splinter from a shell1 he says1 ,i am glad to say that he was a serious man4 ,the shell burst above him1 and by what is called chance struck him in the back1 killing him at once4 ,it is interesting to note from the words what is called chance that he had already learnt to recognise the hand of ,god in everything1 and that even at this early stage of his career there existed the germs of that doctrine on which he spoke and wrote so much later on4 ,it has been said by some that his so-called fatalistic views were imbibed from the ,mohammedans in the ,soudan4 ,this sentence in a letter written by him before he had ever held an intimate conversation with a ,mohammedan shows that such was not the case4 ,allusion is made to the incident here merely to show what the condition of faith and state of mind of ,charles ,gordon were during the ,crimean ,war4 ,there is one other letter on record1 written about this time1 which is worthy of mention here4 ,when the ,commander-in-chief of the ,crimean army died1 ,gordon wrote1 ,lord ,raglan died of tear and wear and general debility4 ,he was universally regretted1 as he was so kind4 ,his life has been entirely spent in the service of his country4 ,i hope he was prepared1 but do not know4 99 99 99 ,beyond a few deeds of personal daring1 there is not much to record of ,gordon during the ,crimean ,war4 ,he went out1 as has already been said1 when the principal battles were over1 and his position being quite a subordinate one1 he had no opportunities of distinguishing himself4 ,he gained the esteem of all those who did come in contact with him2 he took every opportunity of gaining a professional insight into the science of war2 he had many narrow escapes of being wounded1 and once he was struck on the head by a stone thrown up by a round shot4 ,he formed a high estimate of the ,russians as soldiers1 with a correspondingly low one of our allies the ,french4 ,writing home of a favourable opportunity lost of assaulting ,sebastopol1 he says1 ,i think we might have assaulted on ,monday1 but the ,french do not seem to care about it4 ,the garrison is #be1jjj1 and on that day we heard afterwards that only #hjjj were in the place1 as the rest had gone to repel an attack 7fancied7 of ours at ,inkerman4 ,the history of the ,crimean ,war has been written so often1 that it is unnecessary to occupy much space with detail1 especially in view of the unimportant part ,gordon had to play4 ,on ,june #gth he accompanied the attacking force under ,sir ,john ,campbell1 which was severely repulsed in the assault upon the ,great ,redan4 ,a delay of over two months took place1 and then the ,french attacked the ,malakoff1 and the ,english again attempted to seize the ,redan4 ,the ,french were successful1 but we failed1 and so it was decided to renew the attack on the following day4 ,the ,russians1 however1 seeing it was useless to continue the struggle1 evacuated the post on the night of the #hth ,september4 ,as ,gordon was on duty in the trenches that night1 his account of what he witnessed is interesting4 ,during the night of the #hth ,i had heard terrific explosions1 and going down to the trenches at #d ,a4,m41 ,i saw a splendid sight4 ,the whole of ,sebastopol was in flames1 and every now and then terrible explosions took place1 while the rising sun shining on the place had a most beautiful effect4 ,the ,russians were leaving the town by the bridge2 all the three-deckers were sunk1 the steamers alone remaining4 ,tons and tons of powder must have been blown up4 ,about #h ,a4,m4 ,i got an order to commence a plan of the works1 for which purpose ,i went to the ,redan1 where a dreadful sight was presented4 ,the dead were buried in the ditch--the ,russians with the ,english--,mr4 ,wright reading the burial service over them4 ,on the fall of ,sebastopol ,gordon joined the force that besieged ,kinburn1 and was present at the fall of that fortress in ,october4 ,he then returned to ,sebastopol1 and was engaged in destroying the defences of that place1 remaining there till the evacuation in ,february #ahef4 ,although he received no promotion at the end of the war1 he was selected for the ,french ,legion of ,honour1 a distinction given to very few subalterns4 ,apparently1 however1 he had already formed to some extent the opinion which became more decided in later years on the subject of decorations1 for he said in a letter written home a month before the fall of ,sebastopol1 ,i for one do not care about being 'lamented' after death4 ,i am not ambitious1 but what easily earned ,c4,b4's and ,majorities there are in some cases6 while men who have earned them1 like poor ,oldfield1 get nothing4 ,i am sorry for him4 ,he was always squabbling about his batteries with us1 but he got more by his perseverance than any man before did4 ,although ,gordon was only twenty-two years of age at this time1 we see the germs of the characteristics which later in life marked him so prominently4 ,he was even then indifferent to earthly distinctions2 he had a simple faith in his ,saviour2 he had repeatedly exhibited courage2 and men of eminence who came in contact with him had recognised indications of peculiar military aptitude4 ,though he had had no opportunity of making a great name for himself at that early date1 he had stood the severe test of his first campaign under great hardships1 and while he had not been found wanting in a single respect1 he had gained the professional respect and esteem of all4 ,it is unnecessary to enlarge on the time between the ,crimean ,war and the ,china ,war4 ,suffice it to say briefly1 that instead of being sent home1 ,gordon had to remain as an assistant-commissioner to settle the frontier line2 for ,russia had to give up a piece of territory that in #ahab she had taken from the ,turks4 ,for a whole year he was engaged on this task1 and then1 when he thought that he was to be allowed to return home1 he was sent to ,asia ,minor to perform a similar duty1 and was not able to return till he had been abroad three years4 ,he was then granted leave for six months1 and afterwards returned to his work in ,armenia1 where he remained till the spring of #aheh1 thus missing all chance of being employed in the ,indian ,mutiny1 which broke out in #aheg4 ,on his return to ,england in #aheh1 he went to ,chatham1 where he was promoted to the rank of captain the following year4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,chinese ,,war ,,and ,,taiping ,,rebellion ,a stout old ,scotch lady when asked about her health1 replied that she was weel i' pairts1 but ower muckle to be a' weel at ane time4 ,if the old lady was too large to be perfectly well all over at the same time1 may it not be said that in this respect ,china resembled her in #ahfj8 ,the largest empire in the world was suffering from external as well as internal troubles4 ,a great portion of the country was given up to all the horrors of civil war conducted on an enormous scale1 while the united armies of ,england and ,france were assaulting it from without4 ,space does not permit a detailed account of the causes which led ,england to declare war on ,china4 ,this war was but a phase in a dispute that had been going on since #ahcg between the two countries4 ,in #ahdb1 to our shame it must be said1 by force of arms we compelled the ,chinese to receive opium from ,india1 and thenceforward a very sore feeling existed against us4 ,just before the ,indian ,mutiny this feeling was awakened by a trifling event1 and war was again declared1 though1 owing to the outbreak of the ,mutiny1 we did not press matters for a time4 ,as soon as our hands were free in ,india1 operations in ,china were actively pushed forward1 the ,french troops joining us on account of the murder of some ,french missionaries4 ,the war was practically a walk-over1 for the ,chinese army was quite incapable of meeting trained forces2 and a treaty having been agreed upon1 the representatives of the ,english and ,french returned home4 ,in ,march #ahei ,mr4 ,frederick ,bruce1 brother to ,lord ,elgin1 was sent out as ,minister ,plenipotentiary to ,china1 and instructed to proceed to ,pekin to exchange the ratifications of the treaty4 ,he was to be accompanied by ,admiral ,hope1 the ,english admiral commanding in ,china4 ,pekin lies inland about a hundred miles1 being connected with the sea by the river ,peiho1 the entrance to which was commanded by the ,taku ,forts4 ,for some reason1 the ,chinese did not want ,mr4 ,bruce to proceed to ,pekin1 or at all events they objected to his proceeding by the river route1 as he proposed4 ,obstacles to the progress of our ships were put in the way1 and the ,chinese refused to remove them4 ,mr4 ,bruce thereupon called upon the ,admiral to take steps for their removal1 and on his attempting to do so1 the ,chinese fired on the ,english ships with such telling effect that four gunboats were placed hors de combat4 ,nor was the ,admiral more successful when he attempted to storm the forts4 ,the result of that day's work was that out of #aajj men in the ,english force nearly #dej were killed or wounded4 ,the feeling in ,england was1 that though ,mr4 ,bruce had acted very hastily in thus committing ,england to another war without definite instructions from home1 the matter could not be allowed to rest4 ,the ,french again joined us1 and ,sir ,hope ,grant1 who had distinguished himself in the ,indian ,mutiny1 was appointed to the command4 ,this ,general1 it may be remarked1 was an earnest ,christian no less than an eminent soldier4 ,the ,taku ,forts were captured and the troops were marching on ,pekin1 when the ,chinese sought to open negotiations1 in order to prevent our army from entering their capital4 ,our representatives consented to enter into negotiations at ,tungchow1 a place about a dozen miles from ,pekin4 ,some ,english officers1 accompanied by a few of the staff of the ,english and ,french envoys1 went forward to ,tungchow1 to make the necessary arrangements for the interview of the envoys with the ,chinese commissioners4 ,a misunderstanding arose1 and twenty-six ,british and twelve ,french subjects were seized1 in spite of the flag of truce1 and hurried off to different prisons4 ,their sufferings as prisoners were frightful1 the result being that half of them died1 while the remainder1 when released1 bore evident signs of the ill-treatment they had undergone4 ,the allied armies at once marched on ,pekin1 and ,lord ,elgin refused to treat with the ,chinese till the prisoners were restored1 which did not take place till the gates of the city were about to be blown in4 ,the ,chinese were compelled to pay #aj1jjj for each ,european and #ejj for each native soldier captured1 in addition to having their famous ,summer ,palace1 valued by some at the almost fabulous sum of #d1jjj1jjj1 destroyed4 99 99 99 ,gordon at this time was adjutant of engineers at ,chatham1 a post a good deal esteemed by officers of his rank4 ,he had lost the opportunity of seeing active service in ,india1 but he was determined that it should be no fault of his if he were not sent out to ,china4 ,he resigned his appointment at ,chatham1 an act which greatly annoyed his father and many of his friends4 ,even a high official in the ,war ,office considered that he was damaging his prospects for life2 whereas it turned out that by going to ,china he got that opportunity of exercising his talents and displaying his abilities which he might otherwise never have met with4 ,not leaving ,england till the #bbnd of ,july #ahfj1 he was too late to take part in the principal action1 the taking of the ,taku ,forts1 which were assaulted on the #bast ,august4 ,he writes to his mother from ,hong-,kong1 ,i am rather late for the amusement1 which will not vex you4 ,he arrived at ,tientsin on ,september #bfth1 and marched with ,sir ,hope ,grant's force to ,pekin4 ,the following is his description of the only part he was allowed to take before the ,chinese surrendered3-- ,we were sent down in a great hurry to throw up works and batteries against the town1 as the ,chinese refused to give up the gate we required them to surrender before we would treat with them4 ,the ,chinese were given until noon on ,october #ac to give up the ,anting gate4 ,we made a lot of batteries1 and everything was ready for the assault of the wall1 which is battlemented and forty feet high1 but of inferior masonry4 ,at #aa4cj ,p4,m4 on the #abth1 however1 the gate was opened1 and we took possession2 so our work was of no avail4 ,the ,english and ,french armies left ,pekin on ,november #hth1 a little over three weeks after the fall of the city1 and returned to ,tientsin1 to take up their quarters for the ensuing cold weather4 ,captain ,gordon was the senior engineer officer left behind1 and he remained till the spring of #ahfb1 performing the ordinary engineer duties of providing accommodation for men and horses4 ,during his stay at ,tientsin there is little of any interest to record4 ,he wisely relieved the monotony of camp life by making a journey to the ,great ,wall of ,china1 which has been visited by very few of our countrymen4 ,he was doubtless prompted by curiosity to undertake this expedition1 but other motives were also at work4 ,he was a born soldier1 he was good at surveying1 and doubtless he was anxious to ascertain by personal observation if any other route existed than the well-known one by which a ,russian army could march on ,pekin2 but he was unsuccessful in finding one4 ,during the journey the cold was very severe2 in one place1 he says1 the raw eggs were frozen hard as if they had been boiled4 99 99 99 ,it has been already mentioned that ,china was troubled by an extensive civil war1 which had been going on for many years4 ,it appears to have commenced in the province of ,quang-,tung1 and to have been headed by a schoolmaster1 ,hung-tsue-schuen4 ,that there must have been good cause for the dissatisfaction which caused the outbreak is clear from the fact that not only did thousands join the rising1 but that among the rebels were men of great ability4 ,the leader seems to have been a strange mixture of good and evil1 and at one time appears to have had an inclination towards ,christianity4 ,unfortunately the evil part of his nature predominated1 and his head was turned by his success4 ,during the time the ,chinese troops were engaged in war with the ,english1 the rebels had it pretty well their own way1 and large tracts of the country were devastated4 ,intoxicated with success1 the rebels threatened to attack ,shanghai1 and the merchants there1 seeing how incapable the ,government was to protect them1 subscribed to form a small army to protect their interests4 ,the command of this force was given to an ,american named ,ward1 who appears to have been a born soldier4 ,his career was short1 but he was engaged in seventy actions and never lost one4 ,so successful was he1 that the ,pekin authorities conferred on his troops the pretentious title of ,ever-,victorious ,army4 ,unfortunately for that army1 it soon lost its able commander1 for in ,september #ahfb he was killed when assaulting a city near ,ningpo4 ,he was succeeded by an ,american adventurer named ,burgevine1 who turned out a complete failure1 being one of that type of unprincipled men who do so much harm in non-,christian countries4 ,when he was dismissed1 application was made to the ,english ,general to appoint an ,english officer to take command4 ,major ,gordon had been ordered to ,shanghai from ,pekin at the beginning of ,may #ahfb1 and consequently had come under the command of ,general ,staveley1 with whom1 it will be remembered1 he was acquainted in the ,crimea4 ,general ,staveley's duty was to clear the country for thirty miles round ,shanghai of the rebels1 and in the performance of this task ,major ,gordon had been employed4 ,the opinion that ,general ,staveley had formed of ,gordon's courage and ability in the ,crimea was confirmed in the operations around ,shanghai1 and the following account is given by that ,general of ,gordon's plucky conduct3-- ,captain ,gordon was of the greatest use to me when the task of clearing the rebels from out of the country within a radius of thirty miles from ,shanghai had to be undertaken4 ,he reconnoitred the enemy's defences1 and arranged for the ladder-parties to cross the moats1 and for the escalading of the works2 for we had to attack and carry by storm several towns fortified with high walls and deep wet ditches4 ,he was1 however1 at the same time a source of much anxiety to me from the daring manner in which he approached the enemy's works to acquire information4 ,previous to our attack upon ,singpo1 and when with me in a boat reconnoitring the place1 he begged to be allowed to land1 in order better to see the nature of the defences4 ,presently1 to my dismay1 ,i saw him gradually going nearer and nearer1 by rushes from cover to cover1 until he got behind a small outlying pagoda within a hundred yards of the wall1 and here he was quietly making a sketch and taking notes4 ,i1 in the meantime1 was shouting myself hoarse in trying to get him back2 for not only were the rebels firing at him from the walls1 but ,i saw a party stealing round to cut him off4 ,there is not much more of interest to record of ,gordon's doings at this period4 ,the rebels having been cleared out of the thirty-miles radius1 ,gordon was deputed to commence a complete survey of the whole district1 and in ,december we find him so engaged4 ,this occupation gave him a thorough insight into the ways of the people and the nature of the country4 ,in this month he writes as follows3-- ,the people on the confines are suffering greatly and dying of starvation4 ,this state of affairs is most sad1 and the rebellion ought to be put down4 ,words cannot express the horrors these people suffer from the rebels1 or the utter desert they have made of this rich province4 ,it is all very well to talk of non-intervention1 and ,i am not particularly sensitive1 nor are our soldiers generally so2 but certainly we are all impressed with the utter misery and wretchedness of these poor people4 ,when ,general ,staveley was applied to for an officer to take command of the so-called ,ever-,victorious ,army1 his thoughts not unnaturally turned to ,gordon1 who1 by the way1 had received the brevet rank of major at the end of #ahfb4 ,gordon1 having seen the failings and shortcomings of our generals in the ,crimea1 longed for an opportunity to exercise the gifts of which he felt conscious4 ,general ,staveley1 however1 shrank from recommending him for such a dangerous post4 ,he knew well the plucky1 chivalrous nature of the young engineer1 and not unnaturally feared that he would expose himself too much to danger4 ,his affection for ,major ,gordon made him at first refuse to recommend him for the command1 and it was not till ,gordon repeatedly urged him to yield1 and promised not to expose himself more than necessary1 that he consented to submit his name to the authorities at home4 ,a temporary commander being urgently required1 he appointed the chief of his staff1 ,captain ,holland1 of the ,royal ,marines1 to the post1 pending the decision of the ,war ,office with regard to ,gordon4 ,before the reply arrived from ,england two expeditions took place1 one against ,fushan1 under ,major ,brennan1 and one against the city of ,taitsan1 in which ,captain ,holland commanded in person4 ,both were disastrous to the reputation of the ,ever-,victorious ,army4 ,in the attack on ,taitsan some #gejj men were engaged1 about one-third belonging to the ,ever-,victorious ,army1 while the remainder were ,chinese ,imperial troops4 ,unfortunately1 ,captain ,holland took it for granted that the ,mandarins were correct when they informed him that the moat around the city contained no water1 whereas it proved to be at least thirty feet deep4 ,this was not discovered till the assaulting party arrived without bridges1 and with nothing but escalading ladders1 which they attempted to use as bridges4 ,the ladders were of course not strong enough to bear the weight of the men1 and broke down4 ,the assault was very soon turned into a rout1 and the ,ever-,victorious ,army not only lost several hundred men1 but allowed two guns to fall into the hands of the enemy4 ,such a disaster clearly indicated that an abler man was required at the head of the ,ever-,victorious ,army1 and forthwith ,major ,gordon was appointed4 ,a letter written home at the time shows that he was conscious that his father would not be pleased at the step he had taken3-- ,i am afraid that you will be much vexed at my having taken the command of the ,sung-kiang force1 and that ,i am now a ,mandarin4 ,i have taken the step on consideration4 ,i think that any one who contributes to putting down this rebellion fulfils a humane task1 and ,i also think tends a great deal to open ,china to civilisation4 ,i will not act rashly1 and ,i trust to be able soon to return to ,england2 at the same time1 ,i will remember your and my father's wishes1 and endeavour to remain as short a time as possible4 ,i can say that if ,i had not accepted the command1 ,i believe the force would have broken up1 and the rebellion gone on in its misery for years4 ,i trust this will not now be the case1 and that ,i may soon be able to comfort you on the subject4 ,you must not fret over the matter4 ,i think ,i am doing a good service4444 ,i keep your likeness before me1 and can assure you and my father that ,i will not be rash1 and that as soon as ,i can conveniently1 and with due regard to the object ,i have in view1 ,i will return home4 ,gordon's father has been much misrepresented by some biographers4 ,it has been practically said that he was not able to appreciate his son's nobility of character2 but there is not a word of truth in this4 ,the old man saw that the post accepted by his son was one of great danger1 made all the more dangerous by that son's daring1 and the fact that he did not understand the language of the people and was not cognisant of their manner of conducting warfare4 ,he also was of opinion that the ,chinese ,government ought to be able to deal with their own internal affairs1 and put down any rebellions that might occur without making a cat's-paw of his son4 ,one cannot blame the father1 who only looked at the matter in a natural way1 judging the circumstances from his own standpoint4 ,it is impossible to consider the whole facts1 and to read the letters concerning them1 without feeling that neither father nor son had anything of which to be ashamed4 ,one of the most painful things in life is for a man who is fond of his parents to have to take a step which he feels will not meet with their approval1 and we may be quite sure that ,major ,gordon gave this subject his earnest and prayerful consideration4 ,the path of duty seemed to him to be clear1 and the call was distinct4 ,the whole country was practically deluged in blood1 and not only strong men1 but hapless women and children1 were suffering4 ,could ,gordon1 knowing what he did1 and feeling conscious of his power to put down the rebellion1 have declined to enter the path so unexpectedly opened to him8 ,some would have done so4 ,but opportunities such as this1 not seized1 are seldom repeated4 ,his ability1 his energies1 and his powers might never have found full scope1 and might have proved a curse to him rather than a blessing4 ,how often one sees in life men with marked ability who are not only unhappy themselves1 but make every one around them equally so4 ,they seem to have missed the object for which they were created1 and instead of doing their duty in a large sphere1 as they might have done1 their stunted energies prevent them from properly filling even a smaller and humbler sphere4 ,they have missed the opportunity of being really great1 and yet their abilities prevent them from being satisfied with anything short of this4 ,the call came to ,gordon to take his share in the battle of life1 and to do his best to mitigate the sufferings caused by a horrible civil war1 and doubtless he pondered those words1 ,he that loveth father or mother more than ,me is not worthy of ,me4 ,he decided to take the path which appeared to him the one of duty2 nor need we be surprised when we know that he was a thorough ,englishman of the highest type1 of whom the words are true-- ,there's a heart that leaps with burning glow ,the wronged and the weak to defend2 ,it strikes as soon for a trampled foe ,as it does for a soul-bound friend4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,gordon',s ,,first ,,command ,at the age of thirty1 ,major ,gordon obtained his first independent command1 thus surpassing the ,duke of ,wellington's achievement by four years4 ,with ,wellington1 too1 able as he showed himself to be1 it must be borne in mind that his first appointment was due to family interest1 for his eldest brother1 ,lord ,mornington1 was ,viceroy of ,india at the time4 ,in ,gordon's case1 however1 personal merit was the only qualification that brought him to the notice of the ,general in command1 and it speaks volumes for ,sir ,charles ,staveley's insight into character that such a wise appointment was made4 ,sir ,william ,butler in his biography of ,gordon says1 ,thus on ,march #bd1 #ahfc1 ,gordon stepped out for the first time from that inevitable environment of the mass which so often keeps entangled in its folds men on whom ,nature has conferred great gifts4 ,fate1 it is said1 knocks once at every man's door1 but sometimes it is when the shadows are gathering and the fire is beginning to burn slow4 ,this was not the case with ,gordon1 for he was at about the age at which such famous soldiers as ,alexander1 ,wellington1 and ,napoleon have shown that man is full of life and fire4 ,many of the brilliant successes attained by those men would never have been won had they not had opportunities of making their first attempts till mature years had sobered them down4 ,nothing gives a man so much confidence in his own resources as success1 more especially if that success has been gained amidst trying circumstances4 ,there can be no doubt that the period which we are now considering is the most interesting of ,gordon's life4 ,up to this time1 he had done well all that he had been called upon to perform in the way of duty1 but had had no opportunity to show of what stuff he was made4 ,a subordinate may suggest1 and a superior may reap the benefit of his brains1 if he has only sufficient intelligence of his own to recognise merit in others1 a quality of which many are deficient4 ,but a subordinate cannot initiate4 ,and his suggestions1 when adopted by a superior1 frequently fail1 for the simple reason that only a portion of his ideas are grasped1 and something is lacking4 ,gordon's new position gave him not only the opportunity to initiate1 but the power to carry out his ideas4 ,after the suppression of the ,taiping rebellion1 every one who had the power to recognise greatness at all knew that ,gordon had qualities that would make him succeed in anything he liked to take up1 and therefore it was no matter of surprise to see him adding laurels to his crown4 99 99 99 ,hitherto ,i have refrained from making any allusion to ,gordon's personal appearance1 having reserved the point till this period of his history1 when1 for the first time1 he takes a prominent part on the stage of life4 ,there have been numerous pictures sold representing him1 and perhaps still more numerous descriptions written4 ,the best that ,i have seen are accounts written by two intimate friends4 ,sir ,gerald ,graham1 who knew him as a cadet at ,woolwich1 and was one of the last ,englishmen ever to see him1 says3-- ,not over five feet nine inches in height1 but of compact build1 his figure and gait characteristically expressed resolution and strength4 ,his face1 though in itself unpretending1 was one that1 in common phrase1 ',grew upon you4' ,time had now streaked with grey the crisp1 curly1 brown hair of his youth1 and traced lines of care on his ample forehead and strong clear face1 bronzed with exposure to the tropical sun4 ,his usual aspect was serene and quiet1 and though at times a ruffling wave of constitutional impatience or indignation might pass over him1 it did not disturb him long4 ,the depth and largeness of ,gordon's nature1 which inspired so much confidence in others1 seemed to afford him a sense of inner repose1 so that outer disturbance was to him like the wind that ruffles the surface of the sea1 but does not affect its depth4 ,the grace and beauty of ,gordon's whole expression came from within1 and1 as it were1 irradiated the man1 the steadfast truthful gaze of the blue-grey eyes seeming a direct appeal from the upright spirit within4 ,his usual manner charmed by its simple unaffected courtesy2 but though utterly devoid of self-importance1 he had plenty of quiet dignity1 or even imperious authority1 at command when required4 ,colonel ,h4 ,g4 ,prout1 an ,american officer1 who served under ,gordon in the ,soudan1 writing in ,scribner's ,magazine1 says3-- ,he was rather under than over medium height1 of well-proportioned figure1 by no means heavy1 but muscular and vigorous in all his movements4 ,his hair was brown1 and curled rather closely4 ,his complexion was ruddy4 ,he wore a short moustache and small whiskers1 and shaved as carefully when he was in the heart of ,africa as when he was in ,london4 ,his mouth was resolute1 but full of humour4 ,his smile was quick1 and his whole expression was kind1 bright1 and ready1 but absolutely self-reliant4 ,only a dull person could fail to see that here was a man who had nothing to ask or to fear4 ,his most striking feature was his eyes4 ,these were bright blue1 and the blue and white were of that pure unclouded quality that one sees only in the eyes of a baby4 ,only a baby's eyes could be so direct and sincere4 ,you felt that they looked right into your soul and laid bare your motives4 ,both these descriptions speak of him as seen in the ,soudan1 but they are so graphic1 that it requires little imagination to see the man before us a few years younger4 ,at the age of thirty1 he was of course much younger looking2 but his general appearance was not one that changed much4 ,considering the hardships through which he passed1 it was wonderful how little he exhibited their effects4 ,it will be remarked that in both of the foregoing descriptions reference is made to his blue eyes1 which certainly were a very prominent feature in his personality4 ,if we may anticipate events a little1 as we are considering this subject1 it is interesting to record that a little native boy named ,capsune1 whom ,general ,gordon rescued from the slave-dealers in #ahgj1 asked the lady who had charge of him after ,gordon's death whether she was quite sure that ,gordon ,pasha still kept his blue eyes1 and did she think he could see all through me now8 ,another day he said he was quite sure ,gordon ,pasha could see quite well in the dark1 because he had the light inside him4 99 99 99 ,this1 then1 is the man whom the fortunes of war called to fill about as difficult a position as it is possible to imagine4 ,the enemy he was to disperse were flushed with victory1 having for years been able to defy all who had attempted to suppress them4 ,their numbers were overwhelming as compared with the handful of men the merchants of ,shanghai were able out of their private resources to put into the field2 and1 as if these were not sufficient advantages1 they had possession of all the large cities and places of importance for many miles outside the thirty-miles radius around ,shanghai4 ,the army ,gordon was called upon to command possessed a high-sounding name1 justly earned by a former commander1 but with his death had passed away all that made the title justifiable4 ,it was a relic of greatness that had departed1 and to one like ,gordon1 who had a keen sense of humour1 it must have sounded ridiculous in the extreme4 ,the army consisted of about #cjjj ,chinese1 with #aej officers1 the latter being principally foreigners4 ,the officers were by no means wanting in pluck1 nor deficient in military skill1 but there appears to have been a great want of discipline among them1 to say nothing of the existence of keen jealousies of one another4 ,the fact that in one month eleven officers died of delirium tremens speaks volumes as to their character4 ,colonel ,chesney says1 ,among them were avowed sympathisers with the rebels1 and avowed defiers of ,chinese law2 but all classes soon learnt to respect a ,general in whose kindness1 valour1 skill1 and justice they found cause unhesitatingly to confide2 who never spared himself personal exposure when danger was near2 and beneath whose firm touch sank into significance the furious quarrels and personal jealousies which had hitherto marred the usefulness of the force4 ,the headquarters of this little army was a place called ,sung-kiang1 to the west of ,shanghai1 and close to the border of the thirty-miles radius around that city4 ,gordon proceeded on the #bdth ,march #ahfc to assume his command1 and it was thought by many that he would endeavour to take the city of ,taitsan1 and thus wipe out the reproach of his predecessor4 ,but his military instinct showed him a far more important step to take4 ,about twenty miles inland and fifty miles from ,gordon's headquarters was a city called ,chanzu1 which was the only one in that neighbourhood loyal to the ,imperial cause4 ,it had been held by the ,taipings1 but the chief had persuaded his men to abandon the cause of the rebels and throw in their lot with the ,emperor4 ,no sooner had their decision been taken1 than the ,taiping ,general marched a strong army on the city to punish them4 ,the defenders were holding out bravely1 but they were reduced to starvation1 and were suffering terribly4 ,it would have been both impolitic and cruel to have left this city to its fate2 so ,gordon determined to relieve it4 ,chanzu was1 however1 cut off from the sea by an intervening city called ,fushan1 which commanded the river2 so ,gordon decided that1 with the object of relieving the ,chanzu garrison1 ,fushan must be captured4 ,as has already been mentioned1 one expedition against this place had signally failed4 ,gordon took two steamers1 packed #ajjj men into them1 #bjj of whom were artillerymen1 and with this small force proceeded to attack ,fushan4 ,in spite of the overwhelming numbers against him1 the enemy being able to draw reinforcements from the army investing ,chanzu1 he captured the place4 ,no sooner had it fallen than ,gordon set to work to relieve ,chanzu4 ,this he had very little difficulty in doing1 for as soon as the rebels found that they were between two armies and exposed to attack in opposite directions1 they moved off4 ,this brilliant achievement accomplished1 ,gordon retired to his headquarters at ,sung-kiang4 ,by ,imperial decree he was made a ,tsung-,ping or ,brigadier-,general4 ,he had passed through his first ordeal1 and had come out of it with credit4 ,he had not only struck a blow1 but had done it with such promptitude1 that every one began to get confidence in this young ,general1 as he was hereafter termed by the ,chinese4 ,to take a handful of men1 not stronger than a full-sized ,english regiment at that time1 to transport them in one day fifty miles1 and to capture a city with overwhelming odds against him1 exhibited capacity combined with promptness of action equal to anything recorded in the annals of the greatest soldiers4 ,his predecessor1 with an army numbering #gejj--;for he had a large force of ,imperial troops in addition to his own--had been terribly beaten in his attempt to take ,taitsan4 ,but ,gordon with a force of only #ajjj men had captured one city and relieved another1 at a much greater distance from headquarters1 and that with the loss of only two killed and six wounded4 ,in the account of the attack1 no light is thrown on the question why ,gordon succeeded so brilliantly when others failed4 ,he simply pounded away with his artillery1 which was not strong1 for three hours1 and having effected a breach1 he ordered an assault of infantry1 which swept everything before it4 ,this in itself is such a simple operation1 and so much like what had been done before1 that it does not account for his success4 ,as the question will doubtless often occur to the reader1 why ,gordon so often succeeded where others failed1 it may be well to quote a few words written by ,colonel ,prout1 dealing with this very subject3-- ,gordon took and kept his unquestioned place as a chief1 not by force of gold lace1 banners1 and salutes of trumpets and guns1 but by doing things4 ,he filled ,carlyle's definition1 ,king1 ,knning1 which means ,can-ing1 ,able-man4 ,all who are at all familiar with his character and deeds must recognise the fact that he was a man of great qualities1 both of mind and character4 ,he did not do things accidentally or by mysterious means4 ,whatever business he had in hand1 he knew it thoroughly in all its details4 ,he knew his men and their motives1 and he grasped all the minuti of his material4 ,he was a highly educated modern soldier1 and from the principles of grand strategy down to mending a gun-lock or loading a cartridge he knew his profession4 ,he was not a great student of books1 but his quick and strong mind seized and held facts with wonderful power4 ,his most remarkable intellectual quality was directness4 ,this paragraph from a magazine article throws light on the cause of much of ,gordon's success4 ,lord ,beaconsfield used to say that genius was the art of taking pains4 ,it will be remembered that the principal reason why ,gordon's predecessor failed at ,taitsan was1 that he took it for granted that he was rightly informed when he was told that the ditch around the city was dry1 and consequently he came unprovided with bridges4 ,gordon1 on the other hand1 took nothing for granted4 ,every detail was personally looked into1 every difficulty anticipated by his eager restless brain4 ,consequently everything he took in hand succeeded2 and yet to the superficial observer it all seemed so simple4 ,the power of anticipating and providing against difficulties is one of those gifts which go a long way towards ensuring success in any calling in life1 and that gift ,gordon possessed to a remarkable degree4 ,whether it was innate1 or whether it was cultivated1 is difficult to say4 ,possibly it was implanted by nature to a certain extent1 and in addition he cultivated and developed the natural gift4 99 99 99 ,a brief allusion has already been made to ,burgevine1 the ,american who for a short time commanded the ,ever-,victorious ,army after the death of ,ward4 ,this man plays a somewhat important part in connection with ,gordon's operations1 so it may be well here to give an account of his history1 for just at this time an order arrived from ,pekin that he was to be reinstated in his command1 if the ,governor of the province approved4 ,the career of ,burgevine is1 it is to be feared1 an illustration of the lives of many adventurers who1 having failed in some civilised country1 go out to seek their fortunes among a non-,christian people1 and bring disgrace upon ,christianity4 ,without principle1 destitute of all honourable feelings1 they imbibe all that is low and bad in the countries to which they go1 yet all the time they are called ,christians1 and looked upon as such by the natives4 ,in almost every large city belonging to a non-,christian people will be found one or more of this type1 to whom the lines might with truth be applied-- ,hast thou with ,asiatic vices filled thy mind1 ,and left their virtues and thine own behind8 ,burgevine was by no means deficient in military skill or courage1 but he was utterly unprincipled1 and1 as the sequel will show1 he was as ready to sell himself to the enemy as he was to fight for the ,imperialists4 ,the immediate cause of his dismissal from the command of the ,ever-,victorious ,army was that he went to the ,chinese treasury officer with a hundred men of his bodyguard and demanded money for arrears of pay4 ,that official being unable to comply1 ,burgevine struck him and ordered his followers to seize #dj1jjj dollars4 ,no sooner was he dismissed1 than he went to ,pekin to plead his cause there1 and got the ,american ambassador to back him up1 the latter of course being ignorant of his real character4 ,the authorities at ,pekin yielded1 and sent him back to ,shanghai to assume command1 provided the local ,governor had no objection4 ,a shrewd suspicion exists that this was but a diplomatic way of getting out of a difficulty1 as the authorities at ,pekin must have known that the ,governor could not possibly consent to receive ,burgevine back after what he had done4 ,this ,governor was ,li ,hung ,chang1 a man of considerable power1 who could see that he had in ,gordon a man of ability2 and though he did not at that time appreciate him as he afterwards did1 still the fascination of ,gordon's character1 that so endeared him to many others1 had already begun to work4 ,consequently the ,governor strongly opposed the return of ,burgevine1 and at the same time took the opportunity of informing the ,pekin authorities that ,gordon was gaining the confidence of his men1 as well as of the merchants and others at ,shanghai4 ,this for a time closed ,burgevine's career1 though we shall hear of him again4 99 99 99 ,the city of ,chanzu was relieved on ,april #eth1 but it was not till the end of that month that ,gordon again took the field4 ,his brief but brilliant campaign had shown the weak points in his force2 so he spent some three weeks at headquarters in getting his little army better in hand4 ,among other things1 he put his men into a uniform of dark serge with green turbans1 so as to make the enemy suppose that they were ,europeans4 ,at first this little reform was very unpopular1 as most reforms are1 and the men were called by their countrymen ,imitation ,foreign ,devils4 ,when the ,ever-,victorious ,army regained its right to its title1 the men became proud of their uniform1 and would not have exchanged it for their old costume4 ,dr4 ,wilson in his interesting account of this period tells us that ,woo1 the ,tautai of ,shanghai1 even went so far as to purchase thousands of boots of ,european make1 such as were worn by ,gordon's men1 that their footprints might be seen about1 as the rebels were so impressed with fear of the disciplined ,chinese troops6 ,not only uniform1 but every other detail necessary to the improvement of the army1 was during that short space of time gone into1 and on ,april #bith ,gordon once more commenced active operations4 ,this time the object of attack was the city of ,quinsan1 about thirty miles to the north-west of his camp2 but1 when en route1 he heard that his ,imperialist allies1 who were besieging the city of ,taitsan1 had been most treacherously treated4 ,the rebels had proposed to surrender1 and had permitted upwards of #aejj men of the ,imperial army to enter their city4 ,suddenly they closed the gates and captured these men1 beheading some #cjj of them1 including the brother of ,li ,hung ,chang4 ,this disaster to his allies decided ,gordon to turn aside and lend his aid in reducing ,taitsan1 the city where his predecessor had suffered such a terrible defeat4 ,it must have been an anxious time when he led his small army against a place which would remind them so forcibly of the greatest disaster they had experienced4 ,the city of ,taitsan had a garrison of some #aj1jjj men1 with a considerable sprinkling of white men1 some of whom were deserters from the ,english and ,french armies1 together with ,american sailors and others4 ,gordon's army consisted of only #cjjj men2 so that not only had his opponents the benefit of walls1 from behind which they might deliver their fire1 but they outnumbered his little force by more than three to one4 ,taitsan was1 however1 a great prize to be aimed at1 for its fall would blot out the remembrance of the disaster which had occurred when it was last attacked4 ,captain ,holland on that occasion had assaulted it from the south4 ,gordon's quick military eye showed him that he ought to seize the canal leading into the town on the western side4 ,he had little difficulty in possessing himself of this water-way1 and he made use of it to bring his guns and ammunition to within #fjj yards of the walls4 ,at that distance he opened fire1 under cover of which he pushed forward some of his guns to within #ajj yards1 concentrating all his fire on one spot1 with the object of effecting a breach in the walls4 ,at each discharge of his guns at this short range masses of masonry fell1 forming a gradual slope1 up which the assaulting party could rush4 ,steamers and boats came up the canal and turned into the moat1 forming a perfect bridge across the water4 ,the defenders1 seeing their danger1 wisely concentrated their fire on the temporary bridge1 and rushed to defend the breach4 ,captain ,bannen1 who led the attack1 was killed1 and the assaulting party were for a time driven back4 ,another column was formed for the assault1 and this time ,gordon kept up an incessant artillery fire over the heads of his own men as they advanced4 ,again they met with a determined resistance1 but after a severe hand-to-hand struggle1 the attack was victorious1 and the defenders1 seized with panic1 actually trampled down many of their own side in their haste to escape4 ,thus on ,may #a1 #ahfc1 fell this important stronghold2 but the victory cost ,gordon dearly1 as his killed and wounded were very numerous for such a small force4 ,the vacancies1 however1 were filled up by volunteers from among the prisoners he took1 and these men made admirable fighting soldiers1 though they had of course somewhat lax notions on the subject of discipline4 ,although ,gordon received little or no help from the ,imperial troops1 they caused him a good deal of pain and annoyance by an act committed on the fall of ,taitsan4 ,capturing seven retreating rebels1 the ,imperial troops tied them up1 and1 according to their own horribly cruel custom1 forced arrows into their flesh1 flayed bits of skin off their arms1 and thus exposed them for several hours previous to execution4 ,this was supposed to be in revenge for the treachery of the ,taipings1 already alluded to1 and they contended that these seven men were specially to blame4 ,be that as it may1 a very natural sense of indignation was awakened throughout the civilised world1 and questions were asked in ,parliament about the incident1 it being assumed that ,gordon and other ,british officers were concerned in these atrocities4 ,as ,gordon1 in spite of his bravery and his being habitually brought into the presence of bloodshed1 was one of the most tender-hearted of men1 it need hardly be said that he was deeply grieved and pained by the whole circumstance1 and it was through his influence that ,general ,brown1 then in command of the ,british troops at ,shanghai1 informed the ,chinese ,governor that1 on a repetition of such barbarity1 all the ,british officers would be withdrawn4 ,,chapter ,v ,,progress ,,of ,,the ,,rebellion ,before ,gordon captured ,taitsan1 it will be remembered1 he was on his way to attack the city of ,quinsan4 ,having accomplished his purpose of assisting his allies1 the ,imperial troops1 he reverted to his original object4 ,he wanted to leave ,taitsan to be held by the ,imperialists1 and at once to march on ,quinsan2 but owing to the want of discipline in his army1 he was unable to do this4 ,his men had taken a large amount of loot from ,taitsan1 and were anxious to dispose of it1 and their young ,general1 much against his will1 had to accept the inevitable4 ,with an army such as that which ,gordon had under his control1 it does not do to draw tight the reins of discipline too suddenly4 ,it had for a long time been in a lax condition1 and ,gordon saw that he must gain the men's confidence before sharply asserting his authority4 ,with an army well in hand1 the right thing would have been to follow up his victories immediately1 so that the enemy should not have time to recover themselves4 ,but instead of being able to go on at once from ,taitsan to ,quinsan1 he had to return to headquarters1 and there wait till the end of ,may1 reorganising and making preparations4 ,so bad was the discipline among his officers1 that just before he started for ,quinsan1 all the majors commanding regiments resigned1 simply because he promoted his commissary-general1 an ,english officer named ,cooksby1 to the rank of colonel4 ,this step was taken because ,gordon found that disputes were always occurring about rations and quarters between the commissary-general and the regimental commanders4 ,as the latter had1 and the former had not1 military rank1 the commissary was in an awkward position4 ,gordon therefore decided that1 the commissary being one of his most important staff officers1 he ought not only to have military rank1 but that his rank should be of a superior kind4 ,it is worthy of note that in this respect ,gordon was just twenty years ahead of the ,war ,office authorities1 for it was not till the year #ahhd that commissariat officers in the ,english army were accorded military rank4 ,the amusing part of the outbreak of insubordination amongst ,gordon's majors was1 that though they resigned their commissions1 they asked that they might be allowed for the sake of loot to accompany the expedition to ,quinsan4 ,gordon accepted the resignations1 but declined to let the majors take part in his expedition4 ,but he had to yield this point2 for on the following day1 when the fall in sounded1 the men supported their commanding officers1 and refused to obey4 ,the majors1 however1 seeing that there was only one ,general1 and that he might be killed1 in which event the command would probably devolve on one of themselves1 thought better of the matter1 and fell in with their men as usual4 ,the only wonder is that1 with such an army and such disorganised material1 the young commander should have been able to accomplish so much against overwhelming numbers4 ,when ,gordon reached ,quinsan1 he found the ,imperial troops under ,governor ,li and ,general ,ching in a most unfortunate position4 ,they were supposed to be besieging the city1 but the enemy were practically besieging them4 ,gordon quickly drove off the enemy that were seeking to encompass the ,imperialists1 and then he found that ,general ,ching was anxious to attack the eastern gate of the city1 a proceeding that did not at all commend itself to him4 ,he saw at a glance that the western gate would probably be the better one to attack1 as the enemy would be less prepared there4 ,quinsan was an important place1 and was strongly defended2 it was held by at least #ae1jjj men1 and the moat round the fortification was forty feet wide4 ,before coming to a definite decision1 ,gordon made a reconnaissance in a steamer1 taking the ,governor and ,general ,ching with him4 ,being convinced by personal observation that he was right in the step he intended to take1 he informed the ,chinese ,general to that effect1 and in a letter written some little time after the event he says1 ,general ,ching was as sulky as a bear when he was informed that ,i thought it advisable to take these stockades the next day1 and to attack on this side of the city4 ,at dawn on the #cjth ,may1 having surrounded the city with his own and the ,imperialist troops1 he took a small force by water to a point on the main line of communication between ,quinsan and ,soo-chow1 only defended by a weak stockade1 which was easily taken4 ,gordon then took the celebrated little steamer the ,hyson1 and went towards ,soo-chow4 ,meeting a large force of the enemy on the way to reinforce ,quinsan1 he opened fire upon them4 ,little anticipating an attack in this direction1 they got into confusion and fled1 the steamer following them4 ,having inflicted heavy loss on the retreating army and steamed right up to ,soo-chow1 he turned round and went at full speed till he got back to ,chunye1 where he had that morning left a small detachment of riflemen4 ,it was #aj4cj ,p4,m4 and a rather dark night4 ,his intention was to wait till the next morning and renew the conflict by attacking the city4 ,but the rebels within the walls had been seized with panic1 and knowing that the city was invested on three sides1 they made a rush for ,soo-chow4 ,in doing so they met ,gordon's steamer returning4 ,again she opened fire and blew her whistle1 the sound of the latter doing much damage by adding to the noise and increasing the panic among the rebels4 ,the men were in dense masses1 and each shell mowed them down in large numbers4 ,gordon says1 ,the mass wavered1 yelled and turned back4 ,the city had fallen1 and by #d ,a4,m4 on ,may #cast everything was quiet1 and it was reckoned that from three to four thousand of the enemy must have been killed1 drowned1 or taken prisoners4 ,the little steamer had won the day1 having fired some eighty or ninety rounds2 the troops had done little or nothing4 ,only two men on ,gordon's side were killed and five were drowned4 ,thus in a single day had fallen this important city1 which was the key to the position of ,soo-chow4 ,indeed1 the impetuous young commander was anxious to dash on and seize ,soo-chow itself1 but he could not inspire the ,imperialist ,general with his spirit4 ,he says1 ,i have no doubt of my having been able to take ,soo-chow the other day1 if the ,mandarins had been able to take advantage of our success4 ,the capture of ,quinsan was one of the most brilliant strokes of success ,gordon had during the whole of the campaign1 and he attributed it to the fact that the lines of communication between that city and ,soo-chow were neglected1 and that he was permitted to get his steamer into the canal1 which ran parallel with the only road4 ,both the armies which he defeated were compelled to march along the road1 as on each side of the road there was water4 ,through the men marching thus in dense masses1 the shot and shell from the steamer carried death and destruction1 creating much confusion4 ,the ,taiping rebels were evidently not prepared to fight such an amphibious general as ,gordon proved himself to be4 ,it may be well to remark here on the fertility of resource and the initiative power which this young commander possessed4 ,it mattered not what difficulties arose1 his fertile brain sooner or later devised a method by which he could overcome them4 ,it is said that the best doctor is not necessarily the cleverest man1 but the one who is most fertile in resource4 ,if disorders of the human frame refuse to yield to one kind of treatment1 another must be tried1 and so on1 until at last the right method is discovered4 ,there can be no question that this is also true of the military and other callings in life4 ,the man of a fertile brain1 ever ready to suggest new methods when old ones have failed1 is the most likely to succeed4 ,it was to this cause1 more than to any other1 that ,napoleon at first owed his success4 ,when he was a young man1 it was the custom in ,europe to imitate blindly the tactics of ,frederick the ,great of ,prussia1 and to rely on ponderous heavy squares and a slow stiff method of moving4 ,napoleon was the first to see that1 however suitable such tactics had been during the time of the great ,prussian general1 before the development of artillery1 they were not adapted to the changed circumstances under which battles were fought in his own time2 and so in #ahjf at ,jena he smashed to pieces the ,prussian force1 which came against him in all the pride of inherited traditions1 handed down from one of the greatest generals of his age4 ,while it is almost a truism to say that what is appropriate to one age is not suited to another1 it is only men of the type of ,napoleon and ,gordon who are quick enough to see the necessity for a change of method1 and sufficiently resourceful to adopt new plans4 ,ninety-nine generals out of a hundred would never have thought of utilising a little steamer to destroy a land force1 but would have proceeded in the old-fashioned methods of a siege1 and perhaps have lost an enormous number of men in the process4 ,the enemy are always more or less prepared for conventional methods of fighting1 but it stands to reason that they are unprepared for new ideas4 ,hence much of ,gordon's success4 ,in addition to this fertility of resource1 ,gordon displayed wonderful courage in carrying out his ideas4 ,no sooner had ,quinsan fallen than he saw that it would be a good thing to make a change in his headquarters1 and to transfer them thence from ,sung-kiang4 ,with the old centre were associated all sorts of traditions connected with the army before his time1 in the days when discipline was lax1 and the one idea of the soldiers was that the war was being carried on for the sake of providing them with loot4 ,there were loot agents and other means by which the officers and soldiers could easily dispose of their booty4 ,all this was demoralising1 so ,gordon decided on an immediate change4 ,but the army looked at the matter from a different standpoint1 and a mutinous spirit arose4 ,mr4 ,wilson informs us that the artillery threatened to blow the officers to pieces1 and a written notification to that effect was sent to the ,general4 ,gordon at once summoned the non-commissioned officers1 who he knew were at the bottom of the plot1 and threatened to shoot every fifth man if the name of the writer of the notice were not revealed4 ,immediately they all commenced to groan1 one corporal making himself specially conspicuous by groaning very loudly4 ,whether ,gordon had any suspicions with regard to this particular man1 we are not informed1 but he directed him to be seized1 and ordered a couple of infantry soldiers standing by to shoot him4 ,he then had the others confined1 and again repeated his threat to the effect that one in every five would be shot if the name of the writer were not given up4 ,events proved that the corporal already shot was the culprit4 ,no doubt many in this country will judge ,gordon harshly with regard to this summary method of dealing out justice2 but it must be remembered that a civil war was going on in which thousands of lives were annually sacrificed4 ,gordon knew perfectly well that he could suppress it if he had a disciplined force under him4 ,he also knew what a frightful scourge an undisciplined army might become4 ,according to the tradition of all nations1 each man in ,gordon's army had forfeited his life by disobedience in the presence of the enemy4 ,what was the life of one man compared with the thousands of women and children who were suffering through the horrors of that war8 ,we in ,england have been for so long mercifully spared the misery of war in our own country1 that possibly public opinion has become a little too sentimental4 ,during the ,trafalgar ,square riots in #ahhg1 it was suggested by some that the ,fire ,brigade should pump cold water on to the rioters in order to disperse them2 and one writer seriously deprecated such a step1 on the ground that possibly the poor fellows who got the ducking might catch cold6 ,it is possible to go from one extreme to another1 and1 while wishing to avoid harshness and cruelty in any form1 to become too sentimental1 and thus do harm in an opposite direction4 ,sentimental people too often forget the sufferings of the many innocent victims when contemplating those of a few culprits4 ,war is too stern a thing for us to trifle with1 and those whose duty it is to be engaged in it must be prepared to suppress with a strong hand anything in the form of incipient mutiny4 ,with regard to the threat which ,gordon held out of shooting one man in five1 such a form of punishment is by no means uncommon in countries more civilised than ,china4 ,it has been frequently resorted to in ,russia1 and as recently as #ahgf1 during the ,russo-,turkish war1 on symptoms of a mutiny exhibiting themselves among the ,russian troops1 the commander-in-chief threatened to shoot one in every ten of the men1 and thus quelled the manifestation4 ,there can be no question that ,gordon's acting as he did was far more plucky than all the personal exposure to danger through which he went4 ,many men who would be willing to sacrifice their own lives in the path of duty would have shrunk from taking such a step4 ,but though ,gordon was quite prepared to fight as long as he could benefit his fellow-creatures by so doing1 he was essentially a man of peace1 and he loathed the horrors of war4 ,on the #bith ,june he says3 ,the rebels remain very quiet1 and we are engaged in organising another attack upon them4 ,i have1 however1 sent a letter to the rebel chiefs1 offering my good services towards any arrangements they may be inclined to enter into with the ,imperialists1 by which more fighting may be avoided4 ,i am most anxious to have as little fighting as possible1 and shall do my best to bring about a pacific solution of the question4 ,this was the more magnanimous when we consider that he was perfectly confident in the ultimate result of the conflict1 and that in the way of glory acquired by brilliant victories he had everything to gain in terminating the war by force of arms instead of by diplomacy4 ,the rebels at this time had received a great addition of strength by ,burgevine going over to them1 together with upwards of #cjj ,english1 ,american1 and other adventurers4 ,on this subject ,gordon says3-- ,the fact that ,burgevine has joined the rebels will no doubt very much prolong the rebellion1 which1 humanly speaking1 would almost have been put down this year1 or at the latest next spring2 but the force at my command is too small to do everything1 and one has to act with great caution4 ,i feel that ,i have so many lives intrusted to me1 that these are1 as it were1 at my disposal1 and ,i will not risk them in an enterprise ,i consider rash4 ,burgevine is a very foolish fellow1 and little thinks of the immense misery he will cause this unhappy country1 for of the ultimate suppression of the rebellion ,i have little doubt4 ,in another letter he says1 ,i think the rebels will soon get very tired of their auxiliaries1 and the latter of the rebels4 ,the worst thing1 however1 that ,gordon had to fear was treachery on the part of his own officers and men4 ,burgevine knew most of them well1 and had managed very skilfully to associate his own dismissal from the command of the ,ever-,victorious ,army with the fact that he was striving for the interests of the men and officers4 ,consequently he was to a certain extent a martyr in their eyes1 and he made the most of this fact in endeavouring to corrupt some of ,gordon's officers4 ,for ,burgevine was not more successful in alluring ,gordon's army from its allegiance than in defeating it in open conflict4 ,having made one or two unsuccessful attempts1 and discovered that the brilliant young commander was more than a match for him1 he asked ,gordon to meet him at an appointed place1 where he told him that he had determined to desert the rebel cause4 ,this did not surprise ,gordon4 ,what did astonish him was that ,burgevine went on to propose that ,gordon and he should together capture ,soo-chow1 throw off all allegiance to either ,imperialists or rebels1 organise an army #bj1jjj strong1 and set up an independent kingdom of their own4 ,being a mere adventurer himself1 he little understood the man of honour with whom he had to deal4 ,gordon at once cut short further communications4 ,burgevine and his men1 however1 being so disgusted with their masters1 decided to leave them at all costs1 and sent to inform ,gordon that at a signal-rocket being fired by him they would rush out under pretence of a sortie and join him4 ,the signal was given1 the sortie was made1 and a good many got away1 but ,burgevine and a few others had been suspected1 and detained4 ,when ,gordon discovered this1 he generously wrote to the rebel chiefs1 explained to them that it was against their interests to compel men to fight against their will1 and asked for their release4 ,the messenger who bore the letter was interrogated as to whether he thought it possible for ,gordon to be bought over1 and his reply was of course in the negative4 ,strange to say1 ,gordon's request was granted1 and ,burgevine was released and handed over to the ,british ,consul4 ,dr4 ,wilson informs us that3-- ,at the very time ,burgevine was negotiating with ,gordon in regard to his relief1 he had proposed to ,jones1 his lieutenant1 a plan for entrapping the man whose efforts were being directed toward the succour of him and his followers4 ,jones revolted against treachery so base1 and he and ,burgevine had a 'difficulty4' ,jones told the story thus3 ,burgevine drew out his revolver1 which he cocked and discharged at my head from a distance of about nine inches4 ,the bullet entered my cheek and passed upward2 it has not yet been extracted4 ,i exclaimed1 ',you have shot your best friend6' ,his answer was1 ',i know ,i have1 and ,i wish to ,god ,i had killed you4' ,we hear no more of ,burgevine in connection with ,gordon1 so we here part company with him4 ,according to ,mr4 ,wilson1 he had subsequently a very chequered career1 and finally was reported to have been drowned by accident when a prisoner in the hands of the ,imperialists4 ,this writer says1 ,i have no reason to suppose that the account of his death given by the ,chinese authorities was untrue2 and if they did drown him purposely1 they saved themselves and the ,american authorities a good deal of trouble4 ,the only wonder is that a scoundrel who so thoroughly deserved to be hanged should ever have found a watery grave4 ,after the ,taipings had got rid of ,burgevine and his followers1 they began to lose heart1 for they felt that the principal reason why these men had deserted their cause was that it was a losing one4 ,they thought that their chances of holding ,soo-chow against the ubiquitous ,gordon were slight1 and1 as is often the case under such circumstances1 they underrated their own resources1 and overrated those of their opponents4 ,they made sure that ,gordon would soon assault the city1 but this he had no intention of doing4 ,with the small force at one's command1 said he1 ,i am not at all anxious to pit myself against a town garrisoned by seven1 or even ten times our number1 if it can be avoided4 ,instead of attempting an open assault1 which must have resulted in a desperate loss of life1 ,gordon gradually surrounded the city with his own and the ,imperial troops1 capturing all the smaller places around it1 so that it might be completely invested4 ,here again he exhibited his quick perception of the weak points in his opponents' character4 ,even the greatest coward amongst our own countrymen would fight desperately if he felt that all his means of retreat were cut off2 but1 strange as it may seem1 this is not a characteristic of all nations4 ,once let a ,chinaman feel that his means of retreat are destroyed1 and he is filled with panic4 ,gordon says1 ,the great thing in taking stockades from the rebels is to cut off their retreat1 and the chances are they will go without trouble2 but attack them in front1 and leave their rear open1 and they will fight most desperately4 ,interesting as it would be to many1 space does not permit us to follow the details of the siege1 and the severe struggles ,gordon had in different places1 when capturing strongholds of the enemy in order to cut off their supplies4 ,there are1 however1 a few personal incidents that occurred at this time which deserve mention1 in order to show what marvellous escapes he had1 and what great personal danger he was often in4 ,once when sitting on the ,patachow ,bridge1 a somewhat celebrated structure of fifty-three arches and #cjj yards long1 which he had captured from the enemy1 a couple of shots from his own camp struck the bridge close to him4 ,he was alone1 and he could not account for the firing4 ,leaving his seat to ascertain the cause1 he got into his boat and started to row across the river1 when suddenly an enormous mass of masonry fell from the very spot where he had been sitting1 and nearly struck the boat4 ,these two accidental--or shall we more correctly call them providential8--shots saved his life4 ,again1 on the assault of ,leeku1 he discovered that one of his officers1 ,lieutenant ,perry1 had been in communication with the enemy4 ,when challenged1 this officer made an excuse which ,gordon accepted1 saying1 ,i shall pass over your fault this time1 on condition that1 in order to show your loyalty1 you undertake to lead the next forlorn hope4 ,but ,gordon forgot his decision1 and was leading the forlorn hope himself1 when suddenly an officer next to him was struck down4 ,that officer was ,lieutenant ,perry1 who fell into the arms of his commander4 ,many of ,gordon's officers were brave men1 but not a few of them exhibited the white feather1 and he had1 in order to set an example of personal courage1 often to take the lead4 ,sometimes he would take one of these timid ones by the arm1 and1 in his quiet way1 conduct him into the thick of the fight4 ,his men used to think he had a charmed life1 and they termed the little cane which he always carried in place of a sword the magic wand of victory4 ,there is one incident which should be mentioned here1 although the public did not hear of it for many years after it occurred4 ,when the ,ashantee expedition was contemplated1 and speculation was rife as to whom the command should be offered to1 somebody wrote to the ,times1 signing himself ,mandarin1 and1 among other things which he mentioned about ,gordon1 said that during the month of ,september1 before the capture of ,soo-chow1 ,gordon had decided to attack certain detached forts around that place4 ,for some reason his men again mutinied1 and refused to march off the parade-ground4 ,at this juncture ,general ,gordon arrived on the spot1 with his interpreter4 ,he was on foot1 in undress1 apparently unarmed1 and1 as usual1 exceedingly cool1 quiet1 and undemonstrative4 ,directly he approached the leading company1 he ordered his interpreter to direct every man who refused to embark to step to the front4 ,one man only advanced4 ,general ,gordon drew his revolver from an inside breast-pocket1 presented it at the soldier's head1 and desired the interpreter to direct the man to march straight to the barge and embark4 ,the order was immediately complied with1 and then1 ,general ,gordon giving the necessary word of command1 the company followed without hesitation4 ,it was generally allowed by the officers1 when the event became known1 that the success in this instance was solely due to the awe and respect in which ,general ,gordon was held by the men2 and that such was the spirit of the troops at the time1 that had any other but he attempted what he did1 the company would have broken into open mutiny1 shot their officers1 and committed the wildest excesses4 ,in less than a week the spirit of the troops was as excellent as before1 and gradually the whole garrison joined in a series of movements which culminated in the fall of ,soo-chow4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,rebellion ,the city of ,soo-chow was in the possession of seven rebel generals1 each exercising an independent command1 but all recognising one of their number1 ,moh-,wang1 as their head4 ,though the rebels had upwards of #dj1jjj men in the city1 they were badly provided with food1 and dissensions broke out among them4 ,most of the generals were for yielding1 but the brave old chieftain1 ,moh-,wang1 opposed such a step4 ,some of the generals made overtures to ,gordon and ,general ,ching1 making no other condition than that their lives should be spared4 ,but overtures were of no use so long as ,moh-,wang refused to acquiesce4 ,a council of war was summoned1 and hot words passed4 ,one general seized the brave old warrior1 whose spirit was so invincible1 stabbed him1 and severed his head from his body4 ,that night1 ,november #bi1 #ahfc1 ,soo-chow1 which had been held by the rebels since #ahfj1 was surrendered4 ,in order to prevent his men from looting it1 ,gordon sent them back to ,quinsan1 but he asked ,governor ,li to grant them two months' extra pay1 which was denied1 though later on one month's pay was granted4 ,this meanness on the part of the civil ,governor to a body of men who had done so much for the country very nearly led to a mutiny4 ,the culminating point of the young commander's grievances against his employers was yet to come4 ,on ,december #fth1 when ,gordon visited the captured city1 he discovered that the rebel generals who had surrendered had all been killed1 in spite of the stipulation that their lives were to be spared4 ,it is said that ,gordon was so enraged with this cowardly treachery that he burst into tears1 and then went forth1 revolver in hand1 to seek the ,governor1 in order to shoot him4 ,it is to be regretted that ,sir ,henry ,gordon1 in his biography of his brother1 denies this circumstance4 ,nothing is gained by attempting to screen the faults of a great man4 ,the commander of the ,ever-,victorious ,army was undeniably a great man1 but it is also true that he had his share of human failings1 among them a tendency to act on the impulse of the moment4 ,his honour had been touched1 he felt that he had been disgraced and would appear in the light of one who could trample on a fallen foe1 and there can be no question as to the accuracy of the fact1 that in his impulsiveness he did seek the life of ,li ,hung ,chung2 though the ,governor afterwards became a bosom friend of his4 ,mr4 ,wilson1 another biographer1 who has already been quoted1 read his ,,ms4 over to ,gordon1 so that his account is likely to be accurate4 ,in it he says3-- ,his first impulse1 when his two steamers came in sight1 was to obtain hold of the ,futai 7,governor ,li7 and inflict summary justice on that high official4 ,general ,ching1 however1 gave timely warning of ,gordon's incensed state1 and ,li very wisely hurried into the city1 thus avoiding a meeting4 ,for some days after this ,gordon's anxiety to meet with the ,futai was only equalled by that of the ,futai to keep out of his way1 and this was the only period of his campaign during which the commander of the ,ever-,victorious ,army burdened himself with carrying arms4 ,the last words of this quotation1 which ,i have italicised1 clearly indicate what the nature of the summary punishment would have been had the two men met4 ,gordon had an opportunity of striking out those words1 but he was too honest to do so1 for he knew they were true4 ,even though we may blame him for his actions1 we cannot but admire the honesty that would not allow the fact to be concealed4 ,both as a matter of policy and a matter of honour1 ,gordon saw what a fearful mistake had been made4 ,he was of opinion that had an honourable understanding been come to with the rebels at this time1 every other city in their hands would have yielded1 and thus the rebellion would have been terminated4 ,he at once demanded an investigation into the conduct of ,governor ,li and ,general ,ching1 and refused to co-operate with them further4 ,while ,gordon was taking action in this matter1 ,governor ,li was sending despatches to ,pekin claiming far more credit than was fairly due for the ,imperial troops1 though he did not forget to praise ,gordon as well4 ,the ,emperor sent the young commander #aj1jjj taels 7about #cejj7 in token of his approbation1 together with money for the troops and the wounded4 ,the latter was accepted1 but the former was indignantly declined1 and that in a very few stiff sentences written on the back of the paper containing the order3-- ,major ,gordon receives the approbation of his ,majesty the ,emperor with every gratification1 but regrets most sincerely that1 owing to circumstances which occurred since the capture of ,soo-chow1 he is unable to receive any mark of his ,majesty the ,emperor's recognition1 and therefore respectfully begs his ,majesty to receive his thanks for his intended kindness1 and to allow him to decline the same4 ,writing home he said1 ,to tell you the truth1 ,i do not want anything1 either money or honours1 from either the ,chinese ,government or our own4 ,as for the honours1 ,i do not value them at all1 and never did4 ,i should have refused the #aj1jjj taels even if everything had gone well1 and there had been no trouble at ,soo-chow4 ,gordon's army remained at ,quinsan till the end of ,february #ahfd4 ,they had received #gjjj from the ,chinese ,government1 but this1 of course1 did not compensate them for being prevented from taking their share of loot1 and not only were they dissatisfied1 but their inaction was doubtless doing them much harm4 ,moreover1 the rebel forces were recruiting rapidly1 and all the good work that ,gordon had accomplished appeared likely to be undone4 ,gordon heard all the excuses that ,governor ,li had to offer1 and came to the conclusion that ,asiatics must not be judged according to the standard by which ,englishmen1 with a higher sense of honour1 measure themselves4 ,he therefore made up his mind to emerge from his retreat1 and1 stipulating that in the event of future capitulations nothing should be done without his consent1 he once more took the field with the object of terminating the rebellion4 ,on the #agth ,february #ahfd he had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel by the ,war ,office authorities4 ,this1 of course1 made no difference to his position as general in the ,chinese army4 ,his resumption of hostilities was marked by similar tactics to those which he had previously found so successful4 ,blows rapidly struck at distant points appear to have been his aim4 ,having captured ,soo-chow1 the next place of importance was ,nankin1 the second largest city in ,china1 about #ajj miles to the north-west4 ,the rebels were in strong force there1 and the place was too distant to make it practicable to capture it1 at once1 as there were several cities en route still in the hands of the rebels4 ,gordon decided to take these latter in detail1 and he commenced with ,yesing1 which fell easily on ,march #ast4 ,he then proceeded to ,liyang1 which yielded even more easily4 ,the horrors witnessed on this march were awful4 ,gordon said of the inhabitants3-- ,those who still remained alive had been driven to eat human flesh1 and the unburied bodies of the dead were in a condition which showed that much of this revolting food had been consumed4 ,the scenes ,i have witnessed of misery are something dreadful2 and ,i must say that your wish for me to return with the work incomplete would not be expressed if you saw the state of these poor people4 ,the horrible furtive looks of the wretched inhabitants hovering about one's boats haunts me4444 ,i hope to get the ,shanghai people to assist1 but they do not see these things3 and to read that there are human beings eating human flesh produces less effect than if they saw the corpses from which the flesh is cut4 ,gordon's fate was to be hampered by the blunders of his friends4 ,on ,march #bjth he marched on ,kintang2 but just as he was about to commence operations1 an alarming despatch reached him from the ,imperial commander4 ,the ,imperialists had actually not been able1 with their immense force1 to hold cities that ,gordon with his small one had captured and handed over to their charge4 ,fushan had fallen1 and ,chanzu was in danger4 ,however1 ,gordon thought that as he was so close to ,kintang1 he might as well take it1 and so he made an assault4 ,it did not1 however1 yield so easily1 and ,major ,kirkham1 one of his best officers1 was badly wounded4 ,gordon himself was also wounded below the knee4 ,a soldier who saw him struck was about to proclaim the event1 when ,gordon stopped him for fear he should discourage the men4 ,he went on fighting till he fainted from loss of blood1 and ,dr4 ,moffitt#b had to carry him out of action4 #b ,surgeon ,moffitt of the #fgth ,regiment was a man of ability and courage4 ,he became a great personal friend of ,gordon's1 and afterwards married one of ,gordon's sisters4 ,he died in the year #ahhb4 ,he was the only officer who remained with ,gordon from the beginning of the end of the campaign4 ,sir ,frederick ,bruce1 the ,british representative1 wrote to ,colonel ,gordon after he was wounded at ,kintang3-- ,be cautious of yourself4 ,i beg you not to look upon your position merely from a military point of view4 ,you have done quite enough for your reputation as a gallant and skilful leader4 ,we all look to you as the only person fit to act with these perverse ,chinese1 and to be trusted with the great interests at stake at ,shanghai4 ,your life and ability to keep the field are more important than the capture of any city in ,china4 ,gordon had to abandon further attempts to take ,kintang1 and retire on ,liyang4 ,here he took to his steamer1 as he could no longer march owing to his wound1 the first and last that he ever had4 ,with #ajjj men he started on ,march #bdth for ,woosieh1 to find that the rebels who had been threatening that place had fallen back4 ,on the following day1 lying on his back in a steamer1 and accompanied by a flotilla1 ,gordon made a dash with the #ajjj men he had right into the midst of the country held by the rebels1 in order to ascertain their disposition of troops4 ,well might ,colonel ,chesney say1 ,one scarcely knows here whether most to admire the pluck1 or to wonder at the confidence of the wounded commander6 ,he quickly took in the whole situation1 and made up his mind that a place called ,waisso1 which was held by the enemy in some force1 was the point at which to aim4 ,unfortunately1 he was unable to get about himself1 yet he could not take the entire force1 which had been increased by one more battalion1 on board4 ,consequently he had to divide it1 leaving a detachment to go by land4 ,the officers put in charge seem to have fallen into every mistake it was possible for soldiers to make4 ,the attacking regiments did not co-operate1 their flanks were left unprotected1 and a long gap was permitted to occur between two regiments4 ,to make a long story short1 the assault failed1 the assailants narrowly escaping annihilation4 ,unquestionably this signal failure was due to the fact that the commander1 being wounded1 could not see to details himself1 and was obliged to leave his principal arm1 the infantry1 to the direction of others4 ,fortunately the ,imperialists with #fjjj men came to ,gordon's assistance4 ,the ,imperial force had been doing remarkably well in their recent conflict with the enemy1 but unfortunately had lost their commander1 ,general ,ching4 ,this man1 who at first had been so jealous of ,gordon1 had afterwards learnt to know and respect him1 and ,gordon had acquired quite an affection for him in spite of his faults4 ,gordon was deeply grieved to hear of his death1 indeed it is said that he burst into tears4 ,it is touching to read an account of the death of this heathen general1 who1 it will be remembered1 had been a leading man among the rebels before they degenerated4 ,mr4 ,hake's account is founded on the statement of ,governor ,li1 who says that even when he knew his wound was fatal1 he concentrated his mind on the affairs of the country4 ,he pointed out that though the rebels had been beaten1 their strength was not to be despised1 and begged his colleague to order his officers to be careful in battle4 ,he remarked that brave men were not easily to be found1 and he bitterly regretted his own fate1 by which he was prevented from doing his duty to his country4 ,when gradually sinking1 he ordered his servant to bring the yellow jacket presented to him by the ,emperor1 and to assist him on with it4 ,he then bowed his head towards the ,imperial ,palace1 and thus he yielded up his brave patriotic spirit4 ,after the junction of the ,imperialists with ,gordon's force there was little difficulty in the capture of ,waisso1 and with the fall of that place on ,april #fth it became evident that the campaign was fast drawing to a close1 the only places of any importance remaining in the hands of the rebels being ,nankin and ,chanchufu4 ,the former ,gordon left to the ,imperialists1 who felt confident of victory1 and were very jealous of the successful young soldier4 ,indeed1 it is evident that they could easily have taken ,chanchufu also1 but they apparently were in no hurry to close the campaign4 ,many of them were mere mercenaries1 who did not want to remove the raison-d'tre for their existence as an army4 ,strong suspicion exists that an incident which occurred soon after ,gordon reached ,chanchufu1 and when he was making preparations for the attack1 was really an attempt on his life4 ,he and ,major ,tapp1 a clever artillery officer1 were engaged in the construction of a battery1 when suddenly one of the picquets fired a volley at the battery1 and the rebels1 not knowing the cause1 fired also4 ,gordon and his party were thus between two fires1 and ,major ,tapp and several others were killed4 ,the first assault on ,chanchufu was made by the ,imperialists1 and defeated4 ,gordon was then asked to co-operate in another assault1 which he did2 but not being supported by the ,imperialists1 he also failed4 ,after this a combined assault was made1 and again it failed4 ,seeing that the place was too strongly defended for an ordinary assault1 ,gordon taught the ,imperialists how to approach it by means of trenches4 ,another assault was made by the ,imperialists1 who were on the point of being driven back again1 when ,gordon came to their rescue1 and the stronghold was taken4 ,when the rebel commander was captured he said that1 except for the aid of ,gordon and his men1 he could have defied all the ,futai hosts to take the city from him4 ,the garrison was #bj1jjj strong2 the place was skilfully fortified2 and the rebels1 thinking that they would receive no quarter1 fought with great desperation and recklessness of life4 ,with the capture of ,chanchufu ends the list of ,gordon's fights in ,china4 ,his next care was to break up the ,ever-,victorious ,army4 ,he knew this to be very important1 for he felt that they would be a standing danger to the country4 ,with men like ,burgevine about1 who were not wanting in skill1 and were as unprincipled as they were daring1 it was impossible to say what might happen if the command of such an army fell into bad hands4 ,the ,chinese ,government behaved very generously1 giving each wounded officer #ijj1 and others on a similar scale4 ,in a letter written home1 ,gordon says3-- ,the losses ,i have sustained in this campaign have been no joke3 out of one hundred officers ,i have had forty-eight killed and wounded2 and out of #cejj men1 nearly #ajjj killed and wounded2 but ,i have the satisfaction of knowing that1 as far as mortal can see1 six months will see the end of this rebellion1 while if ,i had continued inactive it might have lingered on for six years4 ,do not think that ,i am ill-tempered1 but ,i do not care one jot about my promotion or what people may say4 ,i know ,i shall leave ,china as poor as ,i entered it1#c but with the knowledge that through my weak instrumentality upwards of eighty to one hundred thousand lives have been spared4 ,i want no further satisfaction than this4 #c ,it may be well to note here that his predecessor1 ,ward1 who was killed in action1 accumulated the sum of #fj1jjj1 although he was not very long in command1 and was not considered at all an unscrupulous man4 ,a large sum of money was offered to ,gordon and at first declined2 but when pressed to accept it1 he decided to do so1 and divide it among his men4 ,his pay had been good1 being over #cjjj per annum1 but1 in his usual generous manner1 he had spent it almost entirely on his men1 especially in providing comforts for the sick and wounded4 ,the last fight had taken place on ,may #aath1 and by ,june #ast ,gordon had disbanded his army1 his promptness exhibiting itself to the very last4 ,so parted the ,ever-,victorious ,army1 says ,colonel ,chesney in his ,essays on ,modern ,military ,biography1 from its general1 and its brief but useful existence came to an end4 ,during sixteen months' campaigning under his guidance it had taken four cities and a dozen minor strong places1 fought innumerable combats1 put hors de combat numbers of the enemy1 moderately estimated at fifteen times its own1 and finding the rebellion vigorous1 aggressive1 and almost threatening the unity of the ,chinese ,empire1 had left it at its last gasp1 confined to the ruined capital of the usurper4 ,gordon paid a visit to the ,imperialists who were investing ,nankin1 where he interested himself in their mode of conducting the siege1 and gave a good deal of useful advice as to the future existence of the ,imperial army4 ,beyond this he took no active part4 ,nankin fell2 the ,heavenly ,king1 who was the author of the rebellion1 committed suicide2 and ,chung ,wang1 his celebrated general1 was beheaded1 permission being given to him at his own request that he might first write his autobiography4 ,one cannot but feel that it would have been an act of policy as well as of clemency had the ,emperor spared the life of this noble fellow ,chung ,wang1 more especially as the so-called ,heavenly ,king had committed suicide4 ,as long as he was alive ,chung ,wang showed a loyalty to him that was worthy of a better cause4 ,he might easily have escaped with his life but that he was anxious to save the life of the son of the ,heavenly ,king1 a worthless individual1 with all the faults of his father and none of his ability4 ,chung ,wang gave up his fleet-footed horse to the young man1 who did not even know how to make use of the chance thus given him4 ,the loyalty ,chung ,wang displayed to the rebel chief might easily have been transferred to the ,emperor4 ,governor ,li we shall hear of again1 for when ,gordon revisited ,china in #ahhj he found his old friend still alive and active4 ,there can be no doubt that ,gordon's personal influence over this man was considerable1 and when we next hear of him it is as standing almost alone among his countrymen1 pleading for a peaceable policy4 ,the latter part of the following letter1 which he wrote to ,gordon when in the ,soudan1 shows that he had imbibed a good deal of that public spiritedness which made ,gordon so willing to sacrifice himself for the good of others4 ,the letter was dated ,march #bb1 #ahgi4 ,li ,hung said3-- ,i am right glad to hear from you4 ,it is now fourteen years since we parted from each other4 ,although ,i have not written to you1 ,i often speak of you1 and remember you with very great interest4 ,the benefit you have conferred on ,china does not disappear with your person1 but is felt throughout the regions in which you played so important and active a part4 ,all these people bless you for the blessings of peace and prosperity which they now enjoy4 ,your achievements in ,egypt are well known throughout the civilised world4 ,i see often in the papers of your noble works on the upper ,nile4 ,you are a man of ample resources1 with which you suit yourself to any kind of emergency4 ,my hope is that you may long be spared to improve the condition of the people among whom your lot is cast4 ,i am striving hard to advance my people to a higher state of development1 and to unite both this and all other nations within the four seas under one common brotherhood4 ,an amusing circumstance was the utter bewilderment of the ,regent of ,china1 ,prince ,kung1 as to how he could reward ,gordon4 ,the money offered he had refused for himself1 and as for honours and distinctions they had no charms for him4 ,he accepted the yellow jacket1 the highest distinction the ,chinese ,emperor could confer 7corresponding to our ,knight of the ,garter71 but this he did only to please his parents1 not because he valued it himself4 ,prince ,kung called on the ,english ,minister at ,shanghai and said1 ,you will be surprised to see me again1 but ,i felt ,i could not allow you to leave without coming to see you about ,gordon4 ,we do not know what to do4 ,he will not receive money from us1 and we have already given him every honour which it is in the power of the ,emperor to bestow2 but as these can be of little value in his eyes1 ,i have brought you this letter1 and ask you to give it to the ,queen of ,england1 that she may bestow on him some reward which would be more valuable in his eyes4 ,gordon had already been awarded a brevet lieutenant-colonelcy in the ,royal ,engineers1 so he was now made a ,commander of the ,bath2 but he was as indifferent to ,english honours as to those of the ,chinese4 ,as for ,prince ,kung's letter to ,queen ,victoria1 we are informed by ,mr4 ,hake that he has good reason to believe it never reached the ,queen1 but was allowed to remain in a pigeon-hole in the ,foreign ,office6 ,well may we quote the words of ,axel ,oxenstiern to his son1 to which the late ,prince ,consort once referred in a letter to the late ,emperor of ,germany1 at that time ,crown ,prince of ,prussia1 ,oh1 my son1 mark how little wisdom goes to the government of states4 ,mr4 ,hake also informs us that when ,general ,gordon presented himself at the ,war ,office1 the ,secretary of ,state seemed hardly to have heard his name1 and knew nothing of his work in ,china4 ,yet this was the man that at the age of thirty had saved from ruin the largest empire of the world6 ,we are indeed a marvellous people4 ,we are always manufacturing sham heroes1 and parading them before the world4 ,yet when we have a real one in our midst we utterly ignore him4 ,when one thinks of the many campaigns in which ,england has been engaged since the ,chinese war was over1 the public may well be astonished at a military system which allowed one of its ablest soldiers to live in obscurity1 and not even be consulted in the affairs of the nation4 ,sir ,william ,butler with withering scorn says3-- ,nay1 he was almost a stranger in his own land1 and1 when nearly a generation had passed away1 and the fruit of many blunders had accumulated in ,egypt a load of disaster that seemed too heavy to be borne1 ,gordon was at last called from the obscurity in which he had been so long consigned--he was1 his own brother has told us1 as a person who was now heard of for the first time4 ,a report has been circulated that he was offered the command of the ,ashantee ,expedition and declined it4 ,this report has absolutely no foundation4 ,the truth of the matter is that he never was offered a command on active service of any kind by the ,british authorities4 ,those who manage the affairs of other nations were able to recognise the merits of this remarkable man1 and to find opportunities for him to exercise his powers1 but our own authorities seem to have been absolutely blind to his qualities4 ,yet this was he of whom ,colonel ,chesney1 a great writer on military matters1 said1 ,if there is a man in the world who can conduct a war with honour1 thoroughness1 and humanity1 and bring it to a satisfactory close without needless delay or expense1 ,england has that man in ',chinese ,gordon4' ,it is1 of course1 quite possible that every army has some men of military genius1 whose services are never utilised in positions of importance1 for the simple reason that they are unknown to the authorities4 ,there is no profession in which it is more difficult to pick out the born leaders than is the case in the army4 ,plenty of men who promise well when in a subordinate position prove miserable failures when in command4 ,men who can pass examinations with flying colours are not always able to make use of their knowledge in the field4 ,a foreign power had1 however1 provided a field in which one of our officers was able to show what wonderful military instincts he possessed4 ,it is therefore all the more difficult to find excuses for those who were responsible for the fact that1 as far as ,england was concerned1 ,gordon was allowed to live in obscurity1 and was never even offered a command of any sort in any of the campaigns in which his countrymen were engaged4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,at ,,gravesend ,when ,lord ,john ,russell visited ,elba1 he was asked by ,napoleon1 then a prisoner there1 whether he thought that his rival1 the ,duke of ,wellington1 would be able to live without the excitement of war1 which ,napoleon used to call a splendid game4 ,it seemed incredulous to ,napoleon that a man who had shown himself so good a soldier as ,wellington should retire into the position of a simple citizen1 and ,napoleon1 little knowing the great man1 thought that he would probably use his influence as a statesman to involve his country in war again4 ,to some it may possibly seem strange that ,gordon1 who had distinguished himself as a soldier1 and had saved an empire1 should again take up the humble avocation of an engineer officer1 but so he did4 ,he was in reality only a captain of engineers1 though a brevet lieutenant-colonel in the army1 when in ,february #ahfe he returned home4 ,he took a few months' leave1 which he spent quietly at ,southampton with his father and mother1 shunning all publicity4 ,on the expiration of his leave he was sent to ,gravesend1 to superintend the building of some forts for the protection of the ,thames4 ,during one of our periodical panics as to the safety of the country1 large sums of money were voted for defensive purposes4 ,gordon's duties were very subordinate as far as these defences were concerned4 ,the plans were made out by others1 and his duty was merely to see them executed4 ,though he worked very hard in the performance of his duty1 he made no secret of the fact that he thoroughly disapproved of the way in which the national money was being wasted4 ,it is said that one day1 when the ,commander-in-chief came to inspect the progress of the work1 ,gordon denounced the whole thing most vehemently1 and exposed its worthlessness4 ,it is characteristic of the man that he had the courage of his opinions at all times4 ,he must have been carried away a good deal by his feelings1 for when he got home that day he said that he might have been put under arrest for the way in which he had denounced the work of his superiors4 ,as it was1 his ,royal ,highness smiled good-naturedly at his vehemence1 and took no further notice4 ,but though ,gordon thoroughly disapproved of the nature of the defences on which he was engaged1 he worked very hard at them1 and it certainly is through no fault of his if the ,thames fortifications are not all they should be4 ,he was an early riser and a hard worker1 and as he hardly ever went into society1 and did not go in for games1 he found time to engage in all kinds of religious and philanthropic work1 in addition to his other duties4 ,he spent six years at ,gravesend1 and1 although this is not a popular station with many officers1 he found so much to be done1 that in after years he used to look back upon the time spent there as the happiest of his life4 ,after the stirring scenes through which he had passed in the ,crimea and in ,china1 it may have appeared to some a very commonplace1 uninteresting sort of life to eke out for so many years1 but no one more than ,gordon felt the force of the truth conveyed in the lines3-- ',a commonplace life1' we say and we sigh2 ,but why should we sigh as we say8 ,the commonplace sun in the commonplace sky ,makes up the commonplace day4 ,the moon and the stars are commonplace things1 ,and the flower that blooms1 and the bird that sings2 ,but dark were the world1 and sad our lot1 ,if the flowers failed1 and the sun shone not2 ,and ,god1 who studied each separate soul1 ,out of commonplace lives made ,his beautiful whole4 ,one remarkable characteristic of ,gordon was the persistent way in which he avoided publicity of any sort1 evading every effort to bring him forward4 ,when he first came to ,gravesend no one knew him1 and he used quietly to take a seat in the gallery of the parish church4 ,as soon as it was discovered that the stranger who occupied such a humble place1 was no other than the renowned ,chinese ,gordon1 great efforts were made to induce him to take a more prominent position4 ,but it was in vain4 ,what was good enough for the poor was good enough for him1 and he did not approve of the rich and the eminent occupying all the good seats1 to the exclusion of the poor1 whose souls were just as valuable in the sight of ,god4 ,again1 he steadily refused to take the chair at all public meetings4 ,it was not that he could not speak at such gatherings1 for1 although he was not a good speaker1 he was by no means a bad one1 and he was always willing to conduct services for the poor4 ,he had a horror of taking a prominent position1 and the only occasion on which he ever broke through his rule as to taking the chair1 was at a meeting of some three hundred children over which he presided4 ,he was1 however1 very much at home when sitting in front of a class of children1 and this he infinitely preferred to giving formal addresses even to children4 ,only once was he persuaded to address the whole school collectively4 ,speaking to a large number of children requires a special gift1 and this he did not possess4 ,his strength with children lay in the fact that he obtained a personal influence over each one individually4 ,with a small class he could get to know each by name1 and win the affections of all one by one4 ,the words1 ,he loved little children1 which were the only epitaph on the tomb of a certain ,sunday-school teacher1 might well be applied to ,gordon4 ,it is difficult to say what kind of teacher he was1 or whether he availed himself of the latest developments in the art of instructing children2 but this is quite clear1 that he had one of the best qualifications a teacher can possess1 love for his pupils4 ,there is a tale of a lady visitor who once asked a little boy why he went so far to his ,sunday-school1 when there were as good ones nearer at hand4 ,the reply was1 ,they may be as good1 but they are not so good for me2 and when the lady asked him ,why not8 he said1 ,because they love a fellow over there4 ,love is a qualification that is too often lacking in teachers1 but it was one that ,gordon displayed very prominently4 ,need we wonder that the dear little fellows1 as he used to call them1 responded by loving him in return8 ,nor was it only in the ,sunday-school that ,gordon's love for the young was exhibited2 he also had a class in the ragged school1 and used to invite his boys to his house for instruction in the evening on week days1 as well as on ,sunday evenings4 ,when three or four of them had scarlet fever1 he nursed them in his own house1 and would sit up at night talking to them1 till he could get them to drop off to sleep4 ,he used to call these boys kings1 a name suggested to him when reading ,rev4 i4 #f1 ,and hath made us kings and priests unto ,god4 ,he exclaimed to his sister1 ,why then1 these are little 'kings1' and he stuck to the name4 ,he took great pains to secure good posts for his boys in ships going to sea1 and on a map on his wall he kept a number of little flags representing the boys he had sent abroad4 ,these flags he used to move about as he heard from time to time where the lads were4 ,we need not be surprised that among these boys were some who ardently loved him1 and that they used to give expression to their feelings by scribbling on the wall with a piece of chalk1 as boys will do1 ,god bless the ,kernel1 ,c4 ,g4 is a jolly good fellow1 or ,long life to our dear teacher1 ,gordon4 ,the ragged school at ,gravesend still retains the ,chinese flags which he presented to the boys1 flags which he had himself captured from the ,taiping rebels4 ,they are now kept as precious relics1 to be displayed only on special occasions4 ,sir ,henry ,gordon says1 that when the news reached ,england of the death of the heroic defender of ,khartoum1 a young man1 about twenty-five years of age1 called on him to inform him that he and others who had been ,gordon's boys at ,gravesend1 wished to put up some kind of memorial to his memory1 and that he was willing to give #be4 ,he was much overcome when speaking of all that ,gordon had done for him4 ,another writer relates that on one occasion when ,gordon was watching some workmen1 he saw among them a lad looking very unhappy4 ,on his inquiring1 the lad said1 ,mother has left us1 and gone away from home2 and everything there is so miserable that it is not like home at all4 ,at once the boy was invited to spend his evenings at the ,fort ,house1 where he was instructed in the night school class1 and taught to read his ,bible4 ,some little time after this he fell ill1 and the doctor decided that he ought to be taken to the local infirmary4 ,shall ,i see you there1 ,colonel8 he asked with wistful eyes2 ,i know ,i am going to die4 ,but you are not afraid1 replied ,gordon1 for now you know who says1 ',i am the ,resurrection and the ,life4' ,he will be as near to you in the infirmary as here1 and as near to you in death as in life4 ,oh yes1 ,i know ,him now2 and so he did1 for as the narrator said1 ,the ,colonel had led him to ,christ by his life and teaching4 ,when in the hospital the young lad said to a nurse1 ,read the ,bible to me1 there is nothing like it4 ,but you are very tired1 said the nurse4 ,yes1 ,i am very tired4 ,i do long to go to ,jesus4 ,this is a briefly narrated incident1 and is but a specimen of many that might be recorded if space permitted4 ,gordon also took special pleasure in visiting the workhouse and talking to the paupers1 remembering that-- ,down in the human heart1 crushed by the tempter1 ,feelings lie buried that grace can restore2 ,touched by a loving heart1 wakened by kindness1 ,chords that were broken will vibrate once more4 ,workhouse inmates are1 as a rule1 a very disheartening class to visit4 ,a large percentage of them have been brought there by faults of their own1 and most of them are beyond the age when one may reasonably hope for reform4 ,gordon's kind heart was proof against disappointment1 and he persistently used to visit the old people1 supplying tobacco to the men1 and tea to the women1 and chatting away to them1 in an effort to help them to forget their troubles4 ,he was mindful1 too1 of the sick1 caring not who the sufferer was nor what his complaint2 so long as he was in need1 so long was ,gordon a regular visitor at his sick-bed4 ,frequently when he heard that the doctors had ordered delicacies beyond the reach of a patient1 he would purchase what was required1 and administer it with his own hands4 ,mr4 ,lilley says3-- ,on one occasion he visited a poor1 wretched woman1 in an apparently dying condition4 ,he at once lighted a fire1 made some gruel for her1 and fed her with his own hand4 ,he afterwards appointed a nurse to look after her1 and sent a doctor to her1 and it is believed that she is still residing at ,gravesend1 a living testimony to his generous care4 ,the people so loved him1 that often instead of sending for the clergyman when in sickness or trouble1 the poor would send for the ,colonel living at ,fort ,house1 the official residence of the officer commanding the ,royal ,engineers4 ,even his house and garden seem to have been placed at the disposal of the poor in the neighbourhood4 ,a visitor once remarked to his housekeeper on the beautiful vegetables his garden produced4 ,she replied that the ,colonel never touched them1 but used to let the poor people come in and cultivate plots of ground in the garden1 and grow their own vegetables2 and even when presents of fruit were sent him by friends1 he used to take them to the bedside of some sick person1 who he thought needed them more than he did4 ,as for his own food1 nothing could have been more simple and plain4 ,the ,rev4 ,s4 ,h4 ,swaine says1 ,coming home with us one afternoon late1 we found his tea waiting for him--a most unappetising stale loaf and a teapot of tea4 ,i remarked upon the dryness of the bread1 when he took the whole loaf 7a small one7 and crammed it into the slop-basin1 and poured all the tea upon it1 saying it would soon be ready for him to eat1 and in half-an-hour it would not matter what he had eaten4 ,it is said that some of the boys whom he invited to live in his house were a good deal disappointed when they saw the kind of fare that was put before them4 ,they had fondly imagined that the occupant of such a grand house would have sumptuous meals1 which they would share1 and they were not prepared for the plain salt-beef1 and other good but very plain food1 to which the ,colonel was in the habit of sitting down4 ,but though he denied himself luxuries of any sort1 he often used to take grapes and other dainties to the sick and the dying4 ,all forms of distress aroused his interest2 and when the late ,canon ,miller of ,greenwich was collecting money for the suffering people at ,coventry1 during the cotton famine1 ,gordon took a large and valuable gold medal1 that had been presented to him by the ,empress of ,china1 and having with a gouge scooped out his name1 which was engraved upon it1 put it into an envelope and despatched it to the ,canon1 merely notifying briefly the object for which it was sent4 ,efforts have been since made to discover the fate of the medal1 which was of the best gold1 and twice the size of a crown piece1 but owing to the death of ,canon ,miller1 they have hitherto been unsuccessful4 ,gordon was1 indeed1 generous to a fault1 and sometimes he was taken in by impostors2 but as he had a good knowledge of human nature1 he was not deceived so often as many with his generous heart would be4 ,his generosity was only limited by his purse1 and there were times in his life when he drew the line too fine1 for1 as he himself once said1 ,i assure you that many a time ,i have not known where my food was to come from1 nor if ,i should find a place in which to lie down at night4 ,so long as there was money in his pocket1 so long had he money to give away2 but on many occasions he forgot that he had a long railway journey before him1 and that the generosity he displayed to the needy would not be extended to him at the railway ticket office4 ,but on the whole1 his money was well laid out2 many is the lad he started in life1 many the waif he picked up from the gutter1 who1 now a well-to-do respectable member of society1 might1 but for him1 have been a criminal1 getting into trouble himself1 and leading others astray4 99 99 99 ,it would be interesting to follow more in detail the career of this remarkable man at ,gravesend1 but space forbids4 ,gordon only spent six years at this kind of work1 and much of the time was engaged in his official duties1 yet the results were so good1 that one cannot but regret that a longer part of his career was not passed in the same way4 ,from his letters written in the ,soudan1 it is evident that he often thought of devoting his old age to work among the poor1 had he been spared4 ,it was1 however1 willed otherwise1 and we are only permitted to see how much can be done by a man in six years1 when his heart is thoroughly in the work4 ,it has been remarked more than once1 that ,gordon's military career reminds one of the great soldier ,cromwell1 who did so much to rescue ,england from the degenerate condition into which it had fallen under the miserable rule of the ,stuarts4 ,in the same way the six years spent by ,gordon at ,gravesend1 very forcibly remind us of the great religious philanthropist1 ,lord ,shaftesbury1 who did perhaps more than any other man of this nineteenth century1 or any other century1 to relieve human suffering1 and to solve some of those difficult problems that are associated with the condition of the poor4 ,lord ,shaftesbury had little in common with ,cromwell1 except that both loved ,god and hated tyranny and injustice4 ,their ways of going to work were very different1 but one cannot help seeing that ,gordon combined much of both characters2 and had his lot fallen in different times or different circumstances1 he might have undertaken the work of either4 ,he had all the martial instinct of a ,cromwell1 and1 with it1 the love of relieving suffering which so characterised ,lord ,shaftesbury4 ,his one object seems to have been to-- ,rescue the perishing1 care for the dying1 ,snatch them in pity from sin and the grave2 ,weep o'er the erring ones1 lift up the fallen1 ,tell them of ,jesus1 the ,mighty to save4 ,gordon was never allowed to carry on any work for any great length of time1 and the six years at ,gravesend passed very quickly4 ,in #ahga he was appointed ,british representative on the ,european ,commission to superintend the improvement of the mouth of the ,danube1 so that it might be made more navigable for ships4 ,he was engaged in this work for two years1 with his headquarters at ,galatz2 and the eminent war correspondent1 ,archibald ,forbes1 says that he found his memory still green there in the early years of the ,russo-,turkish war1 fourteen years after he had exchanged the mosquitoes of the ,lower ,danube for the not less venomous insects of the ,upper ,nile4 ,apart from the testimony of ,archibald ,forbes1 we may be quite sure that he did some good work at ,galatz1 for it would be difficult to imagine him doing nothing but the ordinary routine of official duties4 ,he always discovered an opening of some sort by which he could help his fellow-creatures1 and his active mind and sympathetic nature were1 in the words of ,jean ,ingelow1 always asking the question of those with whom he came in contact-- ,are there no briers across thy pathway thrust8 ,are there no thorns that compass it about8 ,nor any stones that thou wilt deign to trust ,my hand to gather out8 ,the time had now come when he was to be called to a new form of work1 one to which he was to give the best years of his life1 and for which ultimately he was to sacrifice life itself4 ,in the ,crimea and in ,china1 he had shown what he could do as a soldier2 at ,gravesend he had set a noble example to the world of what a ,christian philanthropist might do in his spare hours2 and now he was to be called to wage war with the horrors of slavery4 ,we had him in our midst for six years1 and we found no work for him worthy of his abilities2 but while we overlooked his merits1 other nations were not so blind4 ,just as later on the ,king of the ,belgians was anxious to secure his services which we were allowing to remain idle1 so now ,nubar ,pasha1 the far-sighted minister of ,ismail ,khan1 ,khedive of ,egypt1 persuaded him to enter the ,egyptian service1 and go to ,africa as ,governor of the ,equatorial ,provinces4 ,but before we follow him into the ,soudan1 it may be well to dwell for a little on the distinctly religious aspect of his life4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,simple ,,faith#d ,there are few young men who cannot remember having1 in their boyhood1 taken a caterpillar and shut it up in a box4 ,before long the creature assumed a chrysalis form1 and finally developed into a butterfly1 with a completely new power not possessed by the caterpillar4 ,instead of only being able to grovel on the ground1 the creature in its new existence is able to soar high into the air4 ,this is one of ,nature's conversions1 and is a faint illustration of the spiritual change which takes place in the human heart1 when the natural man becomes a new creature with new powers4 ,it is customary for some to sneer at the doctrine of conversion1 scorning the idea of a distinctly spiritual change taking place in the human heart4 ,it would1 however1 be difficult to find any other term by which accurately to describe the change that took place in ,gordon's life4 #d ,in this and the following chapter1 ,i have1 in order to give ,gordon's views1 selected quotations from his letters at different periods of his life1 but not always in chronological order4 ,for want of space a large number of extracts have had to be omitted2 those that are given must be taken as specimens4 ,up to a certain period1 while he had done well all that he was called upon to do1 and had completely outstripped his peers1 showing himself1 in his professional capacity1 to be a head and shoulders above his fellows1 there were nevertheless latent powers within him1 which had not yet been called into play4 ,who can study his life without being convinced that he had a power with ,god1 in later life1 that he did not possess earlier8 ,christ said1 ,i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto ,me4 ,he was lifted up before ,gordon's eyes1 and there was a distinctive response to the magnetic influence of the ,cross2 and1 as in the laws of magnetism1 the instrument that has been charged can in its turn charge metal brought into contact with it1 so in the life of ,gordon we see1 that not only had the ,redeemer a distinct influence on his whole nature1 but that he was himself so charged with ,divine love1 that he was able to exert a magnetic influence over others4 ,ecclesiastics may fight and wrangle about names and terms2 we have to deal with facts4 ,it matters little by what name we call it1 the fact remains that a distinct spiritual change came over ,gordon1 leaving him a man who had power with ,god4 ,but though the effect of this change in ,gordon's life was most marked1 it is not so obvious when it took place4 ,as a boy and a cadet he was full of animal spirits1 and somewhat given to practical joking2 but1 though not a religious boy1 he never was bad in the ordinary acceptation of the term4 ,after he had obtained his commission1 before he went out to the ,crimea1 there were distinct indications of a feeling after ,god1 and some have affirmed that this was brought about through the influence of his mother4 ,that good mothers are blessed by ,god as the means of conveying spiritual light to their boys1 is a fact so frequently evident1 that writers and others are often led to assume it must always be the case4 ,now1 though ,gordon possessed an excellent mother1 of whom he was very fond1 and who in later years became a true ,christian1 as a matter of fact in early life she was somewhat worldly4 ,she was always a remarkably clever and sensible woman1 but in the matter of religion she never attempted to influence her son4 ,whatever of spiritual good there was in him1 was therefore not due to her4 ,that he had great affection for her is clear1 even if there were no other evidence1 from a letter written during her illness in ,october #ahgc1 when he was abroad1 to his sister1 in which occurs this passage3-- ,kiss my dear mother1 and do not fret for me4 ,i have1 thank ,god1 all comfort1 peace1 and happy reminiscence with the knowledge that the ,comforter is with you all2 that ,he is able1 willing1 unselfish1 and kind1 and that ,he will keep you all till you reach the land where the 'sun never sets1' and where you will see ,him1 and know why ',jesus wept' at ,lazarus' grave4 ,feed by the living pastures2 they will fatten you4 ,a few days later he says3-- ,by keeping my watch at your time1 ,i feel enabled to know what you are doing4 ,it will be a sore trial for you to see my dear mother leave her worn-out shell1 but you will feel that ,god takes her to ,himself4 ,my dear mother has spent a useful1 hard-working life1 and a happy one2 it seems as if it is for you she is kept4 ,still the truth expressed in the following lines applied to ,gordon's case3-- ,they talk about a woman's sphere1 ,as though it had no limit4 ,there's not a place in earth or heaven1 ,there's not a task to mankind given1 ,there's not a blessing or a woe1 ,there's not a whispered yes or no1 ,there's not a life1 or death1 or birth1 ,that has a feather's weight of worth1 ,without a woman in it4 ,writers have too often ignored the influence of an elder sister in the formation of a man's character4 ,there can be little doubt that even before ,gordon went out to the ,crimea1 he was indebted to his sister for much spiritual help1 as the following letter1 written from ,pembroke in #ahed1 shows3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,augusta1--,write another note like the last1 when you have time1 as ,i hope ,i have turned over a new leaf1 and ,i should like you to give me some hope of being received4 444 ,i got your very kind letter to-day1 and am very much obliged to you for it4 ,i have not had time to look out the texts1 but will do so to-morrow4 ,i am lucky in having a very religious captain of the #aath1 of the name of ,drew2 he has on the mantelpiece of his room the ',priceless ,diamond1' which ,i read before yours arrived4 ,i intend sending to you1 as soon as possible1 a book called ',the ,remains of the ,rev4 ,r4 ,m',cheyne1' which ,i am sure you will be delighted with4 ,i told ,drew to go to ,mr4 ,molyneux2 and he did so1 and of course was highly pleased4 ,i cannot write much in favour of our pastor2 he is a worldly man1 and does not live up to his preaching2 but ,i have got ,scott's ',commentaries4' ,i remember well when you used to get them in numbers1 and ,i used to laugh at them2 but1 thank ,god1 it is different with me now4 ,i feel much happier and more contented than ,i used to do4 ,i did not like ,pembroke1 but now ,i would not wish for any prettier place4 ,i have got a horse and gig1 and ,drew and myself drive all about the country4 ,i hope my dear father and mother think of eternal things4 ,can ,i do or say anything to either to do good8 ,when you get my book1 read the ',castaway4' ,you know ,i never was confirmed4 ,when ,i was a cadet1 ,i thought it was a useless sin1 as ,i did not intend to alter 7not that it was in my power to be converted when ,i chose74 ,i1 however1 took my first sacrament on ,easter day #afth ,april #ahed1 and have communed ever since4 ,i am sure ,i do not wonder at the time you spent in your room1 and the eagerness with which you catch at useful books--no novels or worldly books come up to the ,sermons of ,m',cheyne or the ,commentaries of ,scott4 ,i am a great deal in the air1 as my fort is nine miles off1 and ,i have to go down pretty often4 ,it is a great blessing for me that in my profession ,i can be intimate with whom ,i like1 and have not the same trials among my brother officers as those in a line regiment have4 ,i ought not to say this1 for 'where sin aboundeth1 grace aboundeth more fully2' but ,i am such a miserable wretch1 that ,i should be sure to be led away4 ,dearest ,augusta1 pray for me1 ,i beg of you4 ,for several years after the date of the above letter1 he alludes very little to religion1 and if we may accept his own statement on the subject1 in a letter from ,china1 dated ,taku ,forts1 #aeth ,march #ahfb1 it is probable that he went back for a time4 ,the climate1 work1 and everything here suits me1 and ,i am thankful to say ,i am happy both in mind and body4 ,i have had a slight attack of small-pox--it is not necessary to tell my mother this1 as it will trouble her4 ,i am glad to say that this disease has brought me back to my ,saviour1 and ,i trust in future to be a better ,christian than ,i have been hitherto4 ,then followed the stirring adventures he went through in command of the ,ever-,victorious ,army in ,china2 but that he could not1 during that period1 have had the full assurance which characterised him later on1 and which arises from the witness of the ,holy ,spirit1 is evident from the fact that he once remarked to his aunt1 ,miss ,enderby1 that he could not make out how it was that he had feared death so little1 when all the time he did not know that he was prepared to die4 ,on the #aith ,september #ahfe1 his father passed away a few months after he had taken up his appointment at ,gravesend4 ,this event seems to have marked an important crisis in his spiritual life4 ,he shut himself up in complete retirement for a few days1 and emerged a very different man from what he had been before4 ,from that time to the day of his death1 he was known as an out-and-out ,christian4 ,during the previous ten years it is clear1 from his letters1 that he was in the highest and truest sense a child of ,god1 but there seems to have been something wanting in his character4 ,from the time of his father's death1 he seems to have had such a firm assurance in ,christ1 that religion was the prevailing element of his life4 ,it is interesting to note that ,gordon dedicated himself to the service of ,god not only in the full vigour of health and strength1 but at a time when he might have been1 had he chosen1 one of the world's favourites4 ,in the case of some1 broken health1 advancing age1 or disappointed hopes and ambitions1 are the causes that lead to a search for something more lasting than this world can offer4 ,thankful as we may be when any man yields to the higher claims of his ,heavenly ,father1 whatever the prompting cause may be1 it is satisfactory to be able to record an instance in which apparently none but the highest motives were at work4 ,gordon at the time of his father's death was only thirty-two years of age1 and though young1 he had done deeds of heroism which might make many a ,victoria ,cross hero envy his opportunity and courage4 ,he had seen what the world had to offer1 and he decided that there was a nobler life to be led4 ,to that new life he dedicated his remaining years1 and1 it need hardly be added1 he never regretted the choice4 ,as late as the #bfth ,march #ahha1 after he had just recovered from a severe illness1 he remarks3 ,b---- said1 when dying1 how glad he was he had sought ,god in his time of strength1 for when he was sinking he could not do so1 and so ,i feel4 ,if we may form any opinion from expressions in his letters1 dating from this time to the day of his death1 ,gordon's religion brought him that peace of mind which passeth all understanding1 and which the world can neither give nor take away4 ,the following are but specimens of many remarks which he let fall from time to time on this subject3-- ,i may say that ,i have died suddenly over a hundred times2 but in these deaths ,i have never felt the least doubt of my salvation4 ,i would that all had the full assurance of life4 ,it is precisely because we are despicable and worthless that we are accepted4 ,till we throw over that idea that we are better than others1 we can never have that assurance4 ,nor must it be thought that the joy and happiness he experienced in religion arose from any inward sense of self-satisfaction4 ,never had a man a humbler estimate of himself than ,gordon1 but his faith in this respect took a very healthy form4 ,instead of morbidly looking into his own heart for evidences of his union with ,christ1 he ever kept his eye on the precious work of his ,saviour for him4 ,space will not permit many quotations from his writings1 so the two following must suffice4 ,the one was written soon after his conversion1 the other near the end of his life4 ,may #c1 #ahfg4--,we are born corrupt1 and1 if the devil had his way1 we should be kept in ignorance of it2 our permitted transgressions show us our state2 it is the root that is evil1 and evil must be its emanations1 yet we feel much more oppressed by the outward sin than by the inward corruption4 ,may #g1 #ahhc4--;,give me a ream of foolscap and ,i will sign it3 it may be filled with my demerits and unworthiness1 which ,i agree to2 but my so doing is a proof of how much ,i accept the free gift of ,god4 ,unless our ,lord's sufferings were in vain1 it is just that sheet of demerits that ,i have signed which gives me my right to ,him2 had ,i a clean sheet ,i should have no right to ,him4 ,gordon's1 however1 was not a faith which contents its possessor merely with a sense of the forgiveness of sins4 ,that he possessed this happy assurance1 is evident4 ,but no sooner had he entered into possession of some of his privileges as a child of ,god1 than he pressed on to obtain more spiritual advantages4 ,the indwelling of ,god in his heart was a truth to which he attached much importance1 and the following extracts are but specimens of much that might be quoted showing that he held the same truth from a period very soon after his father's death to the year which preceded his own death4 ,july #ca1 #ahfg4--;,i have had very nice thoughts on #a ,john iv4 #ac--',whosoever shall confess that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god1 ,god dwelleth in him1 and he in ,god4' ,i think it is the key to much of the ,scripture4 ,i am more than ever convinced that the secret of happiness and holiness is in the indwelling of ,god4 ,the same truth is shown in many other verses1 but the above1 to my mind1 shows it more clearly4 ,let a man seek the teaching of the ,holy ,spirit on such verses1 and he will grow much in grace4 ,as we believe that text1 so we shall realise the presence of ,god in our hearts1 and1 having ,him there1 we have as a sequence holiness and love4 ,he alone can make us believe the truth and keep it in mind4 ,march #ae1 #ahhb4--;,it had struck me before1 in #ahfe1 that the ordinary ,christian life of non-assurance was not a sufficient gain to have come from ,christ's incarnation and death2 then ,i learnt assurance1 then followed the knowledge of ,his indwelling1 then the solution in my mind of the problem of the safety of others2 and then ,i halted1 having given up the thought that in this life it was possible to regenerate the body1 putting down its failings as venial and connected with our human infirmities4 ,in time it came to me that surely some growth1 some improvement1 ought to be made1 some increased sanctification ought to be expected1 one ought not to be so very barren2 glimpses of selfishness1 self-seeking pride1 and a certain weariness of one's chteaux d',espagne came to me1 and led to this--,christ dwelleth in us1 and ,his light enlightens all dark places4 ,he held very strongly the teaching of the ,apostle in ,rom4 vii41 that we have two natures contending for the mastery1 the one good and the other evil4 ,writing to his sister he says3-- ,we are torn in twain by our two natures1 namely1 our own judgment and our faith1 and the result must be inconsistent work4 ,how can it be otherwise8 ,in appearance the ,bible is inconsistent1 and so must we be who fulfil it4 ,the only consolation is to fall back on the text1 ',trust in the ,lord with all thine heart1 and lean not unto thine own understanding4' ,and again on the #fth ,october #ahgh3-- ,you cannot evade it3 we are each composed of two beings--one of which we see1 which is temporal1 which will fulfil certain works in the world2 and one unseen1 eternal1 and which is always in conformity with ,god4 ,one is sometimes uppermost1 sometimes subdued1 but rules in the long run1 for it is eternal1 while the other is temporal4 ,gordon was a remarkable instance of the truth of the text1 ,the people that do know their ,god shall be strong1 and do exploits1 a truth which is as applicable to individuals as it is to nations4 ,gifted by nature with a strong character1 its strength was greatly developed by the way in which he came into personal contact with ,god in the study of ,his ,word4 ,he yielded no slavish subservience to any ,church or priest1 however good1 but tested all doctrines by the unerring standard of ,god's truth4 ,take the ,holy ,spirit1 he used to say1 for your teacher1 and you will never want another word from man on questions of doctrine4 ,he never shrank from facing difficulties1 or new theories1 as some do who are not quite sure of the ground on which they stand1 but would ask all who propounded novel doctrines for chapter and verse for their authority4 ,when difficulties arose1 he used to treat them as that great scholar1 the late ,dean ,alford did1 as shown in the following words3 ,i find difficulties in the ,bible as well as others1 but ,i am so convinced of the general truth of that sacred volume as a whole1 that ,i can easily afford to suspend my judgment on those matters which for some purpose perhaps ,god has not permitted me to understand4 ,the ,bible was to ,gordon a living oracle1 to which he used to apply at all times4 ,here are extracts from two of his letters showing how he regarded it3-- ,out of commiseration for our dual condition1 ,god has given us an oracle which will answer any question1 advise1 instruct1 and guide us2 now this oracle must be ,his voice1 for1 if not1 it would not be ,his word4 ,he has in ,his infinite wisdom incarnated ,his voice in the ,scriptures2 ,his voice is to be understood by the highest or lowest intellect2 it gives answers1 c41 through all time4 ,to the carnal man it is an ordinary book1 to the spiritual man it is alive and makes alive4 ,whether we may apprehend it or not1 the ,scripture contains the mind of ,christ1 and is1 when illuminated with the ,spirit1 as if ,christ was ever talking to us4 ,now1 we should think that if ,christ was ever near to talk with us1 that should suffice us1 and consequently1 as ,i believe that in theory1 ,i try to realise it in practice4 ,knowing the high value that ,gordon placed on the ,word of ,god1 we shall not be surprised to hear that he took intense pains to study the sacred volume4 ,he incidentally mentions that one page of his ,bible had been so worn by use that he could hardly read the words4 ,the energy and thoroughness ever evinced in his professional duties1 he also practised in the earnest search for ,god's truths4 ,he used to apply the text1 ,in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread1 to the soul as well as to the body1 to the living ,bread of ,life as well as to the bread that sustains physical life4 ,at one time he devoted a great deal of time to studying the book of ,revelation1 although he admitted that it was the most difficult book in the ,bible to understand4 ,he did not profess to understand it all1 but he used to quote that saying of ,dr4 ,mackie's1 ,the blessing to be looked for does not come by comprehension1 but by the reading of the revelation ,god has given us in ,his ,word1 ,rev4 i4 #c4 ,but though he read and studied his ,bible as earnestly as he would any other book1 he never forgot the fact that only the ,holy ,spirit can teach us the truths contained in it4 ,we can see the history of the ,bible1 and may understand it1 but we forget that we are blind to its secret mysteries1 unless ,god shows them to us2 our ,saviour says1 ',unto you it is given4' ,only the ,spirit in man finds ,god4 ,he contended1 moreover1 that there could be but little benefit from a mere theoretical study of the ,bible1 and that consequently the best school in which to learn the sacred truths it contained was that of the discipline of life4 ,i feel sure that no study without trial is of avail2 life must be lived to learn these truths4 ,i believe1 if a man knows his ,bible fairly1 and then goes forth into the world1 ,god will show him ,his works4 ,the ,jews learnt the ,scripture by heart1 and so ,i expect our ,saviour did2 ,he therefore had no need to study it4 ,he applied its teachings to life and its trials4 ,nor did ,gordon study his ,bible only when he was alone1 for he was very fond of reading it in company with those who1 like himself1 valued it4 ,thus ,mr4 ,pearson1 of the ,church ,missionary ,society1 who was at ,nyanza1 gives a brief account of his visit to ,khartoum in #ahgh1 and says1 ,after the work of the day was finished1 ,gordon would say1 ',let us have reading and prayer2' and in that very palace which was1 perhaps1 the scene of his death1 we used to meet and pray1 not separating sometimes until one in the morning4 ,before leaving ,gordon and his ,bible1 it is interesting to note that the actual copy of the ,scriptures which he had for a long period1 including the time of his first visit to ,khartoum1 is now at ,windsor ,castle in the possession of the ,queen4 ,the following is the ,queen's letter on the subject3-- ,,windsor ,,castle1 ,march #af1 #ahhe4 ,,dear ,,miss ,,gordon1--,it is most kind and good of you to give me this precious ,bible1 and ,i only hope that you are not depriving yourself and family of such a treasure1 if you have no other4 ,may ,i ask you1 during how many years your dear heroic ,brother had it with him8 ,i shall have a case made for it with an inscription1 and place it in the ,library here1 with your letter and the touching extract from his last to you4 ,i have ordered1 as you know1 a ,marble ,bust of your dear ,brother to be placed in the ,corridor here1 where so many ,busts and ,pictures of our greatest ,generals and ,statesmen are1 and hope that you will see it before it is finished1 to give your opinion as to the likeness4--,believe me always1 yours very sincerely1 ,,victoria ,r4 ,i4 ,it is not a little remarkable that in the history of all eminent ,christians1 those who attach great importance to the study of the ,word of ,god invariably make a point of spending much time at the throne of grace1 waiting on ,god in prayer4 ,these two means of grace seem to be almost inseparable1 and we seldom find one much in use without the other4 ,some people talk about being too busy to spare time for prayer or study of the ,scriptures1 but ,luther used to say that the more work he had to do1 the more necessary did he find it to hedge-in time during which he could be alone with ,god4 ,the more work there is to be done1 the more strength is needed1 and therefore the more important is it to make use of those means which alone can bring strength for work4 ,few men get through more work in the course of the year than ,gordon did1 but he made a great point of so arranging his work as to enable him to find time for private communing with ,god4 ,when in the ,soudan as ,governor-,general he used to hoist a flag outside his tent to indicate to outsiders that he was not to be disturbed except under very urgent circumstances1 and that flag became the signal that the occupant of the tent wanted to be alone with his ,god1 to seek for guidance#e and strength1 which he felt he needed so much in conducting the affairs of the province over which he was called to rule4 ,like all men who begin by praying much for themselves1 his heart was soon drawn out in prayer for others2 and it is evident that he interceded much for his enemies1 as well as for those with whom he was officially brought into contact4 ,thus in one letter he says3 ,i believe very much in praying for others2 it takes away all bitterness towards them2 and on another occasion3-- #e ,it is sometimes said that ,gordon used to toss up when he was in any doubt1 and that such a step indicates want of faith in prayer4 ,as a matter of fact1 he did appeal two or three times to lot in this way1 and he used to quote ,acts i4 #bf as a precedent2 but it is not true that he often decided questions thus1 nor is it true that he resorted to an appeal to lot instead of seeking guidance in prayer4 ,he would pray first1 and ask ,god to indicate ,his mind in this modern form of appeal to lot4 ,the only remedy with me is to pray for every one who worries me2 it is wonderful what such prayer does4 ,in heaven our ,lord intercedes for us1 and ,he governs heaven and earth4 ,prayer for others relieves our own burdens4 ,god turned the captivity of ,job when he prayed for his friends1 who had been as thorns in his side4 ,i feel strongly that the grace ,god gave me to pray for my enemies in the ,soudan led to my success1 though ,i certainly used the sword of ,csar on them4 ,those who are opposed to the doctrine that salvation is not to be obtained by human merit1 but by simple faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 sometimes assert that the ,gospel teaches people to be selfish1 by thinking first of their own salvation4 ,as a matter of fact1 the most active ,christians are those who hold this doctrine2 and never has the ,church of our country been so fruitful of good works1 as when her children have been careful to make it clear that salvation is not to be obtained by them4 ,it is not selfishness for a man to think of his own soul first1 when he knows that he cannot do much good to others till its salvation is assured4 ,the happy combination between a natural unselfishness1 and a newly developed love for the temporal and spiritual welfare of his fellow-creatures1 had very blessed results in ,gordon's case4 ,no sooner was he thoroughly convinced of the importance of religion1 than his unselfish nature exhibited itself in a marvellous development of the missionary spirit at home and abroad4 ,when ,gordon secured anything good1 his unselfish nature at once prompted him to let others share it4 ,it is sometimes supposed that only men of strong faith are in earnest about the propagation of their faith1 but this is not altogether a correct way of stating a fact4 ,the young man who makes good use of the muscular power given to him by ,nature acquires greater strength1 whereas he who fails to do so finds that he has to pay the penalty of his neglect in having his muscles grow flabby and feeble4 ,and so it is with faith4 ,the unselfish man who starts with a weak faith1 but is determined to let others derive as much benefit as possible1 finds his faith growing stronger and stronger1 as he continues to witness evidences of the influence of that faith on others4 ,had ,gordon1 like one in the parable1 wrapt his faith up in a napkin1 instead of making good use of it by putting it out to usury1 he might never have acquired the strong faith which so characterised him4 ,as it was1 he not only to the last day of his life had cause to thank ,god for the full assurance he enjoyed1 but the number of orphans1 of widows1 and of others1 who derived benefit directly or indirectly from his faith1 will never be known4 ,there are some to whom one might apply1 though in a slightly different sense1 the words of ,naaman's servants1 ,if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing1 wouldest thou not have done it8 ,while willing to exercise this faith in the performance of great deeds1 they overlook numerous smaller opportunities of working for their ,master1 and fail to do anything because they are always looking out for great opportunities4 ,the great change in ,gordon's life took place at ,gravesend1 and it was there he commenced to show that intense longing to do good to others which characterised him to the end4 ,nothing was beneath his notice1 nobody too insignificant for him4 ,the gutter children1 and the inmates of the workhouse1 might have been passed over by many in his position who had higher aims4 ,it was not so with ,gordon1 and consequently he quickly cultivated the missionary spirit1 and soon reaped a rich harvest1 proving the truth of ,browning's lines about the humble-minded man1 who finds nothing too insignificant for his energies3-- ,that low man sees a little thing to do1 ,sees it and does it3 ,this high man with a great thing to pursue1 ,dies ere he knows it4 ,that low man goes on adding one to one1 ,his hundreds soon hit3 ,this high man aiming at a million ,misses an unit4 ,here was a man1 who had already made a great name for himself in the world1 and might1 had he wished1 have been far better known1 planning out for himself a future career1 the main object of which was to spread abroad a knowledge of those spiritual truths which had so greatly benefited him1 and that not by the formation of some great society1 some splendid organisation1 but by simply putting himself into touch with some of the humble city missionaries1 and1 through their instrumentality1 getting at the poor4 ,witness these two passages from his letters3-- ,january #h1 #ahha4--;,i hope1 ,d4,v41 to put myself in communication with some of our ,scripture-reader people1 and shall try and visit ,christ1 who is in the ,east end in the flesh 7,matthew xxv4 #cd74 ,i feel this is what ,i shall like2 these truths were not given to make a man idle4 ,september #bd1 #ahha4--;,i have been down for two ,sundays to meet a lot of ,chinese1 and have spoken to them as well as ,i could4 ,i have not yet touched on ,jesus and ,his sacrifice1 but spoke of ,god's indwelling4 ,it was satisfactory1 and they were pleased4 ,it is also interesting to note how1 from time to time1 he kept on reproaching himself for not being more alive to his responsibilities1 and making better use of his opportunities to do good4 ,he even seemed to begrudge himself the few months' holiday he spent in ,palestine recruiting his health and energies4 ,writing on ,august #ad1 #ahhb1 he says3-- ,fancy1 since ,i left ,mauritius1 with the exception of twenty-nine days on board ship1 ,i have been living at hotels1 and1 ,i may say1 have not talked of the pearls to more than a dozen people4 ,and again from ,palestine he wrote3-- ,you know ,i do not like idleness2 ,i want to get to a place where ,i can find sick people to visit1 feeling sure that is the necessary work for me2 ,i think ,he will direct me1 so ,i seek no advice elsewhere4 ,i leave it to ,god1 to decide in ,his time4 ,i do not like the ways of the polished world1 and my dislike has increased during the time ,i have been here4 ,however much ,gordon might reproach himself1 it must not for one moment be supposed that1 in the ordinary acceptation of the word1 there was any cause for it4 ,he was in truth a most indefatigable worker1 and no matter how hard his official work was1 he always seemed to find time to do something for his ,master4 ,a case in point is the time he spent in ,south ,africa1 when it is difficult to understand how he got through all the official work he managed to compress into his brief sojourn4 ,yet we find that the herculean task of reorganising the colonial army was not the only thing that occupied his attention1 for on the #abth ,august #ahhb he writes to his sister3-- ,how odd1 those leaflets#f being in ,dutch1 and my wanting them1 and your sending them just as ,i am about to go up to the ,free ,state1 when1 as in the ',auld time long ago1' ,i shall be dropping them along the road near the ,boer towns4 ,what hundreds ,i did give away2 how ,i used to run miles1 if ,i saw a scuttler 7boy7 watching crows in a field6 ,if ,i1 or any one else1 went now to ,gravesend and dropped them1 how quickly men1 now grown up1 would remember that time4 ,send me the whole lot out unless you want them1 ,i mean of all languages2 it is the loveliest leaflet ,i ever saw1 and it still looks fresh4 #f ,this leaflet consists principally of a few choice and carefully selected passages of ,scripture1 and shows how intensely he valued the ipsissima verba of ,god's own word1 as a means of reaching the human heart4 ,francis de ,sales1 an eminent saint of the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 when a famine was prevailing1 and he wanted to preach in a certain village1 purchased twelve waggons and packed them with bread4 ,he sent the waggons forward one at a time1 going on the last one himself4 ,for1 said he1 we must get at the poor through their physical natures4 ,they will be the more willing to receive our message for their souls when they see that we care about their bodies4 ,gordon used to act on the same principle1 and made a great point of caring for the physical wants of any he found in trouble4 ,it would be difficult to enumerate all the instances of this to which publicity has been given1 but a few cases may suffice4 ,one lad who exhibited consumptive tendencies he sent at his own expense to ,margate4 ,the boy recovered1 grew up to be a man1 and christened his eldest son ,gordon1 in memory of one who1 he used to say1 had saved both his body and soul4 ,another story is told of a case in which ,gordon handed over a dirty little urchin to one of his lady friends1 with the remark1 ,i want to make you a present of a boy4 ,under good influences the lad grew up until he became a respectable member of society4 ,years after1 when he was earning good wages at sea1 and was about to be married1 he fell from the topmast of his vessel1 and was conveyed to the ,gravesend ,infirmary with a fractured skull4 ,in his last moments1 however1 he did not forget his benefactor1 and1 in trembling tones1 asked his adopted mother to tell the ,colonel how he valued the truth contained in that beautiful hymn he had taught him1 ,jesus1 ,lover of my soul4 ,the same writer mentions also the history of a boy called ,albert who1 through ,gordon's kindness1 was apprenticed to a tradesman at ,gravesend4 ,subsequently the lad went into a business house at ,southampton1 where he was placed in a department which he did not understand4 ,fearing that his services would be dispensed with1 he communicated with his friends1 and they1 in turn1 wrote to ,general ,gordon1 who happened to be staying in ,southampton at his sister's house4 ,without loss of time the ,general called on ,little ,albert1 whom he scarcely recognised in the youth of six feet two inches who presented himself1 and had a consultation with his employer4 ,the result was that the young man was retained in his situation1 and placed in a department with which he was well acquainted4 ,it is by no means uncommon to find that those who are eager about the spread of spiritual truths among professing ,christians1 are also keenly alive to the importance of mission work among non-,christian people4 ,gordon was a remarkable instance of this happy combination4 ,the chapter that deals with his life in ,palestine gives an insight into this part of his character1 but a few words will not be out of place here to show his opinion on this subject in other countries4 ,he had a very high ideal of what a missionary should be1 and a supreme contempt for bad missionaries4 ,he was on the whole fortunate in the class of men he came across in ,palestine1 the ,soudan1 and ,south ,africa4 ,in the first of these two places the missionaries belonged to the ,church ,missionary ,society1 an organisation with which he was much in sympathy4 ,but he also met men of other societies1 and his large-hearted sympathies went out to them too4 ,he was a great admirer of ,livingstone1 and spoke of him with much respect and affection4 ,the spirit of heroism which has characterised so many of our missionaries attracted him greatly4 ,do not send lukewarms1 he once wrote to ,mr4 ,wright1 the ,honorary ,secretary of the ,church ,missionary ,society2 and one of the first things he did at ,gravesend was to support the ,moravian ,missions by becoming their local treasurer4 ,later on in ,africa he writes1 ,how refreshing it is to hear of the missionary efforts made in these countries4 ,we may not quite agree with all that ,gordon said on the subject of foreign missions1 and some may think that the standard he set up was too high for frail human nature to aim at4 ,moreover1 recent events in ,uganda1 and elsewhere1 may have shown us that good work can be done by men who fall far short of ,gordon's standard4 ,nevertheless1 we cannot but feel that he was himself1 in the truest sense of the word1 a missionary1 and that the ,earl of ,harrowby did not at all exaggerate the truth when he said about ,gordon1 after his death3-- ,i believe that one effect of that man's example was to lift up a noble standard for the cross in a way that no professional missionary could have lifted it up1 and to oblige devotees of pleasure and people who had thought but little of such things to acknowledge the power of the ,gospel4 ,many who saw him and spoke to him could not understand him4 ,it was to them a marvellous sight to witness1 and ,i feel that we can hardly be grateful enough to that great man for the infinite benefits which he has bestowed upon us as friends of missions4 ,apart from any direct work that he did to advance the cause of missions1 an illustration has recently been given us in ,the ,jewish ,intelligencer1 showing what an influence his life had on ,mohammedans and others with whom he came in contact4 ,the writer describes a conversation he had with a shereef from ,mecca1 a man who was held in the greatest veneration by all loyal ,mohammedans4 ,he was a well-informed man1 and had travelled much4 ,in speaking of ,gordon1 he said3 ,oh6 the ,english lost a great man1 it is true1 but the unhappy ,mussulmans have lost in him a benefactor1 a father1 and a servant of the true ,god4 ,before ,i knew him ,i hated the ,christians1 but ,gordon has taught me to love them2 and ,i see more clearly every day that a religion which makes such heroic1 faithful1 and disinterested men1 can only be a religion coming from the true ,god4 ,and1 believe me1 the whole ,mohammedan world has felt1 and still feels every day1 the loss of the noble defender of ,khartoum4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,his ,,catholicity ,so many ,churches and parties have laid claim to ,gordon's patronage1 and such extraordinary views have been attributed to him on religious subjects1 that it may not be out of place to say something on the point4 ,his mind was very comprehensive1 and his whole nature sympathetic1 consequently many1 differing widely from each other1 have regarded him as an ally of their own cause4 ,when he became ,private ,secretary to ,lord ,ripon1 on the appointment of the latter1 who is a ,roman ,catholic1 as ,governor-,general of ,india1 it was stated in some of the ,indian papers that the new ,viceroy had been urged by ,mr4 ,gladstone to accept a ,baptist as his ,private ,secretary1 in order to conciliate the ,nonconformist and ,protestant element in ,england4 ,there was not a word of truth in the statement4 ,the ,baptist ,church has possessed some very eminent men1 such as ,sir ,henry ,havelock1 ,dr4 ,carey1 ,dr4 ,judson1 ,dr4 ,angus1 and ,mr4 ,spurgeon1 but ,general ,gordon was not one of their number4 ,he was baptized as a member of the ,church of ,england1 and though he was never confirmed1 yet he lived and died a communicant of that body4 ,in many ways he was a thorough type of that catholic generous class of ,churchmen1 so characteristic of our ,national ,church1 which1 taking a large-hearted view of ,church membership1 recognises all that is good1 noble1 and pure in other systems1 and is not afraid of losing caste by associating with ,nonconformists4 ,nor would it be fair to say that his catholicity developed only in the direction of the ,nonconformists1 for no man ever tried more than he to see good in other systems of religion1 such as the ,roman ,catholic and ,greek ,churches1 and even ,mohammedanism4 ,he had a remarkably open mind1 and was always anxious to distinguish between persons and principles4 ,he fully recognised the errors of certain religious systems1 but this did not in the least interfere with his recognition of good in the individuals who adhered to them4 ,the catholicity of his own views may be gathered from the following extracts made from his letters at different times3-- ,i do not think much of getting help from only one particular set of men2 ,i will take ,divine aid from any of those who may be dispensing it1 whether ,high ,church1 ,low ,church1 ,greek ,church1 or ,roman ,catholic ,church2 each meal shall be1 by ,god's grace1 my sacrament4 ,i would wish to avoid laying down the law3 you may look at a plate and see it is round2 ,i look at it1 and see it is square2 if you are happy in your view1 keep it1 and ,i keep mine2 one day we shall both see the truth4 ,i say this1 because we often are inclined to find fault with those who do not think as we do1 'who do not follow us4' ,why trouble others and disturb their minds on matters which we see only dimly ourselves8 ,at the same time ,i own to repugnance to the general conversation of the world and of some religious people2 there is a sort of ',i am holier than thou' in their words which ,i do not like1 therefore ,i prefer those subjects where such discussions do not enter4 ,join no sect1 though there may be truth in all4 ,be of the true army of ,christ1 wear ,his uniform1 ,love3 ',by this1 and by no other sign1 shall men know that ye are ,my disciples4' ,if we may judge of a man by his friends and his books1 few can surpass ,general ,gordon in catholicity4 ,he used to say that he learned certain truths from certain individuals4 ,thus1 from the writings of an eminent ,plymouth ,brother1 ,c4 ,h4 ,mackintosh1 he learnt the doctrine of the two natures within himself1 and from a ,mr4 ,jukes he learnt the lesson of the crucifixion of the flesh4 ,mr4 ,mylne1 he used to say1 taught me the importance of intercessory prayer1 and ,colonel ,travers taught me the importance of bringing forth the fruit of the ,spirit4 ,he valued also ,bishop ,pearson's work on the ,creed1 and the standard work on the ,thirty-nine ,articles by the lately-retired ,bishop of ,winchester4 ,the ,imitation of ,christ1 by ,thomas ,kempis1 was a favourite book1 and one which he gave away largely4 ,christ's ,mystical1 by ,hall1 and ,the ,deep ,things of ,god1 by ,hill1 were also much valued1 and given away to his friends1 as well as ,clark's ,scripture ,promises1 and ,wilson on ,contentment4 ,he was an admirer of the eminent preacher ,charles ,h4 ,spurgeon1 about whom he says3-- ,i found six or seven sermons of ,spurgeon in the hotel1 and read them4 ,i like him2 he is very earnest2 he says3 ',i believe that not a worm is picked up by a bird without direct intervention of ,god1 yet ,i believe entirely in man's free will2 but ,i cannot and do not pretend to reconcile the two4' ,he says he reads the paper to see what ,god is doing and what are ,his designs4 ,i confess ,i have now much the same feeling2 nothing shocks me but myself4 ,he was personally very fond of the late ,bishop of ,lincoln1 ,dr4 ,christopher ,wordsworth1 describing him as imbued with the indwelling of ,god2 only one fault--he is hard on the ,roman ,catholics4 ,the last phrase gives a good insight into the working of ,gordon's mind4 ,romish ,catholicism1 as a religious system1 was about as opposed as anything could be to his own views1 which were all in favour of comprehensiveness1 and a large display of individuality4 ,but though he had no sympathy with the narrow exclusiveness of that ecclesiastical survival of the dark middle ages--the ,roman system--he had the greatest sympathy with earnest individuals1 who in spite of their system possessed the ,spirit of ,christ4 ,he had many sincere friends who were members of the ,church of ,rome1 and he used to remark that some of them set a noble example of devotion to many ,protestants1 who did not act up to their own principles4 ,writing on the #eth ,january #ahgh1 he says3-- ,why does the ,romish ,church thrive with so many errors in it8 ,it is because of those godly men in her who live ,christ's life1 and who1 like as ,zoar was spared for ,lot's sake1 bring a blessing on the whole community4 ,for self-devotion1 for self-denial1 the ,roman ,catholic ,church is in advance of our present-day ,protestantism4 ,what is it if you know the sound truths and do not act up to them8 ,actions speak loudly and are read of all2 words are as the breath of man4 ,but in spite of his large-hearted toleration he had no hesitation in speaking out against the tendency of ,romanism which unduly exaggerates the position of the priests1 and puts the laity into a subservient position with regard to them4 ,writing from ,khartoum with regard to the ,abyssinians1 he says3-- ,the excommunication of the priests is the great weapon--it is terrible2 far worse than1 or quite as bad as1 that of the ,inquisition4 ,it amuses me to hear the ,catholic priests here ,khartoum complain of it1 and say that the priests want to keep the people ignorant1 so as to rule them4 ,is it not what they would do elsewhere1 if they could8 ,it may be supposed by some that ,general ,gordon was a member of what is known as the ,evangelical party in the ,church of ,england1 but though he held perhaps more in common with that party than with any other1 it would be inaccurate to say that he belonged to it4 ,religious party views are always rather difficult to describe1 and it will be found that in every party there are some whose minds do not run on partisan lines4 ,an eminent bishop was once asked to define the three parties of the ,national ,church1 and he replied1 that the ,high ,churchman always asked what the ,church taught1 the ,broad ,churchman could be distinguished by his asking what reason taught1 and the ,evangelical was known by his asking what the ,bible taught4 ,if such a rough-and-ready system of classification be applied to ,general ,gordon1 there can be no question that his loyalty to the ,bible would stamp him at once4 ,in addition1 however1 to this characteristic1 which was the most prominent one in his life1 he held in common with the ,evangelicals1 and far more strongly than the majority of them1 the doctrine of ,election1 and the wise policy of cultivating friendly relations with ,nonconformists1 to whose places of worship he frequently went1 as also the doctrine of personal assurance1 and that of the utter depravity of human nature4 ,but ,gordon was not of a type of mind that can ever go completely with a party4 ,he had such a strong individuality1 that it would have been impossible for him to do as many do--sink his own views on questions not of vital importance1 so as to be enabled to work with the party with which he was most in accord4 ,he was nothing1 if not original and genuine2 he sought the truth for himself1 and would not receive stereotyped views of religion where he did not see that they were in harmony with the ,bible4 ,he that cannot think is a fool1 ,he that will not is a bigot1 ,he that dares not is a slave4 ,his fearlessness in the search for truth made him frequently touch on subjects on which his own mind was not fully made up4 ,the fate of those who had not accepted ,christ as their ,saviour was one of these points4 ,though he frequently spoke of his own salvation1 through the merits of ,christ1 he believed that ,god had provided some means of saving those who had never had opportunities of hearing of ,christ1 but he never dogmatised on what those means were4 ,referring to his ,mohammedan secretary1 ,berzati ,bey1 he writes on the #abth ,april #ahha3-- ,he will ever be one of those who have taught me the great lesson1 that in all nations and in all climes there are those who are perfect gentlemen1 and who1 though they may not be called ,christians1 are so in spirit and in truth4 ,they may not see how ,christ is their ,saviour1 but they die with a sense that all their efforts are useless1 and with the conviction that unless ,god provides some way of satisfying ,his justice1 they have no hope4 ,the fate of the heathen who are suffering1 not from any personal rejection of true religion1 but on account of the sins of some distant ancestors who forsook the worship of the true ,god1 is a mysterious subject1 and one on which true ,christians have differed4 ,the most that any of us can do is to take comfort in the conviction that-- ,the love of ,god is broader ,than the measure of man's mind4 ,it must not1 however1 be thought1 because ,gordon held that the ignorance of the heathen was no bar to their salvation1 that he in any way undervalued the benefits of the ,christian faith4 ,again and again1 in view of his being asked to become a ,mohammedan in order to save his life1 he says in substance what he wrote on ,september #aj1 #ahhd1 when ,khartoum was surrounded with bigoted ,mahdists3 ,if the ,christian faith is a myth1 then let men throw it off2 but it is mean and dishonourable to do so merely to save one's life1 if one believes it is the true faith4 ,he also believed that heathen magicians had influence with ,god4 ,writing to his sister shortly after a repulse that his men received from some natives near ,moogie1 in the ,equatorial ,province1 he says3 ,did ,i not mention the incantations made against us by the magicians on the other side1 and how somehow1 from the earnestness that they made them with1 ,i had some thought of misgiving on account of them8 ,these prayers were earnest prayers for celestial aid1 in which the ,pray-er knew he would need help from some unknown power to avert a danger4 ,that the native knows not the true ,god is true2 but ,god knows him1 and moved him to pray1 and answered his prayer4 ,but while ,general ,gordon held much in common with the liberal ,evangelicals1 there was one point on which he differed from them very strongly1 and on which he was more in sympathy with the ,broad ,church party in the ,national ,church1 or those amongst the ,nonconformists known as the ,down ,grade party2 this was the doctrine known as ,universalism4 ,whether we agree with him or not1 we must in honesty recognise the fact that ,gordon held a modified form of the doctrine that there is no such thing as future punishment4 ,writing on the #acth ,october #ahgh he gives his views thus3-- ,i look on universal salvation for every human being1 past1 present1 or future1 as certain1 and1 as ,i hope for my own1 no doubt comes into my mind on this subject4 ,is it credible that so many would wish it to be otherwise1 and fight you about it8 ,and among those many are numbers1 whose lives1 weighed truly as to their merits by the scale of the sanctuary1 would kick the beam against those they condemn4 ,once ,i did believe that some perished altogether at the end of the world--were annihilated1 as having no souls4 ,after this1 ,i believed that the world was made up of incarnated children of ,god and incarnated children of the evil spirit2 and then ,i came to the belief that the two are in one4 ,with reference to the doctrine of annihilation1 ,i do not think it gives the same idea of ,god as is obtained from this other view4 ,it may show force to annihilate1 but we should think more highly of a monarch who would1 by his wisdom1 kindness1 and long-suffering1 turn a rebel people into faithful subjects1 than of him who had the land wasted and utterly destroyed his rebellious subjects4 ,i do not think that after the declaration1 ',it is finished1' there can be any more probation2 punishment brings no one to ,god4 ,once more1 writing on the #afth ,may #ahhc1 he says3-- ,i have become much more timid about speaking of these matters of universal salvation1 yet perforce one comes to this question4 ,if every one lives1 then he must live by the fact of his possession of an emanation of the ,life of ,life1 which must be good1 and never can be evil4 ,this emanation is the cause of his existence1 his life in fact1 and that ,i regard as the 'he4' ,perhaps the best answer will be found in ,sir ,william ,butler's ,life of ,gordon4 ,dealing with ,gordon's difficulty about future punishment1 he says with truth3-- ,yet never lived there man who in his own life had seen more of the vast sum of human wrong-doing which has to be righted somewhere1 and on which no sword of justice ever lights in this world4 ,he does not seem to have asked himself the question1 ,if ,i am shooting and hanging these maker of orphans2 if ,i am punishing with stripes and chains these sellers and buyers of human flesh1 and doing it in the name of truth and right1 is the ,great ,judge of all to be denied ,his right to use the sword of justice upon those who are beyond my reach8 ,are nine-tenths of the evil-doers on earth not only to escape the penalty of their crimes1 but often and often to be favoured reapers in the harvest of the world's success8 ,you catch the common robber1 or the man who steals1 perhaps through starvation1 penury1 or through knowing no better1 and you imprison him for years or for life2 and is the rich usurer who has wrung the widow's farthing from her1 is the fraudulent bankrupt1 is the unjust judge1 is the cruel spoiler of war to pass from a world that in millions and millions of cases gave them wealth and honours1 and stars and garters1 instead of ropes and bars and gallows1 to go forthwith to free pardon1 to everlasting light and endless rest beyond the grave8 ,it would indeed be strange justice that meted to ,jude and ,judas the same measure of mercy in the final judgment4 ,it must be borne in mind that ,gordon was not a trained theologian but an earnest ,christian soldier4 ,as his brother1 ,sir ,henry ,gordon1 reminds us1 he led a very lonely life1 and consequently often lost opportunities of hearing both sides of a question4 ,he might come across a book on one side1 and thus adopt a certain set of views without hearing the opposite side4 ,no man was more capable of forming a sound opinion1 when arguments pro and con were fairly laid before him1 but his peculiar style of life often prevented him from doing justice to his own judgment4 ,if ,gordon was likely to err in one direction more than another1 it was in that of an exaggerated form of kindness4 ,he had a tender1 loving heart1 which unduly influenced his judgment4 ,it would be well for all students of ,god's ,word if it could be said that their only failings arose from exaggerated virtues4 ,all have some weak points1 and it would be ridiculous to claim for ,gordon immunity from error4 ,find earth where grows no weed1 and you may find ,a heart wherein no error grows4 ,no writer would be doing justice to ,gordon if he failed to deal with his views on the subject of ,god's ,sovereignty1 for from the beginning to the end of his religious life he attached the greatest importance to this doctrine4 ,he was avowedly what is generally called a ,calvinist1 though as a matter of fact he very seldom made use of the term4 ,that sainted prelate1 the late ,bishop ,waldegrave1 when once he heard a young clergyman sneering at the doctrine which so frequently goes by the name of ,calvinism1 remarked3 ,young man1 before you denounce ,calvinism1 take care that you properly understand what the term means1 or possibly you may find yourself contending against some of ,god's truths4 ,now that it is so fashionable to denounce ,calvinism1 it is perhaps well to act on the good bishop's advice1 and see whether we thoroughly comprehend it1 or whether all the time we are not contending with a creation of our own imagination which is but a caricature of the thing itself4 ,even ,froude1 the great historian1 who1 whatever else he is1 is not a ,calvinist1 inquires how it is that ,calvinistic doctrines have possessed such singular attractions for some of the greatest men who have ever lived8 ,if it be a creed of intellectual servitude1 how was it able to inspire and sustain the hardest efforts ever made by man to break the yoke of unjust authority8 ,of course in ,calvinism1 as in the opposite doctrine1 some have gone to great extremes and brought ridicule on the subject1 but as ,gordon's views were strictly moderate1 and eminently practical1 it is not necessary to consider to what extreme lengths some may go who differ from him on either side1 nor is it necessary to consider all the revolting doctrines which have been attributed to ,calvin by his enemies1 nor some of the things he may even have said in the heat of argument4 ,gordon was distinctly of the moderate school of ,calvinists2 he believed that the heart of man was so corrupted by the ,fall1 that he could not of his own accord turn to ,god1 and that consequently in the case of those who did turn1 it must have been ,god's work1 drawing the heart to ,himself4 ,he contended that to look at ,christianity from the opposite standpoint1 that of ,human ,responsibility1 pandered to the pride which is innate in the human heart4 ,thus the individual would be always tempted to think that it was his wisdom1 his foresight1 his strength1 his decision1 or his something1 that made him close with the offer of mercy1 and so looking around him1 and seeing many going astray1 he would be tempted to congratulate himself on his success1 when so many failed1 and to fondly imagine that it was a case of the survival of the fittest4 ,once let the ,christian grasp the actual truth1 and he is deprived of this element of self-glorification4 ,his title to honour is removed by the thought that an exterior power1 unknown to himself1 drew him with the cords of love1 or drove him with the lash of fear4 ,there are numerous passages in which ,gordon expressed himself on this subject1 but perhaps the following states his views as well as any3-- ,to accept the doctrine of man having no free will1 he must acknowledge his utter insignificance1 for then no one is cleverer or better than his neighbour2 this must be always abhorrent to the flesh4 ',have not ,i done this or that8' ',had ,i naught to do with it8' ,for my part1 ,i can give myself no credit for anything ,i ever did2 and further1 ,i credit no man with talents1 c4 c41 in anything he may have done4 ,napoleon1 ,luther1 indeed all men1 ,i consider1 were directly worked on1 and directed to work out ,god's great scheme4 ,tell me any doctrine which so humbles man as this1 or which is so contrary to his nature and to his natural pride4 ,although writers have often attempted to show that ,gordon was an extreme ,calvinist1 there is no evidence that he ever stated his views on the subject in any stronger language than that used in ,article ,,xvii4 of the ,prayer-,book of the ,church of ,england1 which says3--,predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of ,god1 whereby 7before the foundations of the world were laid7 ,he hath constantly decreed by ,his counsel secret to us1 to deliver from curse and damnation those whom ,he hath chosen in ,christ out of mankind1 and to bring them by ,christ to everlasting salvation1 as vessels made to honour4 ,however it may be with others1 ,churchmen at all events have no right to sneer at ,gordon's views on the doctrine of ,god's ,sovereignty1 or ,fatalism1 as he more frequently used to call it4 ,nor did ,gordon confine his views on ,election merely to the initial stage of the ,christian life2 he believed that the same loving ,father1 who in the first instance had drawn him into the fold1 watched over him1 and ordained for him what was to happen4 ,some fatalists1 seeing that a certain thing is likely to happen1 say that ,god has ordained that it shall be1 and they fold their hands1 and make no effort to avert a catastrophe4 ,not so with ,gordon2 until the thing had actually happened1 he would exert all his powers to prevent it2 but when he failed to avert any impending trouble1 he would find comfort in the thought that it was ordained by ,god1 and would fret no more about it4 ,in a letter to his sister1 he said3-- ,it is a delightful thing to be a fatalist1 not as that word is generally employed1 but to accept that1 when things happen and not before1 ,god has for some wise reason so ordained them4 ,we have nothing further to do1 when the scroll of events is unrolled1 than to accept them as being for the best2 but before it is unrolled1 it is another matter1 for you would not say1 ',i sat still and let things happen4' ,with this belief all ,i can say is1 that amidst troubles and worries no one can have peace till he thus stays upon his ,god--that gives a superhuman strength4 ,it has been asserted that ,gordon was very hard on the clergy1 and that he did not believe in a divinely appointed order of ministry4 ,this has probably arisen from certain statements of his that have appeared in a disconnected form4 ,take the following passages from letters written at different periods of his life3-- ,from the ,crimea4--,we have a great deal to regret in the want of good working clergymen1 there being none here that ,i know of who interest themselves about the men4 ,from ,gravesend4--,the world's preachers and the world's religion of forms and ceremonies are hard and cold1 with no life in them1 nothing to cheer or comfort the broken-hearted4 ,explain1 ,o preachers1 how it is that we ask and do not get comfort1 that your cold services cheer not4 ,is it not because ye speak to the flesh which is at enmity to all that is spiritual and must die 7joy is only from the spirit78444 ,you preach death as an enemy instead of a friend and liberator4 ,you speak of ,heaven1 but belie your words by making your home here4 ,be as uncharitable as you like1 but attend my church or chapel regularly4444 ,does your vast system of ceremonies1 meetings1 and services tend to lessen sin in the world8 ,it may make men conceal it4 ,where would you find more hardness to a fallen one than you would in a congregation of worshippers of the ,church of this day8 ,surely this hardness is of the devil1 and they who show it know not ,god4 ,from the ,soudan1 ,april #bj1 #ahgf4--,the sacerdotal class have always abounded2 they are allied with the temporal civil power1 who need their aid to keep the people quiet4 ',by whose authority teachest thou these things8' is their cry2 from them alone must come the authority4 ,from ,jaffa1 ,july #aa1 #ahhc4--;,i believe the deadness in some of the clergy is owing1 firstly1 to not reading the ,scriptures2 secondly1 to not meditating over them2 thirdly1 to not praying sufficiently2 fourthly1 to being taken up with religious secular work 7,acts vi4 #b-d74 ,i wonder how it is that1 when a subject of the greatest import is brought up1 one sees so very little interest taken in it2 and how willingly it is allowed to drop with a sort of ',oh yes1 ,i know all about that4' ,yet it is quite incorrect to say that ,gordon undervalued the work of hard-working clergymen4 ,he was of a critical turn of mind and used to criticise their methods of working1 but no one recognised more fully than he did the good that was being done by many devoted workers1 and these he would of course exclude when administering blame for the shortcomings of the others4 ,he had a way of speaking and writing in general terms that might be a little misleading to those who do not understand him1 but he always took it for granted1 in his private letters to his sister1 or to his intimate friends1 that they would understand to whom he meant his words to apply4 ,there are plenty of his statements which show that he valued highly the ministry of some of the more spiritually minded among the clergy4 ,those who preached the truth of the indwelling of ,god had in his opinion a great influence over those to whom they ministered4 ,writing from ,south ,africa on #eth ,june #ahhb1 he says3--,both clergymen here preach the great secret1 the indwelling1 but not as strongly as ,i could wish4 ,their churches are full1 while1 where it is not preached1 they are comparatively empty4 ,it would indeed quite misrepresent ,gordon's views to say that he ignored the work of the ministry as a body4 ,he was one of those who believed that it was the duty of every one to be a labourer in the vineyard1 whether he was ordained or not1 and he himself set a noble example in working for his ,master4 ,at the same time he never called in question the principle which the ,bible1 and also the ,prayer-,book of the ,national ,church1 recognise1 that it is for the good of ,christianity that there should be a division of labour1 and that1 while all should be workers1 some should give themselves wholly to the work of the ministry4 ,apparently1 in ,apostolic days1 every one who was converted became a labourer1 and there certainly was no hard-and-fast line of demarcation between laymen and ministers4 ,perhaps we have gone too far in the other direction1 and made too much distinction between lay and clerical workers1 but it is only due to the ,national ,church of this country to say1 that this is the result of custom and of secular law1 rather than of ecclesiastical law4 ,considering that the ,prayer-,book was written or compiled by the clergy1 it is wonderful how carefully they avoided setting up undue claims1 so as to magnify their own office4 ,there is indeed only one expression in the ,prayer-,book to indicate that the authors believed that the ministry was of ,divine appointment1 and that is a sentence1 occurring three times over in the ,ordination ,service1 which runs3 ,almighty ,god1 who by ,thy ,divine ,providence hast appointed divers orders of ministers in ,thy ,church1 c4 ,this merely asserts that the ,bible teaches that there were deacons and elders1 or ministers1 in ,apostolic days1 and it is difficult to read the ,new ,testament without recognising this fact4 ,certainly ,gordon did not deny it4 ,indeed no body even of the ,nonconformists does so except the ,plymouth ,brethren4 ,gordon's shrewd common sense showed him that1 apart from any ,divine sanction to the principle1 there must be a division of labour1 there must be specialists in every department of life1 and religion was no exception to the general rule4 ,though he would resent the pretentious claims of an exclusive ministry1 he never opposed the principle of a scriptural ministry4 ,he had friends who were in the ministry1 and he derived great benefits from their teaching4 ,the truth is that ,gordon thought more of the man than he did of the profession or calling4 ,shovel hats1 wideawakes1 long-tailed black coats1 and white ties were nothing to him4 ,what he valued was the man who was to be found beneath the clerical costume4 ,was he a true man1 or was he merely a professional hireling8 ,had he a heart to sympathise with the sufferings of his fellow-creatures1 and to help them to wage war with sin and temptation8 ,if so he would find a true friend in ,gordon2 but it mattered little in his eyes what the external profession was1 if there was an absence of the internal reality4 ,gordon hated everything that was not genuine1 and of all the shams in life the religious one was to him the worst4 ,it is not a little interesting to note that while some considered him almost a ,plymouth ,brother on the one hand1 others have attributed to him extreme party views in an opposite direction on the subject of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,it may not1 therefore1 be out of place to show exactly what his views were1 for though apparently peculiar1 they were certainly not extreme4 ,for many years he appears not to have given much thought to the subject of ,holy ,communion1 but in #ahhj the ,rev4 ,horace ,waller directed his attention to it1 and after that time he took up the subject very warmly1 as the following passages will show3-- ,december #d1 #ahhj4--',this do in remembrance of ,me4' ,i mean1 with ,god's blessing1 to try and realise the truth that is in this dying request4 ,i hope ,i may be given to see the truth and comfort to be derived from the ,communion4 ,i have in some degree seen it must be a means of very great grace2 but of this in the future4 ,it is a beautiful subject4 ,do not peck at words4 ,communion is better than sacrament1 but communion may exist without the eating of the bread1 c4 ,sacrament means the performance of a certain act1 which is an outward and visible sign of spiritual grace4 ,you need not fear my leaving off this subject1 it is far too engrossing to me1 and is extremely interesting4 ,march #bf1 #ahha4--;,i had looked forward to a ,communion1 but could not go4 ,i must confess to putting great 7but not salvation7 strength on that ,sacrament4 ,february #ah1 #ahhb4--,what a wonderful history6 these thoughts of eatings and sacraments4 ,eat in distrust of ,god1 and trust in self1 and eat in distrust of self1 and trust in ,god4 ,it is very wonderful1 as is also that the analogy should be so hidden4 ,eve knew no more what would happen to her by her eating1 than we do by our eating4 ,january #aj1 #ahhc4--;,i hear that at my village the ,greek-,russian ,church give the ,lord's ,supper to all who present themselves1 without query2 they give it in both kinds--bread and wine1 so ,i shall go there4 ,it is odd that no queries were asked when we poisoned ourselves in ,eden2 but that1 when we wish to take the antidote1 queries are asked4 ,it is sufficient for me that the ,greek ,church is ,christian1 and that they 'show forth the ,lord's death till ,he come4' ,but though ,gordon never adopted extreme views1 or in any way exaggerated the benefits of that sacred meal to which all ,christians attach importance1 still1 from the somewhat peculiar way in which he sometimes stated his views1 they might be thought very fanciful4 ,for instance1 he used to contend that as sin came into the world by eating1 it was only natural that by eating1 spiritually and actually1 ,christ who is the ,life1 sin should be destroyed4 ,i cannot repeat it too often1 that as the body was poisoned by the eating of a fruit1 so it must be cured from its malady by absorbing an antidote4 ,to the world this is foolishness4 ,i own it1 but the wisdom of ,god is foolishness to man 7,observations on ,holy ,communion1 p4 #ab74 ,in other words1 the evil came in by eating1 so the antidote to sin should come by the same means4 ,plainly stated1 this does unquestionably sound somewhat fanciful2 but then it must be remembered that ,gordon was neither a theologian nor a lawyer1 and consequently he never studied accuracy of definition4 ,the fact is1 that many have completely misunderstood his views for the simple reason that they have interpreted his words too literally1 and made no allowance for poetic imagination and figurative language4 ,there is a sense in which he was correct4 ,no orthodox ,christian doubts the fact that sin came into the world through our ancestors eating the forbidden fruit4 ,the antidote to sin is ,christ1 and for us to partake of the benefits of ,his death we must appropriate ,him by faith1 or1 in other words1 we must by faith feed on ,him1 which is the same as a spiritual participation4 ,by eating1 ,gordon meant1 not the mere swallowing of the symbols1 but the whole process of participation in the death of ,christ4 ,every sound ,christian theologian must admit that this is necessary to salvation1 and more than this ,gordon did not mean4 ,it is interesting to note that this independent searcher after truth was by no means singular in his views1 and that traces of them are to be found in the works of ,augustine and other patristic writings1 which possibly he had never seen4 ,one writer has remarked that in the garden of ,eden the command was ,eat not1 and we know too well how that injunction was disobeyed4 ,when ,christ1 the antidote to sin1 came1 ,he bade ,his followers ,take1 eat1 but with the perversity of human nature that characterises fallen man1 too often that command is also neglected4 ,there is another point to which reference should be made4 ,when at ,khartoum1 ,gordon wrote to a friend1 ,there is no eating up here1 which ,i miss4 ,some have contended that in this sentence he showed that he recognised the necessity for the presence of a priest1 to make the ,lord's ,supper a valid ordinance4 ,as a matter of fact1 he never believed that the presence of a clergyman was necessary for ,holy ,communion4 ,there were besides himself only two ,englishmen at ,khartoum during the siege1 and one of them was ,power1 a ,roman ,catholic1 who1 although a great admirer of ,gordon1 probably would1 from early training1 have had conscientious scruples about taking the ,lord's ,supper without the presence of a priest4 ,the other ,englishman was ,colonel ,stewart1 who1 despite his friendship for ,gordon1 was not in sympathy with him in regard to religious matters4 ,had the three ,englishmen been like-minded1 there can be no question that that sentence in ,gordon's letter would never have been written4 ,this is a subject that touches ,christian men in the army and navy1 as well as in the merchant service1 very closely4 ,frequently such men for months together never see a clergyman1 and it would be absurd to say that under such circumstances they must neglect the dying command of their ,saviour4 ,it is told of three officers1 who were great friends1 that on the night before the battle of ,waterloo1 they agreed to partake together of the ,holy ,communion4 ,the senior of them took an ordinary glassful of wine and some bread1 and they knelt together1 and asked ,god to bless the sacred rite4 ,they rose1 and the senior administered to each1 using the beautiful words of the ,church of ,england ,communion ,service4 ,they never met together again on earth1 but who can question the validity of that sacred meal1 and who would dare to say that the ceremony would have been more acceptable to ,god if a clergyman had been present8 ,the ,bible nowhere asserts that the presence of a minister is necessary1 and our ,national ,church has very wisely followed the example of the ,bible4 ,the ,church of ,rome does teach that the presence of a priest is necessary to make ,holy ,communion a valid ordinance4 ,our ,national ,church1 in common with the various bodies of ,nonconformists1 recognises1 as a matter of ecclesiastical order1 that under ordinary circumstances1 an officiating clergyman should be present4 ,but his presence in no way affects the validity of the sacrament1 being merely a wise precaution against the admission of unworthy communicants4 ,the laity surrender into the hands of the clergyman1 or the minister aided by elders or deacons1 their power of admitting or rejecting worthy or unworthy persons4 ,but under abnormal circumstances1 such as those in which ,gordon was placed at ,khartoum1 ecclesiastical order would be suspended1 and any two or three ,christian laymen would have a perfect right to partake of the ,holy ,communion in accordance with the ,word of ,god4 ,this is the view that ,christian officers in the army and navy have always taken1 and those who were pained to think that ,gordon gave his support to their opponents1 may rest assured that no man contended more than he did for that liberty which is the very essence of ,christian teaching4 ,,chapter ,x ,,as ,,governor ,,of ,,the ,,equatorial ,,province ,it has already been mentioned that when ,colonel ,gordon was at ,galatz he met ,nubar ,pasha4 ,in ,september #ahgc ,nubar asked him to enter the service of the ,khedive of ,egypt4 ,while waiting to know whether the ,british ,government would sanction this step he wrote home as follows3-- ,for some wise design ,god turns events one way or another1 whether man likes it or not1 as a man driving a horse turns it to right or left without consideration as to whether the horse likes that way or not4 ,to be happy1 a man must be like a well-broken1 willing horse1 ready for anything4 ,events will go as ,god likes4 ,it is hard to accept the position2 the only solace is1 it is not for long4 ,if ,i go to ,egypt or not is uncertain2 ,i hope ,he has given me the strength not to care one way or the other2 twenty years are soon gone1 and when over it will matter little whether ,i went or not4 ,the proposed step was sanctioned by the authorities1 and so1 at the age of forty-one1 ,gordon became the governor of the immense ,equatorial ,province4 ,en route to ,egypt he writes from ,paris3 ,i remember that ,god has at all times worked by weak and small means4 ,all history shows this to be ,his mode1 and so ,i believe if ,he will ,he may work by me4 ,of course some little time had to be spent in ,cairo2 the ,khedive ,ismail was anxious to make the acquaintance of his new governor1 and certain preliminaries had to be settled4 ,gordon had a suspicion that his appointment was a sham1 and that he would not have the power he needed to suppress the slave trade4 ,he was determined that cote qui cote he would not be made a tool of to blind the ,european public1 so at the very outset he showed his colours1 and let the ,khedive clearly understand that he was not a mere hireling anxious to secure a well-paid billet4 ,as for his pay1 though his predecessor had received #aj1jjj per annum1 he decided to cut it down to #bjjj2 for1 as he said1 the whole would be wrung out of the unfortunate natives1 who could ill afford the high taxation to which they were subjected4 ,writing home at this juncture1 he said3-- ,my object is to show the ,khedive and his people that gold and silver idols are not worshipped by all the world4 ,they are very powerful gods1 but not so powerful as our ,god2 so if ,i refuse a large sum1 you--and ,i am responsible to you alone--will not be angry at my doing so4 ,from whom does all the money come8 ,from poor miserable creatures who are ground down to produce it4 ,of course1 these ideas are outrageous4 ',pillage the ,egyptians6' is still the cry4 ,i am quite prepared not to go1 and should not think it unkind of ,god if ,he prevents it1 for ,he must know what is best4 ,the twisting of men carries out some particular object of ,god1 and we should cheerfully agree now to what we will agree hereafter when we know all things4 ,his characteristic outspokenness--a style of thing to which ,egyptian officials were not accustomed--somewhat alarmed a few of his friends1 and on one occasion he was urged not to make an enemy of ,nubar ,pasha1 who was a very powerful minister1 and could1 it was said1 do him a great deal of harm4 ,at this ,gordon fired up1 and before those present said that he would like to see the man who was capable of injuring him4 ,shakespeare has well said3-- ,what stronger breastplate than a heart untainted6 ,thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just1 ,and he but naked1 though locked up in steel1 ,whose conscience with injustice is corrupted4 ,though ,nubar showed his powers of appreciation in recognising merit in ,colonel ,gordon1 when he met him at ,galatz1 there can be no question that he little understood the honest1 straightforward character of the man with whom he had to deal4 ,he must have often wished that he had never met ,gordon1 for1 whilst the new governor was not a man to seek office for the sake of the loaves and fishes1 once in power he was not one of those pliant characters who will act as mere dummies in the hands of others4 ,men with great strength of character1 good abilities1 and honest intentions are invaluable1 when their official superiors are capable of appreciating their merits2 but when those under whom they serve have ulterior purposes to attain1 weak1 pliant natures make better servants for their purposes4 ,in ,colonel ,gordon's own mind his mission at this time was to combat slavery1 and in every possible way to ameliorate the sufferings of the unfortunate people over whom he was called to rule4 ,nubar ,pasha held very different views from the newly-appointed governor on many points that were likely to arise in connection with these duties4 ,the ,soudan and the ,equatorial ,province were so frightfully mismanaged and cruelly governed that1 ,gordon says1 when ,said ,pasha1 the ,viceroy before ,ismail1 went up to the ,soudan with ,count ,f4 ,lesseps1 he was so discouraged and horrified at the misery of the people that at ,berber the ,count saw him throw his guns into the river1 declaring that he would be no party to such oppression4 ,it was only after the urgent solicitations of ,european consuls and others that he reconsidered his decision4 ,it is quite amusing to see the efforts that were made at ,cairo to break in the new governor1 and to fit him for his post1 in accordance with the traditions of the country4 ,as soon as everything was settled1 ,gordon1 with his usual promptness1 and absence of all love of display1 was anxious to be off to his post of duty1 and for that purpose to utilise the ordinary passenger steamer from ,suez4 ,but about states such as ,egypt was before the ,british occupation1 there is a strange mixture of reckless expenditure combined with paltry meanness4 ,although the ,egyptian authorities once refused to pay the travelling expenses of an official travelling on duty from ,alexandria to ,cairo in connection with ,colonel ,gordon1 yet they insisted on this occasion that it would be unbecoming to the dignity of a governor to travel by an ordinary steamer1 so a special one was set apart for this purpose4 ,gordon afterwards calculated that had he been allowed his own way1 he would at the outset have saved at least #djj6 ,for the sake of peace he yielded the point1 and went from ,cairo in a special train1 and from ,suez in a special steamer1 accompanied by a large number of useless servants4 ,he had his revenge1 however1 for owing to an engine getting off the line1 there was a long halt1 and finally he had to proceed by the ordinary train4 ,gordon was a remarkable instance of the general rule1 that the greater the ability of a man the less affection has he for display1 and for all the official trappings of office4 ,the only display that ,gordon ever cared for was that of intrinsic merit and hard work1 and these qualities he always looked for in his subordinates4 ,colonel ,gordon reached ,suakim on ,february #beth1 #ahgd1 and writing home1 he records his impressions of ,cairo and its officials4 ,i think the ,khedive likes me1 but no one else does2 and ,i don't like them1 ,i mean the swells1 whose corns ,i tread on in all manner of ways4 ,duke of ,this wants steamer1 say #fjj4 ,duke of ,that wants house1 c4 ,all the time the poor people are ground down to get money for all this4 ',who art thou to be afraid of man8' ,if ,he wills1 ,i will shake all this in some way not clear to me now4 ,do not think ,i am an ,egoist2 ,i am like ,moses who despised the riches of ,egypt4 ,i will not bow to ,haman4 ,little did he then foresee that before eight years had passed ,british guns would be shaking the stronghold of ,alexandria1 and that #aj1jjj ,egyptian soldiers would yield the citadel of ,cairo to a small force of some #cjj troops carrying the ,british flag4 ,from ,suakim he went on a camel to ,berber1 and thence by steamer to ,khartoum1 the first time he ever visited a place which now can never be mentioned without awakening in the mind associations of this noble servant of ,god1 who feared neither man nor devil4 ,at first ,gordon was to a certain extent subordinate to the ,governor-,general of the ,soudan1 through whom he had to get supplies4 ,but by ,september #hth he was enabled to write3 ,i have now entirely separated my province from that of the ,soudan4 ,when ,i came up ,i had instructions to ask for all ,i wanted from the ,governor-,general of ,khartoum1 who was ordered to supply me4 ,now this was from the first a fruitful source of quarrel1 and must have been so1 for ,i could not be continually writing to the ,khedive about the non-supply of things and money2 it would have worn me and every one out4 ,now ,i am quite independent1 raise my own revenue1 and administer it1 and send the residue to ,cairo1 which residue is all they care for there4 99 99 99 ,the ,equatorial ,province lies considerably to the south of ,khartoum1 and is bisected by the ,nile4 ,as a matter of fact1 the equator does not run through any part of the province1 though the southern part comes very close to it1 just touching the ,victoria ,nyanza1 through the north of which the equator runs4 ,the hold that ,egypt had at any time on this province was indeed very slight1 and considering how little capable she was of managing even her own affairs1 it does seem ridiculous in the extreme that she should ever have attempted to annex an enormous country outside her borders4 ,when ,egypt was really strong and powerful1 as in olden times1 it does not appear that she ever held territory beyond ,wady ,haifa1 and it is in reality only within this century1 during the whole of which ,egypt has been weak1 that she has extended her territory down to the equator4 ,far from gaining either money or prestige1 she has lost greatly by her annexations4 ,had the ,nile1 which is the only highway1 been easily navigable for ships of any size1 possibly the tide of civilisation might have gone south as well as north1 and the history of these provinces might have been very different4 ,but the ,nile is full of rapids1 or cataracts1 as they are called1 and at certain seasons of the year is absolutely impassable for large boats1 while the paucity of wells makes regular travel by land impossible4 ,from ,khartoum to ,gondokoro1 which was the capital of ,colonel ,gordon's new province1 a distance of about #ajjj miles1 another obstacle presents itself1 in the form of an almost impassable barrier1 known as a sudd1 which forms on the river1 and puts a stop to traffic4 ,gordon said that the sudd is formed by an aquatic plant with roots extending five feet in the water4 ,the natives burn the top parts1 when dry2 the ashes form mould1 and fresh grasses grow till it becomes like terra firma4 ,the ,nile rises1 and floats out the masses2 they come down to a curve and then stop4 ,more of these islands float down1 and at last the river is blocked4 ,though under them the water flows1 no communication can take place1 for they bridge the river for several miles4 ,gordon left ,khartoum on ,march #bc1 #ahgd1 for ,gondokoro1 and on the #bfth he writes3 ,last night we were going along slowly in the moonlight1 and ,i was thinking of you all1 and the expedition1 and ,nubar1 c41 when all of a sudden from a large bush came peals of laughter4 ,i felt put out2 but it turned out to be birds1 who laughed at us from the bushes for some time in a rude way4 ,they are a species of stork1 and seemed in capital spirits1 and highly amused at anybody thinking of going up to ,gondokoro with the hope of doing anything4 ,gordon was full of hope1 and very sanguine of success2 but from the day when he reached ,cairo1 croakers all along the route had been whispering in his ear the hopelessness of his mission1 and how utterly impossible it was to reform anything connected with such a corrupt administration as that of ,egypt4 ,fortunately1 though he used at times to have terrible fits of depression1 he possessed a great deal of dogged perseverance4 ,it was this that in ,china had enabled him to overcome all obstacles in fighting the enemy1 and the same indomitable spirit now made him persevere and hope on1 when every one else despaired4 ,not only were there real foes in every direction1 determined if possible to frustrate his mission1 but in addition there was physical suffering to endure from climatic and other causes4 ,no one can conceive1 says he in a letter written on ,april #ajth1 the utter misery of these lands1 heat and mosquitoes day and night all the year round4 ,but ,i like the work1 for ,i believe that ,i can do a great deal to ameliorate the lot of the people4 ,two days after this he passed through a place called ,st4 ,croix1 which had been a ,roman ,catholic mission station1 but so unhealthy was it that it had at last been abandoned4 ,after thirteen years of work not a single convert had been made1 although during that period the missionaries had plodded on in the face of discouragement1 and in spite of the appalling havoc that death and sickness had made in their ranks4 ,out of twenty missionaries thirteen had died of fever1 two of dysentery1 and two had been invalided4 ,a few banana trees were all that remained of the settlement at which these heroes had been sacrificed4 ,gordon reached ,gondokoro on ,april #afth1 just twenty-four days after leaving ,khartoum4 ,everybody was much surprised to see him1 for it was not even known that he had been appointed4 ,he remained only six days1 and then started back to ,khartoum1 in order to get his baggage4 ,not finding it there1 he went on to ,berber to hurry up the escort1 but not till he had given the corrupt ,governor of ,khartoum a bit of his mind4 ,i have had some sharp skirmishing with the ,governor-,general of ,khartoum1 said he in a letter home1 and ,i think ,i have crushed him4 ,your brother wrote to him and told him he told stories4 ,it was undiplomatic of me1 but it did the ,governor-,general good4 ,having secured his baggage1 he returned to ,gondokoro4 ,en route he writes from the entrance of the ,sanbat ,river3-- ,we arrived here from ,khartoum a week ago1 and ,i have made a nice station here1 and made great friends with the ,shillock natives1 who come over in great numbers from the other side of the river4 ,they are poorly off1 and ,i have given them some grain2 very little contents them4 ,i have employed a few of them to plant maize1 and they do it very fairly4 ,the reason they do not do it for themselves is1 that if they plant any quantity they would run the chance of losing it1 by its being taken by force from them2 so they plant only enough to keep body and soul together1 and even that is sown in small out-of-the-way patches4 ,he reached ,gondokoro the second time on ,september #dth1 receiving the salaams and salutes of the officers1 men1 and functionaries1 together with the submission of all the neighbouring chiefs4 ,in the whole of his province ,egypt had only two forts1 one at ,gondokoro1 the capital1 with #cjj men1 and one at ,fatiko1 further south1 with #bjj men4 ,as for paying taxes1 said he1 or any government existing outside the forts1 it is all nonsense4 ,you cannot go out in any safety half-a-mile1 all because they have been fighting the poor natives and taking their cattle4 ,i apprehend not the least difficulty in the work2 the greatest will be to gain the people's confidence again4 ,they have been hardly treated4 ,the chief culprit1 to whom much of this misgovernment was due1 was ,raouf ,bey1 whom ,gordon found at ,gondokoro4 ,this man had been in office for six years1 and proved a miserable failure4 ,raouf had never conciliated the tribes1 never had planted dhoora2 and1 in fact1 only possessed the land he camped upon4 ,yet he made it a grievance that ,gordon refused to employ him1 and the present ,khedive of ,egypt many years afterwards made him ,governor-,general of the ,soudan when ,gordon resigned4 ,what most astonished ,gordon was the apparent want of affection on the part of the natives for their offspring1 and it pained him none the less when he reflected that this was entirely due to the slave trade1 and the sufferings the poor people had endured4 ,one man brought ,gordon two of his children of #ab and #i years old1 because they were starving1 and sold them for a basketful of grain1 and though the father often came to the station after this1 he never asked to see them4 ,gordon mentioned another case1 of a family in which there were two children4 ,passing their hut one day1 and seeing only one child1 he asked the mother where the other was4 ,oh1 said she1 it has been given to the man from whom the cow was stolen--her husband having been the culprit4 ,this was said with a cheerful smile4 ,but1 said ,gordon1 are you not sorry8 ,oh1 no6 we would rather have the cow4 ,but you have eaten the cow1 and the pleasure is over4 ,oh1 but all the same1 we would sooner have had the cow6 ,gordon adds1 ,the other child of twelve years old1 like her parents did not care a bit4 ,a lamb taken from the flock will bleat1 while here you see not the very slightest vestige of feeling4 ,such an incident shows how the human heart can1 under certain circumstances1 degenerate to being without natural affection4 ,it is not the people who are to blame1 but their cruel conquerors4 ,not many miles away from this place1 in a district which the tyranny of slavery has not yet reached1 ,dr4 ,schweinfurth says of the natives3 ,notwithstanding that certain instances may be alleged which seem to demonstrate that the character of the ,dinka is unfeeling1 these cases never refer to such as are bound by the ties of kindred4 ,parents do not desert their children1 nor are brothers faithless to brothers1 but are ever prompt to render whatever aid is possible4 ,the famous negro prelate1 ,bishop ,crowther1 and the celebrated traveller1 ,mr4 ,stanley1 bear similar testimony4 ,there can be no question that the ,african1 in his normal condition1 is as capable of affection as the native of any other country4 99 99 99 ,slavery has been1 is1 and as long as it exists will be1 the curse of ,africa4 ,not a soul1 said ,gordon1 to be seen for miles2 all driven off by the slavers in years past4 ,you could scarcely conceive such a waste or desert4 ,such was his comment when at the entrance of the river ,sanbat1 and such would have frequently been a correct description of the country blighted by this cursed traffic4 ,speaking generally1 slavery exists now only in ,mohammedan countries 7though there are a few exceptions71 yet it cannot be called a ,mohammedan institution4 ,the ,prophet sanctioned only the taking of slaves in war4 ,the custom of his time was to kill and often to torture prisoners taken in war1 so that really it was a step in advance to suggest that these captives should be utilised as servants4 ,to a great extent1 if not entirely1 slavery as an institution is due to the low moral standard set up by the ,koran4 ,were it not for love of sensual indulgence1 slavery would long ago have died a natural death4 ,over and over again has it been proved that voluntary service is far cheaper than enforced labour4 ,an ,indian coolie will work all day1 and ask for little more than enough to keep body and soul together4 ,this much the slave-owners are compelled to give to keep their slaves in health4 ,slaves are valuable property1 and it is cheaper to feed them well than badly4 ,but over and above the food1 the slave-owner has to bear the cost of transit from their bright happy homes in ,central ,africa1 through hundreds of miles of scorching desert1 which demands a frightful death-toll4 ,only the strongest ever reach the slave-markets1 and it has been calculated that at least #ejj1jjj lives are annually sacrificed during transit4 ,indirectly the slave-owner has to pay for these4 ,when slaves were taken in war1 they cost nothing to transport2 but when ,mohammedan conquests ceased1 the supply ceased with it1 for ,mohammedans are not allowed by the ,koran to make slaves of men of their own creed1 though they do sometimes infringe this rule4 ,it is generally supposed that the slave trade originated in the fact that in certain parts of ,central ,africa there are no horses or beasts of burden1 as owing to the existence of the tetse-fly no animal can live4 ,consequently ivory and everything else has to be carried on the heads of porters4 ,these porters were engaged by the ,arab ivory dealers in the interior1 and marched in large gangs to the seaports4 ,having reached their destination1 and given up their loads1 the question of transport back to their villages would arise4 ,the ,arab traders found that it would suit their purpose best to sell the porters as slaves4 ,who was to know whether or not they were taken in battle8 ,in ,mohammedan countries1 so long as plenty of backsheesh is forthcoming1 those in authority ask few questions4 ,soon the sale of slaves became more profitable than the ivory trade1 which possibly had originated it1 and so the one was substituted for the other1 the authorities not only winking at it1 but encouraging it as a source of large revenues to them4 ,at one time a large number of so-called ,christians were engaged in this unholy traffic1 but the scandal became so great that ,european public opinion would not tolerate it1 and so they had to sell their stations to ,mohammedan ,arabs1 who if possible were even more cruel and relentless in the way they conducted the trade4 ,merchant princes arose among them1 and they carried on their business with a thoroughness and a system worthy of a better cause4 ,soldiers were trained1 and large armies kept for no other purpose than that of collecting slaves4 ,peaceful villages were surrounded1 night attacks were made1 whole tribes were marched off to the slave markets1 the road being lined by grinning skulls to show the way in which the victims suffered en route4 ,not for this ,was common clay ta'en from the common earth1 ,moulded by ,god1 and tempered with the tears ,of angels1 to the perfect shape of man6 ,the unfortunate captives were chained together to prevent escape1 and often the fastenings were secured in a way so unnecessarily cruel1 that they had great difficulty in securing any sleep1 either at night or during the day when the periodical halts were made4 ,indeed the ordinary precautions that we take in the convoy of large herds of cattle were generally neglected4 ,this is all the more surprising when we consider what great trouble these men took to secure their victims2 one would have thought that self-interest at least would often have dictated a more humane policy1 but it does not appear to have been so4 99 99 99 ,in hunting for these gangs of slaves1 it was a subject of deep regret to ,gordon that often his action only tended to increase their sufferings4 ,in the ,central ,african deserts there are only a few wells1 at long intervals1 and the poor captives suffered terrible thirst on the march from well to well4 ,but the surest way of intercepting the gangs was to hold the wells4 ,when the slave-dealers knew that a certain well on which they were marching was held by ,gordon1 they would make a detour in order to avoid him1 and their unfortunate victims would be kept from quenching their thirst for unusually long periods1 with the result that many would succumb to the appalling heat4 ,if a slave exhibited great exhaustion1 and showed little chance of being able to reach the next halting-place1 the drivers would not even trouble to waste a round of ammunition1 but1 unchaining the victim1 would kill him by a blow on the back of the neck with a mallet or a piece of wood1 and leave his body where it lay1 to feed the vultures4 ,often young girls1 and even infants1 were marched through deserts1 through which ,gordon declared that he shuddered to contemplate a journey on his fleet-footed camel4 ,it was with truth that ,burns said-- ,man's inhumanity to man ,makes countless thousands mourn4 ,some of the slave traders had become very rich1 and one of them1 ,zebehr ,rahama1 now in captivity in ,gibraltar1 had become so powerful that even the ,khedive dared not molest him4 ,his field of operations lying at a considerable distance from ,gordon's province1 these two did not come in contact1 until the latter was made ,governor-,general of the whole of the ,soudan1 and so it is not at the present time necessary to do more than merely allude to him as the king of slave hunters4 ,many more carried on a successful business1 and some of them conducted their operations in the ,equatorial ,province2 and it is hardly necessary to say that the first thing the new governor did was to break up the organisations of these men4 ,he was only appointed in ,cairo during the month of ,february1 and after that time he had to spend many weary days and nights in travelling4 ,but in ,june we find him seizing an ,arab dealer named ,nassar1 at the head of a large convoy of slaves1 and casting him into prison4 ,by this brilliant stroke he not only got possession of a well-known culprit1 but struck terror into the hearts of smaller dealers4 ,but1 as in the case of the ,taiping rebels1 whom he at once turned into soldiers to fight for him1 so ,nassar was enlisted into his service4 ,do you know1 he wrote1 ,i have forgiven the head slaver ,nassar1 and am employing him2 he is not worse than others1 and these slavers have been much encouraged to do what they have done4 ,he is a first-rate man1 and does a great deal of work4 ,he was in prison for two weeks1 and was then forgiven4 ,other quotations could be made from his letters showing that he had formed a high opinion of the abilities of the ,arabs engaged in slave dealing1 with a correspondingly low one of the ,egyptian soldiers who were employed to put them down4 ,the ,arabs were enterprising1 plucky fellows1 with the spirit of a man in them1 whereas the soldiers were a cowardly and contemptible lot4 ,when in large numbers1 they used to ill-treat and bully the natives1 who consequently took every opportunity of retaliating4 ,gordon1 with his quick perception1 saw that the best way to remedy this was to scatter the soldiers about in small detachments1 just strong enough to defend their posts1 but not to take advantage of the people3-- ,i have the garrisons small on purpose to make them keep awake2 and it has its effect1 for they are all in a fearful fright along the line4 ,i cannot help feeling somewhat of a malicious enjoyment of their sufferings4 ,if ,i personally am at any station1 even if there are thirty or forty men there1 the sentries all go to sleep in comfort4 ,not so in my absence2 every one is awake1 ,i expect4 ,having nothing to do--or rather not doing anything1 though there is plenty to be done--they sit and talk over the terrors of their position1 until they tremble again4 ,i never in the course of my life saw such wretched creatures dignified by the name of soldiers4 ,fortunately1 though ,i can do the work of the province without an interpreter1 ,i cannot speak to the men except by my looks1 or tell them my opinion in words1 though my letters are pretty strong4 ,the results of this policy were excellent4 ,not only were the garrisons kept on the alert and prevented from oppressing the people1 but the country was opened up and travelling rendered safer4 ,writing home1 ,gordon says3-- ,it is such a comfort having my roads open4 ,one man came down from ,bedden to-day alone4 ,before ,i came it would have needed thirty or at least twenty men to go along this route4 ,the blacks would have concealed themselves in the grass1 and stuck a spear into the hinder-most man2 now they are quite friendly4 ,a ,bari in my employment stole a sheep yesterday1 and down came the natives to complain and have justice1 which they got4 ,is it not comfortable8 ,all this has effected a great change among my men4 ,they no longer fear the blacks as they did1 and altogether a much better feeling exists4 ,going up to ,kerri1 where in ,september last the convoy of ,kemp was harassed all the route1 ,i went on alone with four or five soldiers behind me1 and never felt the least apprehension2 for the natives talk much amongst themselves1 and the virgin tribes had heard we were not to be feared1 and that their cattle was safe from pillage4 ,a year ago an escort of five or six soldiers used to accompany each nuggar either coming up or down4 ,even the steamers carried an escort of the same number4 ,now not one soldier either goes with one or the other4 ,this has prevented all pillaging en route1 for our people dare not do it now1 not having the escort of soldiers4 ,in spite of his contempt for the soldiers under him1 he treated them kindly and made great efforts to improve them4 ,now and then he would give them a magic-lantern lecture1 and in other ways try to benefit them mentally and morally4 ,no doubt in this he succeeded to a great extent1 and at all events he had the satisfaction of feeling that he was liked by them4 ,in another letter he says3-- ,the men and officers like my justice1 candour1 and my outbursts of temper1 and see that ,i am not a tyrant4 ,over two years we have lived intimately together1 and they watch me closely4 ,i am glad that they do so4 ,my wish and desire is that all should be as happy as it rests with me to make them1 and though ,i feel sure that ,i am unjust sometimes1 it is not the rule with me to be so4 ,i care for their marches1 for their wants and food1 and protect their women and boys if they ill-treat them2 and ,i do nothing of this4 ,i am a chisel which cuts the wood2 the ,carpenter directs it4 ,if ,i lose my edge1 ,he must sharpen me2 if ,he puts me aside and takes another1 it is ,his own good will4 ,none are indispensable to ,him2 ,he will do ,his work with a straw equally as well4 ,gordon had not been long in his province when he saw that the only effectual way to abolish slavery was to open up the country1 and encourage traders by making it safe for them to travel about4 ,much as he did personally to punish slave-hunting1 and to break up gangs of men so engaged1 he always considered that his best efforts should be devoted to the opening up of the country for trade4 ,at the time he was there1 and now also1 the leading men were all more or less engaged in slave-hunting1 and no one dared to say a word against them4 ,gordon wanted to introduce an independent class of traders1 who would soon be sufficiently powerful to give evidence against the leaders of the slave-hunting system4 ,his desire afterwards to serve the ,king of the ,belgians in the ,congo territory was with the object of developing trade1 and thus ultimately of preventing slave-dealing4 ,with regard to ,egypt1 he formed his ideas during the first year he was in the country1 and he steadily adhered to them to the end4 ,writing from ,tultcha1 on #agth ,november #ahgc1 he says3-- ,i believe if the ,soudan was settled1 the ,khedive would prevent the slave trade2 but he does not see his way to do so till he can move about the country4 ,my ideas are to open it out by getting the steamers on to the lakes1 by which time ,i should know the promoters of the slave trade and could ask the ,khedive to seize them4 ,and again3 ,god has allowed slavery to go on for so many years2 born in the people1 it needs more than an expedition to eradicate it2 open out the country1 and it will fall of itself4 ,though he was not permitted during his life to see much permanent result from his arduous labours1 yet far from his efforts having been in vain1 he it was who revived in ,europe an interest in the subject1 and conclusions arrived at by the recent ,anti-,slavery ,conference1 at ,brussels1 clearly indicate that the more thoughtful philanthropists who are moving in the matter recognise that the lines he laid down are the right ones to follow4 ,the number of years that he was permitted to devote to this struggle with slavery were not many1 but the seeds were sown which will bring forth a rich harvest in the future4 ,in that noble crusade1 which he undertook single-handed against tyranny and oppression1 he supplied the best possible answer to the cynic's question whether or not life is worth living3-- ,is ,life worth living8 ,yes1 so long ,as there is wrong to right1 ,wail of the weak against the strong1 ,or tyranny to fight2 ,long as there lingers gloom to chase ,or streaming tear to dry1 ,one kindred woe1 one sorrowing face1 ,that smiles as we draw nigh4#g #g ,mr4 ,alfred ,austin in the ,english ,illustrated ,magazine4 ,not only had ,gordon to contend with the slave trade1 corrupt officials1 an unsympathetic government at ,cairo1 and incompetent troops1 but to add to his troubles his staff broke down with sickness and even death1 while he for the first time in his life suffered from ague and liver disorders4 ,here are descriptions of the climate from some of his letters3-- ,this is a horrid climate4 ,i seldom1 if ever1 get a good sleep4 ,it is a very great comfort to feel that ,god will rectify one's defects in this life1 and make right all mistakes1 also that ,he governs everything4 ,is it my present temperament1 or is it truly the case that things go untowardly more in this land than anywhere else8 ,you wrap up an article in paper1 the paper is sure to tear1 the string you least want to be broken is broken2 every1 every thing seems to go wrong4 ,it may be my liver which makes me think this1 but it has been the same with all travellers4 444 ,the mosquitoes are horrible here2 the proboscis is formed like a bayonet1 with a hinge at the bend2 they turn it down for perforation and press on it with their head1 muscles1 and chest4 ,i am very susceptible of their bite or dig2 the least touch of the 'bayonet' makes a lump4 444 ,variety is pleasing6 ,got away from mosquitoes to find sand-flies and harvest-bugs instead4 ,however1 they are quiet by day1 and here there are no flies with irritating feet4 ,there must be some wonderful mystery about this life4 ,why should these countries be so full of annoyances to man8 ,why should even the alighting of a fly1 his footprints1 cause such irritation to the skin4 ,it must be for some good object eventually to be made known to us4 ,most of ,gordon's efforts were directed to the abolition of slavery1 and the amelioration of the sufferings of the people he governed1 but as an explorer and a surveyor he also did good work1 and he might1 had he cared for such distinctions1 have received honours from the ,royal ,geographical ,society4 ,though suffering a good deal from sickness and from mental worries1 he endeavoured to explore the seventy miles of country between ,foweira and the ,albert ,nyanza4 ,in one of his letters he says3-- ,it was contended that the ,nile did not flow out of ,lake ,victoria and thence into ,lake ,albert and so northward1 but that one river flowed out of ,lake ,victoria and another out of ,lake ,albert2 and that these two rivers united and formed the ,nile4 ,this statement could not be positively denied1 inasmuch as no one had actually gone along the river from ,foweira to ,hagungo4 ,so ,i went along it with much suffering1 and settled the question4 ,as he did not personally come into contact with ,m'tesa1 the ,king of ,uganda1 it is not necessary to do more than mention the fact that this strange monarch wrote a letter to him1 and even asked him to plant a stockade for his troops within ,uganda territory4 ,gordon1 however1 did not trust ,m'tesa1 and at one time1 on account of some misbehaviour on the part of that monarch1 even contemplated attacking him4 ,but ,mr4 ,stanley1 the great explorer1 sent a vigorous protest against any aggression on the part of a ,christian representative1 even of a ,moslem ,government1 towards a newly ,christianised state1 if one may apply that term to ,uganda4 ,gordon evidently recognised the wisdom of ,stanley's contention1 for the attack was never made1 and ,stanley received from ,gordon a letter giving him much information4 ,gordon reached ,lake ,albert at the end of ,july #ahgf1 and from then till he left to return home he was busily engaged in surveying the country1 wading through rivers1 cutting his way through dense jungles1 encountering natives armed with assegais1 and in other ways risking his valuable life1 all for the sake of his fellow-creatures1 and in the hope of ultimately opening up the country4 ,was there ever a man more strongly actuated by the spirit of altruism8 ,his three years were drawing to a close1 and not having received the support he thought he deserved1 he decided to leave the service of the ,khedive4 ,on ,october #fth he commenced his journey1 and by ,christmas ,eve of that year he had reached ,england4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,governor-,,general ,,of ,,the ,,soudan ,colonel ,gordon's visit to ,england was a very short one1 for no sooner did the ,khedive ,ismail realise the fact that such an able public servant had definitely decided to quit his service1 than he wrote imploring him to return on his own terms1 which were nothing less than that he should be invested with the ,governor-,generalship of the whole ,soudan1 including the ,equatorial ,province1 over which he had for three years ruled4 ,the ,khedive was sufficiently wide awake to know what an able1 conscientious servant he had in ,gordon1 and1 cost what it might1 was determined not to lose him4 ,the truth of the matter was that ,gordon had made himself indispensable to the ,khedive1 and when a man does that he may practically demand his own terms4 ,his heart was thoroughly in the work1 and the only reason for his having resigned was that he was disgusted with ,ismail ,yacoob1 the ,governor-,general of the ,soudan1 who1 although ,gordon was not under him1 was from his position in many ways able to hamper his reforms4 ,the ,khedive wisely decided to recall ,ismail ,yacoob from ,khartoum1 and to put ,colonel ,gordon in his place4 ,setting a just value1 wrote the ,khedive1 on your honourable character1 on your zeal1 and on the great services that you have already done me1 ,i have resolved to bring the ,soudan1 ,darfour1 and the provinces of the ,equator1 into one great province1 and to place it under you as ,governor-,general4 ,as the country which you are thus to govern is so vast1 you must have beneath you three vakeels 7or deputy governors73 the first for the ,soudan properly so called1 the second for ,darfour1 and the third for the shores of the ,red ,sea and the ,eastern ,soudan4 ,thus1 at the age of forty-four1 ,gordon had committed to his charge the absolute control1 including power over life and death1 over a province as large as ,france1 ,germany1 and ,spain together6 ,he had already served the ,khedive for three years in the unhealthy ,equatorial ,province1 and now he was to govern for nearly three years more this larger and still more unwieldy province1 his reign only ceasing with the abdication of ,ismail4 ,when ,gordon left ,england for ,cairo1 the appointment had not been conferred upon him4 ,he merely went out to see the ,khedive1 and it was not till ,february #ac1 #ahgg1 that the matter was finally decided4 ,writing home in reference to the ,khedive's kindness1 he quotes that text1 ,ask of me1 and ,i will give thee to the half of my kingdom1 and then he goes on to say3-- ,and now for the reverse of the medal4 ,it is the sacrifice of a living life4 ,to give your life to be taken at once1 is one thing2 to give a life such as is before me is another and more trying ordeal4 ,i have set my face to the work1 and will give my life to it4 ,i feel as if ,i had nought to do with the ,government4 ,god must undertake the work4444 ,i think how many would be weighed down by this immense charge2 how they would shrink from accepting it without some other help1 for fear of their reputation4 ,but for me1 ,i never gave the question a thought4 ,i feel sure of success2 for ,i do not lean on my own understanding1 and ,he directs my path4 ,on ,march #aith he writes with regard to his grand escort3-- ,here ,i met two hundred cavalry and infantry1 who had come to meet us4 ,i am most carefully guarded--at six yards' radius round the tree where ,i am sitting are six or eight sentries1 and the other men are in a circle round them4 ,now1 just imagine this1 and put yourself in my position4 ,however1 ,i know they will all go to sleep1 so ,i do not fret myself4 ,i can say truly1 no man has ever been so forced into a high position as ,i have4 ,how many ,i know to whom the incense would be the breath of their nostrils4 ,to me it is irksome beyond measure4 ,eight or ten men to help me off my camel6 as if ,i were an invalid4 ,if ,i walk1 every one gets off and walks2 so1 furious1 ,i get on again4 ,after being appointed ,governor-,general of the ,soudan1 the first thing ,colonel ,gordon did was to attempt to bring about a definite peace between the ,khedive and the ,king of ,abyssinia1 whose territory adjoins the ,soudan4 ,it will be remembered that in the year #ahfh an ,english expedition1 under the late ,lord 7then ,sir ,robert7 ,napier1 went against ,theodore1 ,king of ,abyssinia1 to punish him for imprisoning and ill-treating ,british subjects4 ,being defeated1 that monarch committed suicide4 ,before his defeat1 as he was much hated1 some of his chieftains had broken into open revolt1 and one of them had proclaimed himself king of a certain province4 ,sir ,robert ,napier presented this chieftain with four guns and a thousand rifles1 and this recognition on the part of the conquerors enabled the chief in question to mount the ,abyssinian throne1 taking for himself the name of ,johannis4 ,in #ahgd a ,swiss adventurer1 who was at that time governor of ,massowah1 under the ,khedive1 seized ,bogos1 a piece of territory belonging to ,abyssinia1 and held it for his master1 at the same time urging him to add another province1 that of ,hamaen1 to his ill-gotten gains4 ,at this time the ,khedive was rich1 having just received #d1jjj1jjj from the ,british ,government for the ,suez ,canal shares1 and instead of spending the money in developing the resources of the territory he already possessed1 he was ill advised enough to go to war1 and got defeated4 ,foremost among the ,abyssinians in the conflict was ,walad el ,michael1 the hereditary prince of ,bogos and ,hamaen1 who before the war was imprisoned for having sought the aid of ,napoleon ,,iii4 against the ,abyssinian king4 ,he was released at the commencement of hostilities1 and proved very successful4 ,but1 having defeated the ,egyptians1 ,walad got disgusted with the ,abyssinian king for depriving him of his share of the spoils of war1 and consequently1 when the ,egyptians in #ahgf sought to avenge their defeat1 ,walad turned against his own king4 ,the ,egyptians were however again defeated1 #ijjj of them being killed1 and an enormous number taken prisoners4 ,the spoils of war were great1 for all the ,egyptian tents1 twenty-five guns1 #aj1jjj rifles1 and a large amount of ,english gold1 were captured by the ,abyssinians4 ,so ignorant were they of the value of this spoil1 that they mistook ,english sovereigns for brass counters1 and thirty of them were sold for four dollars6 ,the ,abyssinian king was so incensed at the conduct of ,walad1 who had #gjjj men and #gjj rifles1 that1 as one of the conditions of peace1 he demanded that the ,khedive should give him up4 ,this of course the ,khedive could not do1 and a long delay followed1 during which the ,abyssinian monarch sent an envoy to ,cairo4 ,but the ,khedive treated the envoy badly1 and he1 rightly or wrongly1 imagined that his life was in danger4 ,he managed to get away1 and the ill-feeling between the two monarchs was intense when ,colonel ,gordon arrived on the scene4 ,just at this time the great bulk of the ,egyptian troops were required for the ,turkish war against the ,russians1 and ,gordon was left helpless1 as he had not sufficient force with him to compel ,walad to cease his intermittent attacks on ,abyssinia4 ,seeing the hopelessness of his position1 ,gordon decided to waste no more time over the question1 more especially as he had not yet been to ,khartoum1 the capital of his huge province1 to take up his duties1 and all the time there was a revolt going on in ,darfour1 on the extreme west of his dominion4 ,having once made up his mind1 he lost no time in getting to ,khartoum1 leaving ,walad to be dealt with at his leisure later on4 ,on reaching ,khartoum1 which he did by travelling forty-five miles a day in the extremely hot months of ,april and ,may1 he had to submit to the ordeal of installation4 ,it was on this occasion1 after the firman had been read and the royal salute had been fired1 that he made the memorable speech which so delighted the people1 and which may be summed up in one sentence that he made use of1 ,with the help of ,god ,i will hold the balance level4 ,by this he meant to say1 that as long as he was ,governor-,general there should be none of the cruel1 grinding tyranny that had existed in the time of his predecessor4 ,it may be well here1 anticipating events1 to illustrate the desperate condition of the people under the tyranny of the ,egyptian rule4 ,mr4 ,frank ,power1 correspondent of the ,times1 in a private letter to his mother in the year #ahhd1 describes the way in which the poor people were ground down with taxation4 ,he says3-- ,every ,arab must pay a tax for himself1 children1 and wife or wives4 ,this he has to pay three times over--once for the ,khedive1 once for the tax collector or local ,beys1 and once for the ,governor-,general4 ,the last two are illegal1 but still scrupulously collected to the piastre4 ,to pay this he must grow some corn1 and for the privilege of growing corn he must pay #c per annum4 ,to grow corn the desert earth must have water3 the means of irrigation is a ',sakeh1' a wheel like a mill-wheel with buckets on it1 which raise the water into a trough1 and then it flows in little streams over the land4 ,a sakeh is turned by two oxen4 ,every man who uses a sakeh must pay #g3 if he does not use it1 he must go into prison for life1 and have his hut burned4 ,every one must pay for the right of working to earn money2 every one must pay if they are idle2 in any case every one must pay to make the officials rich4 ,if you have a trading boat1 you are fined #d if you do not continually fly the ,egyptian flag1 and you must pay #d for the privilege of flying it4 ,in another letter he says3-- ,if they wish to grow corn they must pay for permission to do so1 pay for liberty to take water from the broad ,nile1 and pay for liberty to sell the corn4 ,if the crop is good1 pay double taxes 7one for private purse of the ,pasha and one for the ,government at ,cairo74 ,if they don't grow the corn they can't pay the taxes at all1 and get kourbashed 7flogged7 and put into prison4 ,no matter how they make a few piastres1 the dragoman of some ,bey or ,pasha will steal it for his master4 ,they frequently pull down huts and tear up yards and fields to find where the coins are hidden4 ,if the peasant buys a few rags for his wife or child1 or mends a hole in his hut to keep out the sun1 he is told he must have got money somewhere1 and he is doubly taxed2 and after all1 his sole possessions are a hut made of mud and river reeds1 a rush bed1 a rush mat1 and an earthen pot4 ,in still another letter he says3-- ,some of these merchants1 who sit all day in their little stalls in the bazaar1 are really millionaires1 and would buy up many of the ,london merchant-princes4 ,they live like kings in what1 outside1 looks like a mud hut4 ,if one shows any outward signs of wealth1 the ,pasha lets him know quietly that he will at once be charged as a rebel or something1 and put in prison if he does not make him a little present1 generally from #cjj to #ajjj4 ,one ,pasha left here last year1 admitting1 report says1 that in three years he had made #fj1jjj4 ,he came here three years ago as a clerk on #b a month4 ,abdul-,kereem ,pasha1 the ,governor1 took a fancy to him1 and made him chief of the tax-gatherers2 in three years he gained the rank of ,pasha and #fj1jjj--meaning #ejjj ruined homes1 several million strokes of the bastinado1 rapine1 robbery1 and men driven to exasperation1 and shot down at their doors4 ,need we wonder that people so ground down by tyranny were delighted to hear their ,governor-,general announce that he would hold the balance level1 and that no longer should the rich and powerful trample on the weak and poor8 ,the prominent characteristic of the ,egyptian rule in the ,soudan was fittingly summed up in the sentence1 ,kourbash1 kourbash1 et toujours kourbash1 which being interpreted means1 ,flogging1 flogging1 always flogging4 ,as to administration of justice1 there was no such thing4 ,he who could bribe the judges the highest got judgment delivered in his favour1 while his opponent received the kourbash4 ,the symbol of authority might well have been a kourbash1 which corresponds to the ,english cat-o'-nine-tails4 ,men were often kourbashed for no other reason than that they would not1 or could not1 bribe any official who had the power of administering this form of punishment not to inflict it on them4 ,nor must it be supposed that an ordinary flogging1 such as we understand by that term1 would satisfy these tyrannical perpetrators of cruelty4 ,often the use of the kourbash meant that the victim was maimed for life1 and the unfortunate one might always consider himself lucky if he escaped without any permanent injury4 ,in many cases it amounted to nothing more or less than a form of torture1 such as used to be inflicted in ,england in the barbarous ,middle ,ages1 and if the sufferer had not actually got the money he was supposed to have1 he would often have to borrow as much as he could of the required amount1 in order to avoid further torture4 ,we can imagine how ,gordon's blood must have boiled with indignation at such gross miscarriages of justice2 and during the whole time he served the ,khedive1 his object was to do away with this kind of tyranny4 ,often his journeys from place to place were marked by signs of fallen greatness1 as he would not tolerate tyranny4 ,in one month1 he says1 ,i have turned out three generals of division1 one general of brigade1 and four lieutenant-colonels4 ,it is no use mincing matters4 ,he allowed every one to approach him and to make complaints4 ,a box always stood at his tent or palace1 into which any one who had a grievance could drop his written complaint1 with a certainty that it would receive immediate investigation4 ,such a method gave publicity to instances of cruelty and oppression1 and often1 directly ,gordon heard of cases of this kind1 he would jump on his camel1 pay a personal visit to the individual concerned1 and having investigated the case on the spot1 would deal out justice upon the culprit4 ,of course1 in such an extensive province as his1 without railways1 it was absolutely impossible to investigate all the cases1 but by taking the more prominent and the grosser ones1 he could strike terror into the hearts of evil-doers in high places2 and in this way he considerably reduced the evil of tyrannical rule1 and taught the oppressed people that they had as much right to live as their oppressors had4 ,of course ,gordon was a much-hated man among the oppressor class1 as reformers of deep-seated abuses usually are2 but he knew that the weak and helpless at all events would appreciate him4 ,when ,wilberforce1 the great slavery abolitionist1 was accused by an opponent of interference with the rights of man1 he asked what those rights were1 and received for answer1 ,the right that every man has to lick his own nigger6 ,to rights of this kind1 however long established1 ,gordon was an inveterate enemy2 his object was to show that the weak and the helpless had rights as well as their oppressors1 and in this he succeeded to a marvellous extent4 ,my great desire1 said he1 is to be a shelter to the people1 to ease their burdens1 and to soften their hard lot in these inhospitable lands4 ,and again3-- ,i have an enormous province to look after2 but it is a great blessing to me to know that ,god has undertaken the administration of it1 and it is ,his work1 and not mine4 ,if ,i fail1 it is ,his will2 if ,i succeed1 it is ,his work certainly4 ,he has given me the joy of not regarding the honours of this world1 and to value my union with ,him above all things4 ,may ,i be humbled to the dust and fail1 so that ,he may glorify ,himself4 ,the greatness of my position only depresses me1 and ,i cannot help wishing that the time had come when ,he will lay me aside and use some other worm to do ,his work4 ,besides putting an end to cruelty and injustice1 he introduced into ,khartoum a system of water supply4 ,but important as his work at ,khartoum was1 he was on ,may #ai compelled to leave1 a revolt having broken out at ,darfour1 where his immediate presence was required4 ,so off he went on his camel into the very heart of the slave-hunting district4 ,writing from ,fogia1 on the frontier of ,darfour1 he says3-- ,i have a splendid camel--none like it2 it flies along1 and quite astonishes the ,arabs4 ,i came flying into this station in marshal's uniform1 and before the men had time to unpile arms1 ,i had arrived with only one man with me4 ,i could not help it2 the escort did not come in for an hour and a half afterwards4 ,the ,arab chief who was with me said it was the telegraph4444 ,it is fearful to see the ,governor-,general arrayed in gold clothes flying along like a madman1 with only a guide1 as if he was pursued4444 ,specks had been seen in the vast plain around the station moving towards it 7like ,jehu's advance71 but the specks were few--only two or three--and were supposed to be the advanced guard1 and before the men of ,fogia knew where they were1 the station was taken6 ,writing from ,oomchanga near ,fascher1 the capital of ,darfour1 he says3-- ,all this revolt is the fault of the ,bashi-,bazouks4 ,i said the other day1 ',if the people of this country were ,ryahs or ,christians1 ,i might understand your bad treatment of them1 but ,i do not when ,i see they are ,mussulmans1 as you4' ,upon which the ,darfourians were delighted1 and clapped their hands4 ,now the ,darfourians were so fanatical that they would never let a ,christian into their country1 and now they ask me to send ,christian ,governors6 ,their hatred of the ,bashi-,bazouks was well illustrated by an incident ,gordon mentions1 which was told him by one of the officers4 ,an officer declared to me1 he said1 that a woman with an officer escaped with the child he had by her1 and taking the child to the chief of the insurgents1 asked him to kill it1 as 'the child of a ,turk1' which the chief did4 ,on ,june #bi ,gordon was able to write1 ,we have made peace with the tribes around here half-way to ,fascher2 but he records1 ,i speak my mind1 and ,i cannot help saying to some 7of the ,darfourians who had come in to ask for peace71 ',you ought to pardon me4' ,really no people could have been treated worse than these people4 99 99 99 ,no sooner was one trouble settled than he was off on another expedition1 and this time his steps were directed towards ,dara1 the stronghold of the great prince of slave-dealers1 ,zebehr ,rahama4 ,en route he was nearly starved as well as poisoned by putrid water4 ,writing from ,toashia on ,july #c1 he says1 ,we have been two whole days without meat1 and he finds a garrison who for three years have been without pay6 ,he left ,toashia on ,july #aa with #ejj men1 of whom #aej only were any good4 ,on this march there was a threatened attack1 which fortunately did not come off1 but that he felt he was in great danger we may gather from the extract3 ,we have1 thank ,god1 passed our dangers4 ,whether they were imaginary or not1 ,i do not know1 but we were threatened by an attack from thousands of determined blacks1 who knew ,i was here4 ,now very few ,englishmen know what it is to be with troops they have not a bit of confidence in4444 ,i do not fear death1 but ,i fear1 from want of faith1 the results of my death--for the whole country would have risen4 ,at ,dara he came across a gang of #baj slaves1 who had been rescued1 but who had received no food for thirty-six hours4 ,his heart was filled with pity for them1 and he wrote3-- ,i am a fool1 ,i dare say1 but ,i cannot see the sufferings of these people without tears in my eyes4444 ,it is a sad sight to see the poor starved creatures looking so wistfully at one4 ,what can ,i do8 ,poor souls6 ,i cannot feed or look after them4 ,i must leave it to ,god1 who will arrange all in kindness4 ,some of them were so miserably thin4 ,i have sent them some dhoora4 ,i declare solemnly that ,i would give my life willingly to save the sufferings of these people2 and if ,i would do this1 how much more does ,he care for them than such imperfection as ,i am6 ,you would have felt sick had you seen them4 ,poor creatures6 thirty-six hours without food6 ,the more experience ,colonel ,gordon had of his ,bashi-,bazouk soldiers1 the more he seems to have disliked them3-- ,i am worn to a shadow by the utter uselessness of the ,bashi-,bazouks4 ,the very sight of them excites my ire4 ,i never saw such a useless1 expensive set4 ,i hate 7there is no other word for it7 these ,arabs2 and ,i like the ,blacks--patient1 enduring1 and friendly1 as much as the ,arab is cowardly1 cruel1 and effeminate4 ,all the misery is due to these ,arab and ,circassian ,pashas and authorities4 ,i would not stay a day here for these wretched creatures1 but ,i would give my life for these ,blacks4 ,writing from ,dara1 he mentions an instance which occurred on the march to that place to show the cowardly nature of his men1 as well as the bravery of the ,blacks4 ,his force of #cejj men was attacked by the ,leopard tribe1 numbering only #gjj men4 ,in spite of these overwhelming odds in their favour1 ,gordon says that his men were nearly beaten4 ,i was sickened1 he said1 to see twenty brave men of the tribes in alliance with me ride out to meet the ,leopard tribe1 unsupported by my men1 who crowded into the stockade4 ,it was terribly painful4 ,the only thing which restrained me from riding out to the attack was the sheep-like state in which my people would have been had ,i been killed4 ,what1 also1 would have become of the province8 ,notwithstanding the inferior quality of his troops1 ,colonel ,gordon was determined to march on and pay a visit to ,zebehr ,rahama's camp1 one of the boldest acts of his life4 ,zebehr1 himself the head of the cursed slave traffic1 was at this time practically a prisoner in ,cairo4 ,he had1 foolishly enough1 gone there with #ajj1jjj1 in the hope that he could bribe the ,khedive and his officials1 and he even had the effrontery to ask ,gordon to intercede for him4 ,unfortunately for ,zebehr1 he was too powerful a man for the ,khedive to care to have at large4 ,he was practically an independent chief1 his power and influence being greater in the ,soudan than that of the ,khedive4 ,he lived in regal style1 and every one trembled at his name4 ,dr4 ,schweinfurth thus describes the surroundings of this remarkable man4 ,he was surrounded with a court that was little less than princely in its details4 ,special rooms1 provided with carpeted divans1 were reserved as ante-chambers1 and into these all visitors were conducted by richly-dressed slaves4 ,the regal aspect of these halls of state was increased by the introduction of some lions1 secured1 as may be supposed1 by sufficiently strong and massive chains4 ,dr4 ,birkbeck ,hill says1 ,he owned no less than thirty stations4 ,these fortified posts were carried far into the heart of ,africa2 and all along the line from one to another1 and round each one of them far and wide1 the slave-dealer exercised despotic rule4 ,the only foolish act this prince of slave-hunters ever did was to put himself into the power of the ,khedive1 by going to visit him at his capital4 ,once at ,cairo1 the ,khedive kept him there as a prisoner4 ,zebehr's son1 ,suleiman1 was at the head of his army of some #cjjj fighting men1 as plucky as ,gordon's men were cowardly4 ,when the father was detained at ,cairo1 he telegraphed in cipher to his son to break into open revolt1 and even to attack the ,government4 ,gordon knew that his men were utterly unable to meet ,suleiman's troops in the field1 so he tried another method to intimidate the rebels4 ,he rode on alone ahead of his escort1 covering eighty-five miles in a day and a half1 in the heat of ,august1 and dashing into the camp of these robbers1 summoned their chief to an interview4 ,suleiman and his followers were dumbfounded by this bold act1 and offered no resistance4 ,the ,governor-,general then told ,suleiman that he was aware of the meditated revolt1 and that if he did not submit to his authority1 his band should be broken up and disarmed4 ,suleiman and his chiefs went off to consider their course of action4 ,of course many were for making ,gordon a prisoner1 and he had1 humanly speaking1 a narrow escape4 ,however1 ,suleiman decided to submit1 and though afterwards we hear of him again in open revolt1 for the time being ,gordon carried the day4 ,nothing but his daring courage preserved him on that occasion4 ,he even accepted an invitation to visit ,suleiman at ,shaka1 where he spent two days4 ,when ,suleiman asked for an appointment1 it was refused1 on the ground that he had not yet shown his loyalty to the ,khedive4 ,gordon1 however1 made him a present of his own gun1 and taught him to use it4 ,gordon often used to speak of this adventure as a most remarkable answer to prayer4 ,he had prayed for ,suleiman before starting1 and had also asked for guidance for himself1 and ,god heard him4 ,it has sometimes been represented as a mad freak on ,gordon's part to put himself into the lion's den in this way1 but it was nothing of the kind4 ,suleiman was in revolt1 supported by a splendid army4 ,gordon was absolutely at his mercy1 for he could not rely on his troops4 ,it was only ,gordon's daring courage that intimidated ,suleiman1 and made him think ,gordon was stronger than he really was4 99 99 99 ,after obtaining the submission of ,suleiman1 ,gordon returned to ,khartoum1 and again for a time resumed his ordinary official duties4 ,but this was not for long2 he had before him another visit to ,walad el ,michael1 the turbulent ,abyssinian chief1 whom he had visited before taking up his duties at ,khartoum4 ,gordon's object was to persuade ,walad to submit to the authority of ,king ,johannis of ,abyssinia4 ,but nothing would induce ,walad to do this4 ,he was surrounded by #gjjj soldiers1 and ,gordon felt himself1 in spite of the denials of the rebel chief1 practically a prisoner4 ,walad demanded authority to go on attacking ,johannis1 but to this of course the ,governor-,general could not assent4 ,he therefore compromised matters by offering ,walad #ajjj per mensem1 on condition that he should leave his old king alone4 ,having settled ,walad1 ,gordon left1 intending to return to ,khartoum1 but was intercepted by a telegram from the ,khedive begging him to go to ,cairo to help him in his financial difficulties1 and he started for ,cairo on ,february #c1 #ahgh1 having completed one year's service as ,governor-,general of the ,soudan4 ,in spite of the hard rough life of the ,soudan1 he infinitely preferred it to the more artificial civilised existence which the officials were living at ,cairo4 ,he arrived there on ,march #gth1 and left again on the #cjth2 and during the whole of his stay he was wretched4 ,at first the ,khedive paid great attention to him1 receiving him with a splendour which suggested the ,arabian ,nights4 ,he asked him to be the president of a commission of inquiry into the finances of the country1 with the condition attached that he should use his influence to arrange with the representatives of the different countries that the commissioners of the debt or the representatives of the creditors who had lent money to ,egypt should not serve on that commission of inquiry4 ,after a good deal of discussion1 it was finally ascertained that this condition would not be consented to by the foreign ,governments4 ,this of course relieved ,colonel ,gordon of any obligations in the matter1 and he1 seeing that he could be of no further service1 decided to return to his province4 ,considering how much ,gordon had done to try and accomplish the desires of the ,khedive1 there can be little question that he was in this matter treated very badly4 ,i left ,cairo1 said he1 with no honours1 by the ordinary train1 paying my own passage4 ,the sun which rose with such splendour set in the deepest obscurity4 ,i calculate my financial episode cost me #hjj4 ,his ,highness was bored with me after my failure1 and could not bear the sight of me4 ,fortunately for ,gordon1 he cared very little for official favour4 ,i now only look1 said he in a letter written a short time after this1 to benefiting the people4 ,it was in this spirit he visited ,harrar1 a small province detached from the ,soudan1 and lying to the south of ,abyssinia1 on the eastern coast of ,africa1 almost opposite to ,aden4 ,this province had once belonged to ,turkey1 but had been transferred to the ,khedive in exchange for #ae1jjj per annum extra tribute4 ,the governor of the province was ,raouf ,pasha1 whom ,colonel ,gordon1 it will be remembered1 had refused to employ on account of his cruel treatment of the natives in the ,equatorial ,province four years before4 ,again he had been playing the tyrant1 and ,gordon felt it to be his duty to turn him out4 ,as this man afterwards succeeded ,colonel ,gordon as ,governor-,general of the ,soudan1 it is to him more than any one that the present ,khedive is indebted for having lost the whole of the ,soudan4 ,by his tyranny1 following after ,gordon's kindness1 the province was stirred into revolt1 and the ,mahdi enabled to usurp authority4 ,we are1 however1 anticipating events4 ,having freed ,harrar of this tyrant1 he went to ,massowah1 and thence on ,may #bbnd to ,khartoum4 ,back once more at his capital1 he devoted himself first to a thorough reform of the prisons and the administration of the law4 ,the prisons1 he wrote1 were dens of injustice1 and ,i am glad to have had time to go into the question of each individual prisoner4 99 99 99 ,although he used to tell amusing stories against himself and his own personal expenditure of money1 yet ,gordon had great aptitude for finance1 and could make money go farther than most men4 ,had his views been adopted for ,egypt1 it is more than likely that we should have been saved the ,egyptian war1 to say nothing of the loss of the ,soudan1 and all that was associated with it4 ,in the ,soudan province there was an annual deficit amounting to something like #bei1jjj4 ,by dint of cutting down expenditure and increasing the receipts1 ,gordon reduced this during the second year to #ej1fjj6 ,had he continued ,governor-,general for many years1 there can be no question that he would have not only made the two ends meet1 but would have obtained sufficient to carry out his schemes of opening up the country by railways and steamers1 thus at the same time developing trade and reducing slavery4 ,he calculated that with great economy1 and utilising the machinery and the rails that were already lying idle in the country1 a highway from ,cairo to ,khartoum might have been opened up for #gj1jjj1 a sum of money which over and over again has been frittered away in building great useless palaces for the ,khedive or some other ,egyptian official1 which bring in no income1 and are a great expense to keep up4 ,the traffic1 especially the conveyance of ivory and other merchandise1 would soon have recouped the ,government for their original outlay4 ,the way in which ,colonel ,gordon was thwarted in every possible manner at this time troubled him a good deal4 ,as for myself1 he writes1 ,i am exceedingly weary1 and wish1 with a degree of bitterness1 that it was all over4 ,i am cooped up here now1 but am much occupied with finances1 which are in a very low state4 ,my life is burthensome and weary1 but ,i feel that it is better to be employed here than to be idle elsewhere4 ,writing on ,november #bj1 #ahgh1 he says3-- ,i will give you an instance of the miserable way the ,cairo ,government treats the ,soudan4 ,i asked ,h4,h4#h a long time ago to send up a man ,a4 ,h4,h4 replied he wanted the man ,a41 and could not send him4 ,to-day ,i got a request for #g1 #ajs41 stating that ,i had asked for ,a41 who was at ,port ,said2 that in consequence ,a4 went to ,cairo and said that he did not want to come2 so they ask me to pay the #g1 #ajs4 for his passage from ,port ,said to ,cairo and return1 which ,i have refused to do4 #h ,the abbreviation he generally used for ,his ,highness the ,khedive4 ,closely associated with this question of finance was the still more important question of slavery4 ,the ,khedive's ,government were at this time at their wit's end for money4 ,they wrote to ,colonel ,gordon asking him to send them #ab1jjj1 and he replied that he had no funds available4 ,nubar ,pasha1 who was ,minister at the time1 was casting about to see how money could be raised1 and not being troubled with conscientious scruples on the subject of slavery1 he made overtures to the great slave-dealer ,zebehr1 who1 it will be remembered1 was practically a prisoner in ,cairo4 ,zebehr jumped at the offer1 and promised to send #be1jjj per annum to ,cairo from the ,soudan1 if he were made ,governor-,general in place of ,gordon4 ,this of course meant that he would be allowed a perfectly free hand to kidnap as many slaves as possible1 in order to make up the annual deficit in addition to this subsidy of #be1jjj4 ,writing from ,khartoum on ,february #ah1 #ahgi1 ,gordon says that he was ordered to return to ,cairo for consultation4 ,this1 however1 he steadily refused to do1 on the ground of certain disturbances which had occurred4 ,there was a simultaneous rebellion of slave-dealers in the ,bahr-,gazelle1 and also risings in ,darfour and ,kordofan1 and ,gordon felt it to be his duty to go and assist his lieutenant1 ,gessi1 who was endeavouring to crush ,zebehr's gang4 ,again all the horrors of the slave-trade were forced upon ,gordon's mind4 ,i declare if ,i could stop this traffic ,i would willingly be shot this night4 ,this shows my ardent desire2 and yet1 strive as ,i can1 ,i can scarcely see any hope of arresting the evil4 ,now comes the question1 ,could ,i sacrifice my life and remain in ,kordofan and ,darfour8 ,to die quickly would be to me nothing2 but the long crucifixion that a residence in these horrid countries entails appalls me4 ,yet ,i feel that1 if ,i could screw up my mind to it1 ,i could cause the trade to cease1 for its roots are in these countries4444 ,i have written to the ,khedive to say ,i will not remain as ,governor-,general1 for ,i feel ,i cannot govern the country to satisfy myself4444 ,now as ,i will not stay as ,governor-,general of the whole of the ,soudan1 query1 shall ,i stay as ,governor of the ,west ,soudan1 and crush the slave-dealers8 ,i agree1 if the death was speedy2 but oh6 it is a long and weary one1 and for the moment ,i cannot face it4 ,again1 writing from ,kalaka at the beginning of ,may #ahgi1 he says3-- ,all the road from here to ,shaka is marked by the camping-places of the slave-dealers1 and there are numerous skulls by the side of the road4 ,what thousands have passed along here6 ,i hear some districts are completely depopulated1 all the inhabitants having been captured or starved to death4 ,but though ,gordon could not do all he desired1 he was enabled to do more perhaps than any other man could have accomplished in the circumstances1 and by the end of ,june #ahgi1 ,suleiman1 the son of the great ,zebehr1 had been hunted down by ,gessi1 who discovered papers clearly proving the guilt of both father and son4 ,the latter was tried by court-martial and shot1 and ,gordon sent the evidence against the father to the ,khedive4 ,no notice was taken of it1 and ,gordon bitterly complains that1 instead of being punished1 ,zebehr was pensioned6 ,what pensions1 he asks1 have the widows and orphans whom ,zebehr has made by the thousand8 ,what allowance have the poor worn-out bodies of men1 strong enough till he dragged them from their homes1 who are now draining the last bitter dregs of life in cruel slavery8 ,what recompense has been made to those whose bleached bones mark the track of his trade over many and many a league of ground8 ,space does not permit a detailed account of the interesting and exciting campaign in which ,gessi delivered this crushing blow against the great slave-dealer4 ,no man had imbibed more of ,gordon's detestation to the slave trade than ,gessi1 and with quite a small force he captured the redoubtable ,suleiman1 who had a large force at his disposal4 ,gordon made him a ,pasha and gave him a reward of #bjjj1 which he richly deserved4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,abyssinia1 ,,india1 ,,and ,,china ,colonel ,gordon's work of putting a stop to slave-hunting and other evils in the ,soudan was about to terminate4 ,at ,fogia on the #ast ,july #ahgi he received a telegram announcing that ,ismail had abdicated1 and that his son ,tewfik reigned at ,cairo in his place4 ,gordon at once decided to go to ,cairo4 ,he writes3-- ,i am a wreck1 like the portion of the ,victory towed into ,gibraltar after ,trafalgar2 but ,god has enabled me1 or rather has used me1 to do what ,i wished to do--that is1 break down the slave-trade4444 ,to-day ,i had a telegram from ,darfour1 saying1 ',haroun another great slave-dealer1 second only in importance to ,zebehr had been killed and his forces dispersed4' ,god has truly been good to me4 ',those that honour ,me ,i will honour4' ,may ,i be ground to dust1 if ,he will glorify ,himself in me2 but give me a humble heart1 for then ,he dwells there in comfort4 ,the new ,khedive is most civil1 he writes from ,cairo1 but ,i no longer distress myself with such things4 ,god is the sole ruler1 and ,i try to walk sincerely before ,him4 ,in spite of his treatment by the deposed ,khedive1 he always had a real affection for him1 and he says3 ,it pains me what sufferings my poor ,khedive ,ismail has had to go through2 but later on he writes3 ,do not fret about ,ismail ,pasha2 he is a philosopher1 and has plenty of money4 ,he played high stakes and lost4 ,he is the cleverest man in ,europe4 ,i am one of those he fooled1 but ,i bear him no grudge4 ,it is a blessing for ,egypt that he has gone4 ,colonel ,gordon had quite determined not to remain under the new ,khedive1 so he terminated1 as he then thought for ever1 his connection with the ,soudan1 little thinking how inseparably his name was yet to be associated with that country4 ,it may give us some idea of the energy of the man when it is mentioned that during the last three years he had ridden #hejj miles on camels or mules4 ,such violent exertion in a hot country was greatly to the detriment of his health4 ,in one of his letters he says3-- ,from not having worn a bandage across the chest1 ,i have shaken my heart or my lungs out of their places2 and ,i have the same feeling in my chest as you have when you have a crick in the neck4 ,in camel-riding you ought to wear a sash round the waist1 and another close up under the armpits2 otherwise1 all the internal machinery gets disturbed4 ,before finally quitting the service of the ,khedive1 ,gordon felt that he would like to put affairs between ,egypt and ,abyssinia on a more satisfactory footing1 though it was through no fault of his that they were in such a bad condition4 ,in spite1 therefore1 of his state of health1 he left ,cairo on ,august #cj1 #ahgi1 on a mission to the ,abyssinian king1 ,johannis4 ,writing home he playfully alludes to a ridiculous report that was being circulated1 that he intended to throw off allegiance to ,egypt1 and set up as an independent ,sultan1 similar to what the ,american adventurer1 ,burgevine1 proposed to do in ,china4 ,the ,khedive said1 after some circumlocution1 ',was ,i not too friendly with ,johannis8' ,in fact1 the general report in ,cairo was that ,i was going in for being ,sultan2 but it would not suit our family4 ,i hope to finish off ,johannis soon1 and then to come home4 ,there seem to have been some other evil reports circulated at this time about ,colonel ,gordon1 for he says again in his humorous manner3 ,i wrote to the secretary of the ,foreign ,office man1 who is a friend of mine1 asking him to tell his chief1 who is of the council1 ',that if1 on my return1 ,i hear any of the ,council of ,ministers have said anything against me1 ,i will beg the ,khedive to make the evil speaker ,governor-,general of the ,soudan1' which is equivalent to a sentence of death to these ,cairo ,pashas4 ,though he was sick in body his brave spirit showed no signs of yielding as long as there was duty to be done1 and off he went to ,abyssinia4 ,on ,september #bnd1 #ahgi1 he writes3-- ,the heat is terrible1 but ,i am quiet and that is a great thing4 ,i fear1 through this ,abyssinian affair1 ,i shall have to wend my weary way to ,senheit2 however1 ,god knows what is best for me4 ,i would sooner have come home straight1 but ,i had it not in my heart to forsake ,tewfik till this affair is finished4 ,i have begun to be very tired of the continual wear and tear of my last six years4 ,however1 ,i cannot think of leaving ,egypt exposed to her enemies4 ,on ,september #abth he writes1 when en route to meet ,aloula1 the ,abyssinian commander-in-chief3-- ,we have met a caravan coming from ,aloula's4 ,they confirm the news that ,walad el ,michael and all his officers are prisoners1 by orders sent to ,aloula by ,king ,johannis1 and ,metfin ,walad el ,michael's son1 whom ,gordon disliked very much is dead--killed by some one4 ,i heard just as ,i left ,massowah that ,abdulgassin--the last of the leaders of ,zebehr's slave-dealers--had been taken1 and ,i ordered him to be shot4#i ,thus gaps1 one by one1 are made in my prayers for my enemies4 #i ,this man had started his career by a cold-blooded murder4 ,when he first set up his standard of revolt1 the wind blew it down1 so in order to turn away the anger of heaven four oxen were slaughtered1 and then a negro boy4 ,in the poor wretch's blood a flag was dipped1 and the standard was raised a second time1 a second time to fall4 ,this last remark is made in reference to his custom of always praying for his enemies by name4 ,he went on this ,abyssinian embassy with a heavy heart1 for the ,khedive had telegraphed to him1 ,give up nothing1 but do not fight4 ,it really mattered little what happened1 considering that soon ,egypt was to give up even the lands over which she had a legal right1 but in ,november #ahgi this could not be foreseen4 ,khedive ,ismail had undoubtedly behaved very badly to ,abyssinia1 and had treated the ,abyssinian envoy with a great want of courtesy4 ,tewfik1 however1 was not to blame for this1 and he wanted to express his regret at the past and his desire to renew the old friendship between ,egypt and ,abyssinia4 ,johannis was a tyrannical king1 hated by his own people1 who thought him partly mad1 and he took to heart ,ismail's conduct to his representative and refused to distinguish between one ,khedive and another4 ,gordon's description of the ,abyssinian king is as follows3-- ,johannis1 oddly enough1 is like myself--a religious fanatic4 ,he has a mission1 and will fulfil it1 and that mission is to ,christianise66 all ,mussulmans4 ,he has forbidden the smoking of tobacco in his country1 and cuts off the right hand and left foot of any man he catches doing so6 ,when ,christ comes again1 how truly ,he may say to us all ',i know ye not4' ,gordon had foreseen that the ,abyssinians would probably revenge themselves upon him for the treatment which their envoy had received at ,cairo1 and this probability was rendered a certainty by the fact that he had nothing to offer by way of compensation4 ,from the day he entered ,abyssinia to the day he left it1 he was constantly insulted1 and he gained very little by the journey1 in which he risked his life4 ,he saw ,king ,johannis1 and got him to make certain definite demands1 but the king would not put them into writing4 ,when ,gordon referred him to the ,khedive's letter it was not forthcoming1 and could not even be found for some time4 ,when it was found the chief clerk received forty blows for not having before translated it6 ,amid a pile of letters which were disregarded1 ,gordon saw one from the ,british ,government and one from the ,french ,government4 ,at first the king tried to distinguish between ,gordon and the ,khedive1 but the former was too loyal to allow this1 and informed the king that he must look on him as a ,mahommedan and an ,egyptian1 and not as a ,christian and an ,englishman4 ,on this point ,gordon held very conscientious views4 ,in the event of a foreigner entering the service of an ,oriental ,power1 he contended1 ,he shall for the time entirely abandon his relations with his native land2 he shall resist his own government1 and those of other powers1 and keep intact the sovereignty of the ,oriental ,state whose bread he eats4 ,when ,johannis saw that ,gordon had nothing to offer1 and nothing was to be got out of him1 he dismissed him4 ,it is unnecessary to retail all the unpleasant incidents of his journey to ,massowah4 ,the only thing of importance is1 that ,gordon1 anticipating that there might be disturbances at ,massowah1 telegraphed to the ,khedive to send a battalion of infantry there1 a request to which no attention was paid4 ,this neglect on the part of the ,khedive ultimately led to an open rupture between him and ,gordon4 ,fortunately the ,british ,government had sent a gunboat across from ,aden at ,gordon's request4 ,the whole town was in a ferment1 ,gordon writes1 and had it not been for ,h4,m4,s4 ,seagull1 ,massowah would no doubt have been attacked and sacked4 ,the ,khedive asked ,gordon to come at once to ,cairo1 but this he refused to do till the battalion arrived1 as he felt that his presence was necessary there1 in order to give confidence to the people1 until the troops came4 ,ultimately1 however1 ,gordon went to ,cairo1 and gave the ,khedive a piece of his mind1 with regard to the publication of confidential telegrams1 as well as other things4 ,it was on this occasion that he received the reply from the ruler of ,egypt1 ,i am a young man2 it is not my fault1 which caused some little amusement in ,england1 when it was made known4 ,the rupture was made1 ,gordon had decided to serve the ,khedive no longer1 and at the beginning of the year #ahhj he returned home for the rest that he required1 mentally and physically1 after six years' incessant hard work in the thankless task of governing the ,soudan4 ,when ,gordon was leaving ,alexandria he was medically examined by ,dr4 ,mackie1 the surgeon to the ,british ,consulate1 who stated that he was suffering from symptoms of nervous exhaustion1 and alteration of the blood1 giving rise to hmorrhagic spots on the skin1 c4 ,i have1 said the same authority1 recommended him to retire for several months for complete rest and quiet1 and that he may be able to enjoy fresh and wholesome food1 as ,i consider that much of what he is suffering from is the effect of continued bodily fatigue1 anxiety1 and indigestible food4 ,i have insisted on his abstaining from all exciting work--especially such as implies business or political excitement4 ,gordon possessed an exceptionally strong constitution1 but there is a limit to the burden which the most powerful can bear1 and that limit had been exceeded4 ,there was nothing for it1 therefore1 but to put into dock for constitutional repairs4 99 99 99 ,after spending three months in ,england1 he went to ,switzerland on the #ith ,april #ahhj4 ,during this period of inactivity he was offered by the ,government of the ,cape of ,good ,hope the command of their colonial forces on #aejj per annum1 but his reply was1 ,thanks for telegram just received2 ,i do not feel inclined to accept an appointment4 ,in the beginning of ,may1 however1 he accepted the post of private secretary to ,lord ,ripon1 who was going out to ,india as ,viceroy4 ,considering that ,colonel ,gordon had been ruling a territory as large as ,france1 ,germany1 and ,spain put together1 it was thought strange at the time that he should accept such a very subordinate post as that of secretary to the ,viceroy1 himself only a subordinate to the ,secretary of ,state for ,india1 who practically governs that vast empire from ,downing ,street by means of the telegraph4 ,the appointment was indeed a peculiarly unfortunate one4 ,the ,p4 ,o4 steamer that conveyed the ,viceregal party had on board two kings1 the greater man being1 so to speak1 the uncrowned one4 ,the ,viceroy1 who has since shown himself to be a man of ability1 had not at that time gained the confidence of the public4 ,consequently1 his principal qualification for the post was that he possessed the aristocracy of birth4 ,it is impossible to secure everything in any given man1 and as social distinctions weigh heavily in such a post as that of ,viceroy of ,india1 only average abilities are as a rule looked for4 ,consequently ,india has been termed the land of mediocrity1 from the fact that the average statesmen who direct her affairs1 are neither very brilliant nor very dull4 ,the ,viceroy must have been more than human not to have felt somewhat keenly the awkward position in which he was placed on that voyage4 ,to make matters worse1 the ship was compelled to pass through the very territory where ,gordon's name was best known1 and he was most beloved1 and thus the ,suez ,canal voyage was a kind of royal progress4 ,unfortunately the homage paid was to the subordinate1 the uncrowned king1 and not to him who held the higher position4 ,it was ,gordon's opinion that was sought for1 it was to him that every one looked1 and it is said by the well informed1 that at least once on the voyage this led to difficulties4 ,be that as it may1 the experience of that voyage showed ,colonel ,gordon that he was utterly out of place1 and that it was neither fair to himself1 nor to his chief1 that he should continue in it1 so he decided to resign at ,bombay1 which place he reached on ,june #ast4 ,all sorts of reasons for this resignation were suggested at the time1 but none of them went very near the mark4 ,of course some said that the difference of opinion on religious matters was the cause1 while others alleged a political reason1 saying that ,colonel ,gordon was opposed to the treatment of ,yakoob ,khan1 the late ,ameer of ,afghanistan4 ,colonel ,gordon's brother1 the late ,sir ,h4 ,gordon1 has given publicity to this latter as the reason1 but as a matter of fact it is not the correct one1 and there is no use handing down false reports to posterity4 ,more than this ,i am not at liberty to say4 ,the only published statement on the subject from ,gordon himself was as follows3-- ,in a moment of weakness ,i took the appointment of private secretary to ,lord ,ripon1 and repented that ,i had done so at once1 but ,i did not like to say so4 ,i went out1 and saw at ,bombay that in my irresponsible position ,i could not possibly hope to do anything really to the purpose1 in the face of vested interests out there2 so seeing this was the case1 and also observing that my views were diametrically opposed to those of the official classes1 ,i gave it up4 ,it certainly was a great consideration with me--,lord ,ripon's position--for it was assumed by some1 that my views of the state of affairs were those of the ,viceroy1 and then ,i felt ,i would do him harm by staying with him4 ,lord ,ripon and ,i left perfect friends4 ,the brusqueness of my leaving was unavoidable1 inasmuch as my stay would have put me in the possession of ,state things that ,i ought not to know4 ,certainly1 ,i might have stayed a month or two1 and had a pain in the head and gone quickly2 but the whole duties were so distasteful that ,i felt--being perfectly callous as to what the world says--it was better to go at once1 and did so4 ,subordinate posts of that kind may do very well for men of ability1 who have a name to make2 but it is not in accordance with human nature1 that a man of brilliant genius1 who had already made a great reputation as a soldier and an administrator1 could serve with satisfaction to himself1 or justice to his chief1 in such a position1 and ,gordon was not the man to serve unless he could be thoroughly loyal4 99 99 99 ,having resigned his post on the #crd ,june1 he received a telegram from ,london inviting him to go again to ,china4 ,mr4 ,robert ,hart1 then in ,china as ,inspector-,general of ,customs1 telegraphed to ,mr4 ,campbell1 his agent in ,london1 to invite ,gordon to go out on six months' leave4 ,mr4 ,campbell1 seeing ,gordon's resignation announced1 at once passed on the invitation to ,bombay4 ,gordon's reply was1 ,inform ,hart ,gordon will leave for ,shanghai first opportunity2 as for conditions1 ,gordon indifferent4 ,he then telegraphed to the ,war ,office for leave till the end of the year4 ,it was thought that ,china would shortly be involved in war with ,russia1 and as our own relationships with the ,czar were not too friendly at that time1 the ,war ,office authorities felt bound to act cautiously1 lest it should appear as if we shrank from fighting ,russia ourselves1 but were encouraging another nation to do so1 by allowing one of our most brilliant officers to lead their forces4 ,consequently ,gordon received the following telegram1 ,must state more specifically purpose and position for and in which you go to ,china4 ,gordon's reply was1 ,am ignorant2 will write from ,china before the expiration of my leave4 ,on the #aath he received a further message1 ,reasons insufficient3 your going to ,china is not approved4 ,to this ,gordon replied1 ,arrange retirement1 commutation or resignation of service2 ask ,campbell reasons4 ,my counsel1 if asked1 would be for peace1 not war4 ,i return by ,america4 ,the ,war ,office were not1 however1 going to lose an officer of such ability so easily1 so when ,gordon arrived at ,point de ,galle on the #afth ,june1 he found the following telegram awaiting him1 ,leave granted on your engaging to take no military service in ,china2 to which he replied1 ,i will take no military service in ,china2 ,i would never embarrass the ,british ,government4 ,he arrived at ,hong-,kong on ,july #bnd and went immediately to ,shanghai1 but hearing that his old friend1 ,li ,hung ,chang1 was at ,tientsin1 he proceeded there at once1 and found things in a very unsatisfactory condition4 ,prince ,chun and the ,empress ,regent were anxious for war with ,russia1 being supported in this folly by all the ,court1 while ,prince ,kung and ,li ,hung ,chang practically stood alone in their desire for peace4 ,li was so delighted to see ,gordon that he fell on his neck and kissed him4 ,gordon at once threw his influence into the scale of peace4 ,he had previously1 before leaving ,india1 expressed his views on the subject in the press3-- ,my fixed desire is to persuade the ,chinese not to go to war with ,russia1 both in their own interests1 and for the sake of those of the world1 especially those of ,england4 ,to me it appears that the question in dispute cannot be of such vital importance that an arrangement could not be come to1 by concessions upon both sides4 ,whether ,i succeed in being heard or not is not in my hands4 ,i protest1 however1 at being regarded as one who wishes for war in any country1 still less in ,china4 ,inclined as ,i am1 with only a small degree of admiration for military exploits1 ,i esteem it a far greater honour to promote peace than to gain any paltry honours in a wretched war4 ,as a matter of fact ,gordon did succeed in convincing the ,government at ,pekin of the advisability of coming to terms with its opponent1 and thus once more he rendered ,china an invaluable service4 ,in his earnest advocacy he appears to have used such emphatic language that the interpreter dared not repeat it1 so ,gordon seized a dictionary1 looked up the word idiotcy1 and pointed it out to them4 ,far better was it1 in ,gordon's opinion1 to ruffle the self-esteem of a few bigwigs1 than to allow two great nations to drift into a war which1 after an enormous sacrifice of life and much suffering1 must have ended fatally for the ,chinese1 who were quite unable to meet the trained hordes of ,russia4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,mauritius1 ,,cape1 ,,and ,,palestine ,gordon left ,china immediately he had saved that country from war1 arriving in ,england on ,october #ba1 #ahhj4 ,from then till about the end of the following ,april he spent on leave4 ,during this month the post of officer commanding ,royal ,engineers at the ,mauritius fell vacant1 and two officers to whom the command was offered retired rather than go to ,mauritius4 ,sir ,howard ,elphinstone was then offered the command1 and would also probably have retired1 but ,colonel ,gordon offered to go for him1 and refused any money on account of the exchange1 though usually #gjj or #hjj was paid for an exchange of this kind4 ,yet ,gordon was so poor that he had actually to borrow the money to pay for his passage when he went from ,india to ,china a few months before this6 ,he left ,england for the ,mauritius on the #bnd ,may1 travelling via the ,suez ,canal and ,aden4 ,the voyage opened up to his ever-active fertile brain the whole question of the advantage to ,england of the ,suez ,canal1 and of our proper route to ,india4 ,this1 he maintained most strongly1 should1 in the event of war1 be vi the ,cape1 and not through the ,canal1 his opinion concurring with that of ,lord ,palmerston1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,e4 ,forster1 and many men of ability4 ,the ,suez route may save a few days1 but the risk is terrible4 ,in some parts of the ,canal only one ship can pass at a time1 and a sunken barge1 a little dynamite1 or even a severe sandstorm may block the ,canal for days4 ,an enemy could easily bribe the owners of a few petty craft to sink their vessels1 and thus completely to block up troopships in the ,canal4 ,even without such designs our troopships are frequently delayed in passing through owing to accidents of all sorts4 ,the heads of many ,englishmen have been completely turned by the opening of the ,suez ,canal1 and ,gordon was one of the few who stood out against the idea of considering it as the proper route to ,india4 ,it has been said that our trade has increased very largely since the ,canal was opened1 and that is true2 but then the period in question has been one of special activity1 and probably our trade would have increased no less had the ,canal never been constructed4 ,moreover1 the trade of other countries has increased even more rapidly4 ,italy1 ,france1 ,russia1 ,germany1 and ,austria have gained more in proportion than we have4 ,in the olden days1 when all the trade with the ,east came to ,europe vi the ,cape1 ,england was the great centre of the world4 ,everything was shipped to ,england1 and then despatched to different parts of ,europe4 ,we were the great carriers of the ocean4 ,but the ,suez ,canal has disturbed this arrangement1 and the ,european nations can more easily obtain their supplies direct through the ,canal1 to the detriment of our labour market4 ,gordon recognised that it was too late for the mistake to be remedied1 but he was most anxious that we should attach more importance to our hold on the ,cape1 as the natural route to ,india in the event of war1 and not be deceived by the fictitious advantages of the ,suez ,canal1 which only offers the saving of a few days at enormous risk4 ,he took the opportunity of stopping at ,suez to pay a visit to the grave of his friend and lieutenant1 ,gessi1 who had lost his life and died at ,suez from the hardships through which he passed on the ,nile1 partly owing to the blocking of that river by the sudd1 which had re-formed after ,gordon left the ,soudan1 all precautionary measures having been neglected1 and partly owing to the cruel neglect of the authorities1 who might have taken more prompt measures for his relief4 ,as his master was to do a few years later1 ,gessi practically sacrificed his life in the crusade against slavery4 ,he had been an interpreter in the ,crimean war1 and in the ,soudan he exhibited such great military skill that he was given a high independent command1 with the result that he was1 it will be remembered1 the means of capturing and breaking up ,suleiman's band of slave-dealers4 ,colonel ,gordon arrived at the ,mauritius at the end of ,may #ahha1 and he left in ,march #ahhb1 so he was only for about ten months on the island4 ,he went out to command the ,royal ,engineers1 but as the officer commanding the island was promoted and sent home1 he succeeded by seniority to the chief command4 ,during this period there is not much to mention beyond the fact that here1 as elsewhere1 he used every opportunity to do acts of kindness to others4 ,two men of the ,royal ,artillery had1 when the worse for liquor1 gone out in a boat1 without oars4 ,for eight days they were drifting about in the currents that surround the ,mauritius4 ,at last they reached the ,island of ,bourbon1 and in attempting to land1 one of them got drowned4 ,the other was sent back to his battery1 and the owner of the lost boat at once demanded compensation4 ,thinking that the poor fellow had already suffered enough for his misdeeds1 ,colonel ,gordon paid for the boat1 and took the receipt to the man's commanding officer1 stipulating that he should not tell the man who had got him out of trouble4 ,he always took the greatest interest in the men1 and also in the agent of the ,army ,scripture ,readers' ,society1 who worked among them4 ,he told the officer who collected funds for that ,society to put him down for a subscription of ,rs4#dj per annum1 and said that if more was wanted he would be delighted to give it4 99 99 99 ,in ,march #ahhb he received a telegram from the ,premier of the ,cape ,government1 asking for his aid in bringing about a termination of the ,basuto war4 ,he had previously in ,april #ahha offered his services on #gjj per annum for this purpose1 but the ,government then in office at the ,cape had not even replied to his telegram1 either by mail or by wire1 and so ,gordon had thought no more about the matter4 ,troubles had thickened1 and a new ,government had come into office4 ,hence the offer1 accompanied by the statement that they did not expect him to be bound to the salary formerly proposed4 ,gordon at once accepted the offer1 but he could not get a ship going to the ,cape direct4 ,fortunately there was a small coasting vessel called the ,scotia bound for the ,cape1 so ,gordon at once took his passage1 and stated that he would arrive on board at a certain hour4 ,the hour came1 but no passenger arrived4 ,the afternoon wore away1 evening came and passed1 night arrived1 and still the ,colonel did not put in an appearance4 ,at last1 about midnight1 a gentleman quietly came on deck1 saying that he was ,colonel ,gordon1 and hastened to explain his reasons for being so late4 ,some of the officers and people on the island1 hearing that he was going to sail1 had intended to give him an ovation4 ,in order to escape this1 he had walked twelve miles into the interior1 returning after dark so that no one should know where he was4 ,next day1 however1 crowds came on board to wish him good-bye1 among them many children in whom he had as usual taken an interest4 ,one of these1 whom he introduced as his pet lamb to the wife of the captain of the ship1 brought him a couple of bottles of sherry1 and other friends gave him a case of champagne4 ,as he was almost a total abstainer and frequently did not touch stimulants for days together1 he had no use for the wine1 but he accepted the gifts in order to please the givers4 ,he made himself perfectly at home on board the little ship1 and soon became very friendly with the captain and his wife4 ,he spoke a great deal about the ,seychelles ,islands1 situated to the north-east of ,madagascar1 which he believed to be the site of the ,garden of ,eden1 and he showed them wood from the coco-de-mer1 or nut of the sea1 which he believed to be the veritable tree that produced the forbidden fruit which our ancestors tasted4 ,the voyage1 though not more than three thousand miles in length1 lasted a whole month1 and there was some rough weather1 which he felt terribly1 for he was not a particularly good sailor1 and the ship was very small4 ,writing to his sister he said3-- ,you will not care overmuch for my secular history1 but will say1 ',what did you learn on the passage8' ,well1 the passage was truly a fearful trial2 dirt prevailed in everything2 the bilge-water literally1 when pumped out from decayed sugar1 tore up the very inmost parts of the stomach1 and showed me that1 if that was wrong1 life was unendurable4 ,i am not generally sick at sea1 but ,i was nearly dead with it2 perhaps it was ,mauritius fever coming out4 ,salt water had got into the tank and we had to drink it4 ,i was very1 very ill1 but through it all ,i would not have changed one iota of the voyage4444 ,i am a rag2 that voyage in the ,scotia has killed me4 ,i went to ,dr4 ,abercromby1 and he told me ,i was on the verge of an attack of jaundice4 ,i am certainly better1 but feel far from well4 ,listless1 worried in body1 not a bit in spirits1 and as if ,i had eaten copper4 ,i want to get into the position of delighting to accept and do ,his will1 yet ,i feel so very much inclined to wish ,his will might be my release4444 ,earth's joys grow very dim1 its glories have faded4 ,my ,mauritius sojourn has quenched to a great degree my desire for anything but to be with ,jesus4 ,everybody is very kind here and complimentary1 but all compliments are to me but sounds of the wind4 ,if it was ,jesus' will1 how delighted ,i should be to be called away1 to be a nail in ,his footstool1 and how willingly ,i would have every one to be higher than me in heaven6 ,there was1 however1 some mitigation to the horrors of this voyage1 for1 during it1 he heard of his promotion to the rank of major-general1 which gave him very great satisfaction1 as he was beginning to fear that1 as the ,war ,office authorities had failed to offer him an appointment worthy of his merits1 they might also see fit to pass him over in the matter of promotion4 ,before he had heard the news he had written3-- ,why am ,i not in the ,gazette8 ,i will not move1 but it seems odd4 ,anyway1 if they do not promote me1 ,i shall hope for strength to bear it4 ,he is ruler1 and ,i love ,jesus irrespective of ,his mighty rank and power4 ,at ,communion this morning ,i asked ,christ to let me rest1 and then ,he should take the post of ,,commandant-,,general1 and that ,i should be passive in the matter4 ,good-bye1 my dear ,augusta1 fifteen years more4 ,he arrived at the ,cape on ,may #crd1 #ahhb1 and at once made the acquaintance of the ,governor1 ,sir ,hercules ,robinson1 and the ,premier1 ,mr4 ,merriman4 ,he found things in a very unsatisfactory condition1 and nearly decided to have nothing to do with them4 ,the ,cape ,government were in an awkward position1 the affairs of the ,basuto war being in the hands of ,mr4 ,orpen1 in whom the ,government had no confidence1 but whom1 for party reasons1 they did not like to remove4 ,consequently they could not entrust matters entirely to ,general ,gordon4 ,he good-naturedly yielded to pressure1 accepted the post of ,commandant-,general1 on #abjj per annum1 and undertook to report to the ,cape ,government his suggestions for the improvement of the army generally1 as well as the best means for bringing the ,basuto trouble to a speedy termination4 ,the arrangement was a very unsatisfactory one1 but1 with that public spiritedness which so characterised him1 ,gordon threw himself thoroughly into the business1 and1 before the end of the month1 he drew up a most able1 statesman-like paper on the whole subject4 ,with most it would have been a piece of presumption for a man during a single month1 much of which was spent in travelling1 to attempt such a task1 more especially as some of the questions were extremely difficult4 ,but such was ,gordon's capacity for work1 and for grasping complex questions1 that not only was the paper he drew up most exhaustive1 but1 read in the light of subsequent events1 it shows how well-informed he was1 and what an impartial mind he brought to bear on the subjects before him4 ,he read very quickly1 he could at a glance grasp the salient points of any question1 and1 having a wonderfully retentive memory1 no important detail was lost sight of4 ,he wrote both quickly and clearly1 and had the faculty of presenting his points in a lucid manner4 ,like many military men1 who are1 when young1 taken from their studies1 he did not always write in the best of ,english1 but he made up for this in the remarkable manner in which he could marshal facts and arguments1 and the ease with which he carried his reader along4 ,in his letters and journals he does not do himself justice as a writer1 but in his official despatches and memoranda he shows that1 not least among his accomplishments1 was the gift of being able to write well1 and to the point4 ,his memorandum on the reform of the ,cape army was very able1 though too long to reproduce here4 ,briefly stated it showed how an army of #hjjj men could be maintained instead of the #afjj men then under arms1 and at a reduced cost of #gjjj per annum6 ,he also pointed out how unjustly the ,basutos had been treated1 and suggested as a remedy that they should be invited to assemble a general council in which to ventilate their grievances1 and that steps should be taken to remove these grievances4 ,he advocated giving them a semi-independent position1 with power to manage their own affairs1 and to administer justice without the intervention of foreign magistrates1 some of whom1 in ,gordon's opinion1 were very corrupt4 ,those who have studied the affairs of ,south ,africa1 and the history of ,christian missions there1 will not need to be told what an interesting people the ,basutos are4 ,but for others1 it may be as well to say that this branch of the ,kaffir race are not only among the most civilised of all the ,african races1 but a large proportion of them are ,christian in something more than name4 ,the old chieftain ,moshesh1 who reigned some fifty years ago1 was a man of marked ability1 and1 though a great soldier1 he hated war4 ,having heard of the work of the celebrated ,dr4 ,moffat among the ,korannas1 he sent to invite this man of prayer1 and teacher of the ,christian religion1 to visit him4 ,to cut a long story short1 some ,french ,protestant missionaries responded to the invitation1 and were wonderfully blessed in their work4 ,hundreds of converts were received into the ,christian ,church1 and instead of war and bloodshed prevailing1 men were instructed how to cultivate fields and build houses4 ,in the ,kaffir war of #aheb ,sir ,george ,cathcart was informed that ,moshesh was the centre of intrigue1 and1 ill-advised1 he attacked that chieftain and was defeated4 ,when the attack was about to be renewed1 he received from ,moshesh the following message3 ,o my master1 ,i am still your servant2 ,i am still the child of the ,queen4 ,sometimes a man beats his dog1 and the dog puts his teeth into his hands1 and gives him a bite3 nevertheless the dog loves the master1 and the master loves the dog1 and will not kill it4 ,i am vexed at what happened yesterday2 let it be forgotten4 ,fortunately ,sir ,george ,cathcart had sufficient nobility of character to appreciate this message4 ,peace was made1 and ,sir ,george afterwards said of ,moshesh1 ,i found him not only to be the most enlightened1 but the most upright chief in ,south ,africa1 and one in whose good faith ,i put the most perfect confidence1 and for whom1 therefore1 ,i have a sincere respect and regard4 ,moshesh died in #ahgj1 and the policy he had initiated was carried on by his successor ,masupha4 ,unfortunately the ,cape ,government wanted to deprive the ,basutos of their right to carry arms1 and this they resented4 ,gordon's sympathies were entirely with them4 ,there were other abuses1 such as bad magistrates1 which were even admitted by the ,secretary for ,native ,affairs1 and ,gordon came to the conclusion that the ,basutos had been very badly treated4 ,they were loyal to the ,queen1 but objected to being put under the ,cape ,government1 disliking the ,dutch element which has such influence at the ,cape4 99 99 99 ,on the #ahth ,july1 #ahhb1 the ,cape ,government proposed that ,general ,gordon should visit ,basutoland1 but he was of opinion that unless the ,government saw their way to grant what he suggested1 there was little use in his going4 ,in ,august1 ,mr4 ,sauer1 the ,secretary for ,native ,affairs1 came to ,king ,william's ,town1 and asked ,gordon to accompany him into the ,basuto country4 ,much against his own opinion ,gordon yielded1 and went as far as ,leribe2 but finding that the idea in the mind of ,mr4 ,sauer was that he might employ one portion of the ,basutos to fight against the other1 he remonstrated very strongly4 ,mr4 ,sauer then asked him privately to visit ,masupha1 but gave him no instructions officially4 ,gordon consented to do this much1 but he let ,mr4 ,sauer clearly understand that nothing would induce him to fight the ,basutos1 with the object of forcing bad magistrates on them1 or treating them unjustly4 ,hoping to avert the horrors of war1 ,gordon1 unarmed and without a flag of truce or any commission1 went into the middle of a hostile people1 who had never even heard his name4 ,the charm of manner which he ever manifested in his dealings with native races gained the day1 and he secured the confidence of these people4 ,in his speech to them he said3-- ,i have come here as a friend of the ,basutos4 ,i showed myself a friend1 for when asked to come and fight1 ,i would not4 ,now1 when ,i come1 ,i want first to do good for ,basutos4 ,the ,basutos are of a good disposition4 ,i say to the chief and people1 ,how can ,basutoland belong to ,basutos8 ,i tell all that the ,government want to do good to the people4 ,the ,queen does not want the ,colony to take land of ,basutos1 and what the ,colony and the ,queen are afraid of is that if abandoned the ,basutos would be eaten up4 ,i like the ,boers2 they are brave1 and like their own government2 and when they fought1 they fought for their own government4 ,england could have beaten the ,boers if they liked1 but thought it unjust4 ,which do ,basutos think ,dutch like best--,basutos or land8 ,i think they like land best4 ,supposing ,colony abandoned this country1 by-and-by they have trouble with ,free ,state2 after that begins fighting2 then ,i look forward ten years1 and ,i see ,dutch farms close here4 ,i do not want that1 the ,colony does not1 and the ,queen does not1 and no ,basuto either4 ,then ,i say1 ,basutos1 make friends with the ,government4444 ,suppose ,boers drive you away1 for me it would be all the same1 and not much difference when you are put in the ground4 ,i wish the ,basutos would do what ,i say4 ,what ,i want is for all to speak with one tongue4 ,i cannot make myself black4 ,i cannot make ,masupha and his people do what ,i want1 so ,i leave it to ,jesus1 who works everything4 ,this is all ,i have to say--,do what you like2 think well2 pray to ,jesus for advice4 ,no sooner had ,general ,gordon gone on his peaceful mission than he discovered that ,mr4 ,sauer had actually induced ,lerethodi1 a rival chief1 to attack ,masupha4 ,this action not only endangered ,gordon's life1 but outraged his sense of honour to such an extent1 that he decided forthwith to sever all connection with the ,cape ,government4 ,it was1 to say the least1 extraordinary conduct1 to send a messenger of peace to a rebel chief1 and then1 without waiting for any reply1 to induce some of his own countrymen to attack and coerce him4 ,it would perhaps not be fair to hold the whole of the ,cape ,government responsible for the action of a single man1 but this curious proceeding confirmed ,general ,gordon in an opinion he held1 that white men often fail to practise towards the despised coloured men that honourable1 upright dealing that might be expected from the leaders of civilised nations4 ,mr4 ,arthur ,pattison1 writing to the ,times on the #bjth ,august #ahhe1 after ,gordon's death1 said of ,masupha1 ,if you trust him straightforwardly1 he is as nice a man as possible1 and even kind and thoughtful2 but if you treat him the other way1 he is a fiend incarnate4 ,the late ,general ,gordon divined his character marvellously1 and was the only man ,masupha had the slightest regard for4 ,if our ,government had more men of the type of ,general ,gordon1 we may rest assured that we should have fewer of these petty little nigger wars1 which1 more often than not1 are brought on by incapacity and want of sympathy on the part of our representatives abroad4 ,one great charm about ,gordon's character was his sympathy for the weak and helpless4 ,it mattered not whether the helpless one were a king or a slave1 so long as he was weak he was sure of having ,gordon's sympathies and assistance in his troubles4 ,before leaving the ,cape1 ,gordon made a most noble offer1 which was that he should go on #cjj per annum and live as a magistrate among the ,basutos1 so as to protect them from their enemies1 but the offer was not accepted4 ,the way in which ,gordon regarded his position is shown in the following passages from two of his letters3-- ,,king ,,william',s ,,town1 ,october #f1 #ahhb4--,the telegrams will show you that the ,cape ,colony chapter of my life is over4 ,i am so glad to be free of all this turmoil4 ,there will be a fearful row1 but these things have not moved me at all4 ,i have thought more of a scuttler who shed tears when ,i spoke to him of ,god's living in him1 than ,i have of all this affair4 ,,ss4 ,,kinfauns ,,castle1 ,october #bj1 #ahhb4--;,i shall1 ,d4,v41 be in ,england when you get this4 ,i shall go by sea to ,gravesend1 and on to ,southampton at once4 ,whether men praise you1 it does not make you better1 or whether they blame you1 it does not make you worse4 ,god judges by motives1 men by actions 7,thomas ,kempis74 ,when ,i went to the ,cape ,i prayed for glory to ,god and the welfare of the people1 so ,i am glad ,i got no glory out of it4 ,it may be well to introduce here a few words he wrote of the celebrated ,zulu king whom we deposed and imprisoned at the ,cape4 ,may #bj1 #ahhb4--;,i went to see ,cetewayo1 and felt for him1 and tried to cheer him4 ,i gave him a stick with an ivory head--a beauty--which had been given me by the ,sultan of ,perak1 who was a prisoner at the ,seychelles4 ,when ,i told ,cetewayo that ,i had always been interested in him and that he must have hope1 with a deep ',ah6' he pointed upwards4 ,he is a fine savage4 ,general ,gordon arrived in ,england on the #hth ,november #ahhb1 after the close of the ,egyptian war1 little thinking how closely that war would affect him4 ,after a short stay at ,southampton he left on ,december #bhth for ,palestine1 and nearly the whole of the year #ahhc was spent in ,palestine4 ,writing from ,jerusalem he says3-- ,everything looks small and insignificant1 but quite meets the idea ,i had of the worldly position of the ,jews and of our ,lord4 ,in fact1 the ,scriptures tell the story without any pretence that either the country1 people1 or our ,lord were of any great importance in the world4 ,they are expositors of how very low the position to which ,he1 the ,lord of lords1 descended4 ,you can realise the fact as well in ,england as here1 by substituting a ,scripture-reader of dubious birth and humble parents1 exposing the fallacy of a ceremonial church-going religion1 and pointing out how impossible it is to please ,god by such religious formalities4444 ,the ,temple of ,solomon was fine for those days1 but1 setting aside its ,divine significance1 it was only about six times as long as the room you are in1 and not much wider--#fj cubits #ij feet #cj yards long1 by #bj cubits #cj feet #aj yards wide4 ,you could walk round the city in less than an hour2 it is not quite three miles round4444 ,the ravines round ,jerusalem are full of the dust of men1 for over a million bodies must have been slain there4 ,what a terrific sight the resurrection there will be6 ,i suppose there is no place in the world where so many bodies are concentrated4444 ,it is nice sauntering about1 conjuring up scenes of days gone by--real scenes1 actions on the stage of life2 all gone6 ,it quiets ambition6 ,i came back from ,gaza yesterday1 after a ten days' sojourn there1 returning through ,askelon1 where there are very fine ruins1 enormous columns1 marbles1 c1 lying in all directions3 it is a wonderful place4 ,like all the coast1 it is most dreary1 yet one sees that all the country was once thickly populated4 ,sand from the shore is creeping in steadily1 and makes it mournful4 ,napoleon ,i41 ,alexander the ,great1 ,sennacherib1 ,nebuchadnezzar1 and a host of great men passed by this route4 ,titus came up by ,gaza to ,jerusalem4 ,richard ,coeur de ,lion was years at ,askelon4 ,all gone1 'those old familiar faces'6 ,the supposed sites of the holy places seem to have had peculiar fascination for his active brain1 and he came to the conclusion that most1 if not all1 of them were wrong4 ,it would1 however1 occupy too much space to give the reasons which led him to this conclusion4 ,though we cannot gather it from his own letters1 a good deal of his time was more profitably spent than in hunting up old sites4 ,dr4 ,cunningham ,geikie1 who was in ,jerusalem when ,gordon was killed at ,khartoum1 tells us3-- ,a poor dragoman told me that ,general ,gordon used to come often to his house in ,jerusalem when he and his wife lay ill1 and that he would take a mat1 and put it on the floor as a seat1 there being no chairs or furniture1 and sit down with his ,testament to read and speak to them about ,christ4 ,ascertaining that a doctor's account had been incurred1 he went off secretly and paid it4 ,he gave away all he had to the poor in ,jerusalem and the villages round1 and the people mourn for him as for their father4 ,he made friends with some of the missionaries of the ,church ,missionary ,society1 with whom he found himself much in sympathy4 ,speaking of the ,rev4 ,j4 ,r4 ,l4 ,hall1 he says1 ,i have found a nice man now here 7,jaffa71 but his mission is at ,gaza4 ,he is a ,jew#aj by birth1 but a man after my own heart4 ,i may drop down there ere long and help him4 ,he belongs to the ,c4,m4,s4 #aj ,general ,gordon was under a misconception as to the parentage of ,mr4 ,hall4 ,as a matter of fact this missionary is descended from a very old family in the county of ,hampshire1 and was no more related to that ancient race than the ,general himself4 ,this ,mr4 ,hall1 in a speech afterwards made at ,exeter ,hall1 told some interesting things about ,general ,gordon at this period of his life1 which for want of space1 cannot be reproduced at length here4 ,he thoroughly identified himself with mission work1 showing how much he valued ,christianity over all other religious systems4 ,when he met ,mr4 ,hall he said1 ,i am very restless2 ,i came here for rest and quiet1 to study the ,word of ,god1 and at the same time to discover different sacred sites4 ,i am not satisfied2 ,i am restless2 ,i want ,christian work4 ,do you think that if ,i were to come to ,jaffa1 you could give me any work to do8 ,he went to live at ,jaffa for eight months4 ,while he was there instructions came from the central society for a mission-house to be built at ,nablous4 ,there was no architect nearer than at ,jerusalem1 and his fee and expenses would have been very high4 ,the missionaries agreed to consult ,general ,gordon about drawing up the plans for the house1 but were afraid of presuming too much on his kindness4 ,when the deputation from them arrived1 he cut them short in their apology4 ,i know what you want2 you want a contribution1 said he4 ,when told that they wanted something much more valuable1 he was delighted1 and seizing a pencil and paper wrote down exactly all they needed in the way of accommodation4 ,he set to work1 and before the day was over he had drawn up admirable plans and calculations4 ,the mission-house was built on those plans1 and his estimate proved to be almost exactly the cost of the building4 ,he said to ,mr4 ,hall3-- ,you thought that ,i should be annoyed at being asked to draw out plans for a mission-house4 ,if there is anything that ,i can do for the cause of missions ,i am delighted to do it4 ,what did ,i come to ,jaffa for8 ,did ,i not tell you at ,haifa that if you could give me some work to do for the ,lord1 that would set my mind at rest8 ,i was restless because ,i had been shutting myself up in ,palestine1 and had not been putting out my powers for service in the ,lord's work4 ,there are among ,christian people some who take a deep interest in the spread of the ,gospel at home1 but do not exhibit the same interest in the spread of ,christianity abroad1 and vice vers4 ,during ,gordon's stay at ,gravesend he showed what a real interest he took in home mission work1 and in his letters he frequently used to say that he should like to end his days working in the east end of ,london4 ,the time he spent among the missionaries in ,palestine shows that he took an equally deep interest in foreign missions1 and before leaving that country he wrote1 in reference to a conference of missionaries that was about to be held at ,gaza1 ,i should like to go down there and meet the brethren who assemble2 it may be the last time that ,i can have any intercourse with a number of missionaries4 ,on the #aeth ,october #ahhc ,general ,gordon received a telegram from the ,king of the ,belgians1 asking him to go to ,central ,africa to govern the territory that had been acquired by the ,international ,association4 ,the ,king had once before pressed him to join this movement1 which had for its object the opening up of ,africa to trade and civilisation1 and the consequent abolition of slavery and cruelty4 ,mr4 ,h4 ,m4 ,stanley was at the head of the movement1 and ,gordon offered to serve under him1 and had promised the ,belgian king that when his services were required they would be given4 ,stanley had resigned his post1 and the time had come for ,gordon to redeem his promise4 ,he at once telegraphed home for leave1 and the reply came back1 ,the ,secretary of ,state has decided to sanction your going to the ,congo4 ,a telegraph clerk had made a mistake1 and the correct message was1 ,the ,secretary of ,state has declined to sanction your going to the ,congo4 ,as ,gordon had1 however1 already promised the ,king of the ,belgians to go1 there was no alternative but for him to sever his connection with the ,british army4 ,with the full intention of placing his resignation in the hands of the ,secretary of ,state for ,war1 as well as to interview ,king ,leopold1 he left ,palestine at the end of the year #ahhc4 ,he was travelling on the last night of the old year1 and he tells us that he spent that night in prayer in the railway carriage1 of which he was the solitary occupant4 ,as the new year was ushered in1 the lonely traveller between ,genoa and ,brussels little thought that it was to be almost his last1#aa and that soon he would be permitted to throw off the earthly tabernacle1 and put on the crown of glory4 ,his active brain was busily employed at this time in considering how best he could wage war with human cruelty4 ,he was to have started on ,january #bf1 #ahhe1 for the ,congo1 but a telegram reached him at his sister's house at ,southampton1 from ,lord ,wolseley1 requesting his presence in ,london1 as an outcry was being made by certain well-informed persons that the only man who was capable of solving the ,soudan difficulties was being permitted to leave the ,british army1 and to go into the service of a foreign power1 to busy himself in the wilds of ,africa4 #aa ,general ,gordon is supposed to have been killed on #bfth ,january #ahhe4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,khartoum ,in order to understand aright the events that suddenly intervened and prevented ,general ,gordon from fulfilling his engagement to the ,king of the ,belgians1 it will be necessary to go back to the year #ahhb1 and briefly survey what occurred after that time4 ,it will be remembered that ,gordon left the ,soudan at the end of #ahgi1 when the young ,khedive ,tewfik was reigning in place of his father ,ismail1 who had been compelled to resign4 ,tewfik unfortunately was not fit to rule1 and ,egypt above all things wanted a man who was not a mere puppet4 ,his father1 with all his faults1 had great force of character1 and made himself respected in the kingdom4 ,the son was as weak as the father was strong1 with the result that his rule soon became nominal4 ,when weak men get into such positions1 there is great temptation for stronger ones to rise up and seize the reins of government4 ,it is unnecessary to sketch the history of ,arabi ,pasha1 or to recount in detail the circumstances that brought him to the front4 ,enough for our purpose to mention that his name1 little known before1 was suddenly associated with a great military revolt1 and that the powers of ,europe took alarm lest the ,suez ,canal should be blocked4 ,but for that ,canal1 events in ,egypt might have taken a very different turn1 and that country might now have had1 what it sorely needs1 a strong man at the head of affairs4 ,england1 having far more ships passing through the ,canal than all the rest of the world together1 intervened4 ,our fleet attacked ,alexandria1 and our troops under ,lord ,wolseley broke up the ,egyptian army at ,tel-el-,kebir4 ,from that time we have virtually been the rulers of the ancient kingdom of ,egypt1 the ,khedive being little more than a puppet in our hands4 ,he has all the social position and dignity of a ,khedive1 without the trouble or responsibility of having to govern4 ,unfortunately1 soon after ,general ,gordon relinquished the ,governor-,generalship of the ,soudan1 the ,khedive1 in spite of ,gordon's protest1 appointed to the post about as bad a man as he could possibly have selected4 ,this was no other than ,raouf ,pasha1 whom ,gordon had twice turned out of different appointments for playing the tyrant4 ,no sooner was he appointed than there was a revival of all the horrors of cruel government1 which ,gordon had done so much to abolish4 ,the following are his own words in explanation of the origin of the rebellion3-- ,the movement is not religious1 but an outbreak of despair4 ,three times over ,i warned the late ,khedive that it would be impossible to govern the ,soudan on the old system1 after my appointment to the ,governor-,generalship4 ,during the three years that ,i wielded full powers in the ,soudan1 ,i taught the natives that they had a right to exist4 ,i waged war against the ,turks and ,circassians1 who had harried the population4 ,i had taught them something of the meaning of liberty and justice1 and accustomed them to a higher ideal of government than that with which they had previously been acquainted4 ,as soon as ,i had gone1 the ,turks and ,circassians returned in full force2 the old ,bashi-,bazouk system was re-established2 my old employs were persecuted2 and a population which had begun to appreciate something like decent government was flung back to suffer the vast excesses of ,turkish rule4 ,the inevitable result followed2 and thus it may be said that the egg of the present rebellion was laid in the three years during which ,i was allowed to govern the ,soudan on other than ,turkish principles4 ,there was a belief among the ,mohammedans that the year #ahhb would be an eventful one for them4 ,it closed the twelfth century of ,mohammedanism1 and the popular expectation was that a ,mahdi1 or another prophet1 would arise to reform ,islam1 and to abolish the tyranny of the rich and powerful4 ,predictions of this kind frequently bring about their own accomplishment4 ,before the time stated1 a man named ,mohammed ,achmet had arisen1 declaring that he was the long-looked-for ,mahdi1 and crowds were flocking to his standard4#ab ,with a powerful governor1 such as ,gordon1 the movement would have been quickly stamped out2 indeed1 so few abuses existed under his rule1 that there was then no demand for such a reformer4 ,but with ,raouf ,pasha the case was reversed2 not only were there many abuses to be reformed1 but there was a corresponding want of ability to subdue such a movement4 ,the ,mahdi's forces grew apace1 for there existed plenty of material in the way of recruits4 ,passing over smaller engagements in which the ,egyptian troops met the forces of the ,mahdi1 we come to one crowning disaster on the #eth ,november #ahhc1 when an ,egyptian army1 numbering something like #ab1jjj men1 under the command of ,colonel ,hicks1 a retired ,indian officer1 was massacred on the road between ,khartoum and ,el ,obeid4 ,no blame can be attached to the commander on this occasion4 ,mr4 ,frank ,power1 the ,times correspondent at ,khartoum1 writes of him as follows3 ,i pity ,hicks2 he is an able1 good1 and energetic man1 but he has to do with wretched ,egyptians1 who take a pleasure in being incompetent1 thwarting one1 delaying and lying4 ,the unfortunate men who composed his army had been dragged from their homes in chains1 and many of them had never learnt to fire a shot1 or to ride a horse4 ,mr4 ,power predicted1 before the army left ,khartoum1 that fifty good men would rout the whole lot4 ,the ,mahdi not only had upwards of #fi1jjj men on his side1 but a large proportion of them were fine plucky fellows1 worthy of a better foe4 #ab ,one writer thus describes the ,mahdi3--,mohammed ,achmet was a native of ,dongola1 the son of a shipwright1 formerly well known there4 ,from his early youth he was fond of meditation and studying the ,koran1 rather than of working like his brothers2 and his tastes were encouraged4 ,he became the disciple of a fakir1 or dervish1 near ,khartoum4 ,in #ahgj he took up his residence on an island1 where he gained reputation as a learned and devout man4 ,for a time he used this reputation only for selfish and sensual ends4 ,he took wives from among the ,arabs1 and thus made many alliances1 which he afterwards turned to account4 ,after some years he began to assume more ambitious claims1 and declared himself to be the true ,mahdi4 ,mr4 ,power says3 ,the last that was seen of poor old ,hicks was his taking his revolver in one hand1 and his sword in the other2 calling on his soldiers to fix bayonets1 and his staff to follow him1 he spurred at the head of his troops into the dense mass of naked ,arabs1 and perished with all his men4 ,they had fought for three days and nights without a drop of water1 the whole day under a scorching sun on a sandy plain4 ,gordon writing to a friend says3 ,what a defeat ,hicks's was6 ,it is terrible to think of over #ab1jjj men killed2 the ,arabs just prodded them to death1 where they lay dying of thirst1 four days without water6 ,it is appalling4 ,what a hecatomb to death6 99 99 99 ,that victory changed everything4 ,nothing succeeds like success2 the ,mahdi became the hero of the hour in the ,soudan1 and his forces1 it was supposed1 at one time numbered something like #cjj1jjj men4 ,here then were all the elements ready for a new ,mohammedan crusade1 and considering how much trouble the first ,mohammedan crusade had given in ,europe1 it was not to be wondered at that there was fear and trembling in ,egypt1 the first country on the line of march of this huge fanatical army1 flushed with victory1 believing their leader to be none other than the long-expected reformer of ,islam and conqueror of the world4 ,a hurriedly-scraped-together force1 consisting mainly of gendarmerie1 was at once dispatched under ,baker ,pasha1 vi ,suakim1 to relieve ,khartoum1 and attack the ,mahdi4 ,this force was so completely smashed up by ,osman ,digna within a few miles of ,suakim that it had little effect upon the campaign1 except to show that ,egyptian troops were absolutely unfit to meet the forces of the ,mahdi4 ,if the tide of conquest was to be rolled back it must be done by ,british troops4 ,but ,england might well ask what claim was there resting on her that she should give valuable lives to be sacrificed1 to say nothing of incurring the cost of a fresh campaign1 simply because the corrupt ,egyptian ,government was too weak to rule its own territory8 ,when once it became clear that ,egyptian troops could not hold the ,soudan1 our ,government rightly decided that the province must be given up4 ,unfortunately1 there were scattered about in different parts of that immense territory various ,egyptian officials and bodies of troops4 ,it was calculated that including the women and children their number must have been about #cj1jjj4 ,we had practically broken up the ,egyptian army1 and virtually become the rulers of the country1 so we as a nation had a certain amount of responsibility in the matter4 ,the problem was how to withdraw that enormous number of human beings from the ,soudan into ,egypt4 ,what appeared to be needed far more than troops was a man with a head on his shoulders1 acquainted with the country1 familiar with the people and their habits of thought1 and possessing force of character to stand against the turbulent elements that had to be dealt with4 ,no sooner were the difficulties of the position recognised in ,england than an outcry arose that ,gordon ought to be sent to undertake the herculean task4 ,mr4 ,gladstone1 in the ,house of ,commons1 has given credit to ,sir ,charles ,wilson as the first to suggest sending ,gordon1 as the only man competent to deal with all the difficulties of the situation4 ,both ,mr4 ,gladstone and ,sir ,charles ,dilke asserted in public that the ,english ,cabinet advised the ,egyptian ,government that ,gordon was the best man to send1 but that the ,khedive's ministers did not approve of this step4 ,sir ,henry ,gordon1 in his biography states that ,sir ,evelyn ,baring1 our representative in ,egypt1 does not even seem to have consulted the ,egyptian ,government1 but of his own accord declined to accept ,gordon4 ,it is quite clear that ,sir ,evelyn ,baring and ,general ,gordon were not the best of friends1 for ,gordon later on complains3 ,i hear very little from ,cairo4 ,baring only telegraphs officially4 ,it does not1 however1 much matter now who is to blame for the want of wisdom in not recognising in time that ,gordon was the man for the occasion4 ,that blunder1 whosever fault it was1 not only lost the ,soudan to ,egypt1 but caused the death of many of our brave soldiers1 to say nothing of ,gordon himself4 ,the ,egyptian ,government blundered on a little longer1 till it was too late1 and then the request that ,gordon might be sent was telegraphed home4 ,nubar ,pasha1 who was the first to invite ,gordon to ,egypt many years before1 was now the first to see that he ought to be sent for4 ,this astute minister had only just come into office1 and within eight days he got ,sir ,evelyn ,baring to telegraph to ,england for ,gordon4 ,there can be little question now that the fatal delay of a single month sealed the fate of the ,soudan4 ,hicks ,pasha's force was annihilated in ,november #ahhc1 but it was not till ,january #aa1 #ahhd1 that ,general ,gordon received a telegram from his old friend and comrade1 ,lord ,wolseley1 urging him to come to town at once for consultation1 and though he did not lose a single day he did not reach ,cairo till ,january #bdth4 ,by that time he ought to have been at ,khartoum4 ,before proceeding further1 it may be well to say that so little was ,general ,gordon known at this time by his countrymen1 that a country gentleman1 who was a magistrate and a deputy-lieutenant in ,pembrokeshire1 a county in which ,gordon had formerly been stationed1 remarked1 on seeing the fact mentioned in the paper that ,chinese ,gordon was going out4 ,i see the ,government have just sent a ,chinaman to the ,soudan4 ,what can they mean by sending a native of that country to such a place8 ,this story1 which is mentioned by ,sir ,william ,butler1 is quite characteristic of the ignorance that prevailed about the ,khartoum hero1 previous to his being selected as the one man who could save ,egypt from its troubles1 and our ,government from an awkward position4 ,in a letter to his brother1 dated #agth ,january1 ,gordon says1 ,i saw ,king ,leopold to-day2 he is furious4 ,it must have been a great trial to that kind-hearted monarch to have all his philanthropic plans thus upset1 and he made ,gordon promise that he would1 if spared1 go to the ,congo when the ,soudan was settled4 ,so hard up for money was ,gordon at this time that he had to borrow from the king enough to pay for his journey to ,london4 ,fortunately it occurred to ,lord ,wolseley to ask ,gordon1 a few hours before he was to start by the evening mail1 if he had sufficient money4 ,gordon had none1 and as the banks had closed his lordship had some amusing adventures going about to raise #bjj1 which he did by borrowing small sums4 ,as far as ,gordon was concerned1 his lordship might have saved himself the trouble1 as #ajj of the amount was generously bestowed by him on ,mahomet1 his old blind secretary at ,cairo4 ,the ,pall ,mall ,gazette1 which was the first journal to advocate sending ,gordon to the ,soudan1 and which first published his views on that country1 was represented at ,charing ,cross when the gallant ,general was starting1 and described the scene as a very unusual and interesting one4 ,lord ,wolseley carried the ,general's portmanteau2 ,lord ,granville1 the ,foreign ,secretary1 took his ticket2 and the ,duke of ,cambridge held open the door4 ,considering how little ,gordon cared about grandees1 it is amusing to note that he was waited on in a way that many tuft-hunters would envy4 ,writing before he had actually started1 he said3 ,i am averse to the loss of a single life1 and will endeavour to prevent any happening if ,i go4 ,i have a ,bank1 and on that ,i can draw2 ,he is richer than the ,khedive1 and knows more of the country than any one2 ,i will trust ,him to help me out of money or any other difficulties4 ,again he writes1 when at sea1 #bast ,january3 ,if people ask after me1 tell them they can greatly help me with their prayers1 not for my earthly success1 but that my mission may be for ,god's glory1 the welfare of the poor and wretched1 and1 for me1 what ,he wills1 above all for a humble heart4 ,and to his friend ,prebendary ,barnes1 he says3 ,you and ,i are equally exposed to the attacks of the enemy--me not a bit more than you are4 99 99 99 ,on ,january #bdth he reached ,cairo1 where a good deal of excitement prevailed4 ,gordon apparently took it all very calmly4 ,he had to remain a couple of days1 and during that time had a stormy interview with ,zebehr1 who accused him of the murder of his son4 ,gordon's reply was practically that had full justice been done1 ,zebehr too would have paid the death penalty4 ,though he had such a short time at ,cairo1 he found opportunity to interest himself in the affairs of a poor lad1 the son of a native pastor of the ,church ,missionary ,society at ,jaffa4 ,the boy had been in a telegraph office at ,jaffa1 but had been unjustly dismissed4 ,he went to ,cairo for employment1 and got into the telegraph office4 ,general ,gordon had not forgotten him1 and went to call on the young fellow1 who was of course in quite a subordinate position1 and must have been not a little astonished at the visit of a man upon whom1 at that time1 the eyes of the whole civilised world were turned4 ,how is your mother8 was the first question ,gordon put1 the woman having been unwell when he was in ,palestine4 ,he then spoke to the head of the department1 with the result that the boy's position was improved considerably4 ,writing from ,khartoum1 ,gordon said3 ,i saw two pleasant things at ,cairo--,baring's and ,wood's chicks2#ac and ,i heard one pleasant thing--,mrs4 ,amos wanted me to see her lambs4 #ac ,sir ,evelyn ,baring1 the ,british representative1 and ,sir ,evelyn ,wood1 the commander-in-chief4 ,general ,gordon had brought with him from ,england a very able staff officer1 ,colonel ,stewart1 of the #aath ,hussars1 who knew ,egypt well4 ,having done all that was necessary in the way of interviewing officials at ,cairo1 the two proceeded together on ,january #bfth1 reaching ,korosko on ,february #ast1 at which point they took to their camels1 and dashed into the ,nubian ,desert4 ,all sorts of alarming rumours reached ,england as to ,gordon's fate during this hazardous ride1 but on ,february #acth he reached ,berber in safety1 and we heard that he had reached ,khartoum on the #ahth4 ,mr4 ,power1 the ,times correspondent1 writing from ,khartoum on ,january #bdth1 said3 ,i hear that ,chinese ,gordon is coming up4 ,they could not have a better man4 ,he1 though severe1 was greatly loved during the five years he spent up here4 ,again ,mr4 ,power writes3 ,just got a telegram from ,mr4 ,bell1 the ,times agent for ,egypt1 to say1 ',gordon leaves ,cairo to-night1 and will be in ,khartoum in eighteen days4' ,the shortest time on record is twenty-four days2 but ,gordon 7sword and ,bible7 travels like a whirlwind4 ,no ,arab of the desert could1 when he was up here1 vie with him in endurance on camel back2 and yet again1 on ,february #ith1 ,i don't believe the fellows in ,lucknow looked more anxiously for ,colin ,campbell than we look for ,gordon4 ,the same pen described the scene he created on arrival1 and the speech he made4 ,thousands of the people crowded to kiss his hands and feet1 calling him the ,sultan of the ,soudan4 ,his speech to the people was received with enthusiasm4 ,he said1 ',i come without soldiers1 but with ,god on my side1 to redress the evils of the ,soudan4 ,i will not fight with any weapons but justice4 ,there shall be no more ,bashi-,bazouks4' ,it is now believed that he will relieve the ,bahr-,gazelle garrisons without firing a shot4 ,since they heard that he was coming the aspect of the people has so changed that there are no longer any fears of disturbance in the town4 ,they say that he is giving them more than even the ,mahdi could give4 ,he is sending out proclamations in all directions4 ,such is the influence of one man1 that there are no longer any fears for the garrison or people of ,khartoum4 ,general ,gordon immediately reduced the taxation of the people by one half1 and directed ,colonel ,stewart to examine into the case of each person in prison4 ,it was found that some prisoners had been awaiting trial for months and some even for years1 one poor woman having been detained for fifteen years for a paltry offence committed when a child4 ,as many as possible were released1 only the worst cases being detained4 ,one poor old ,sheikh had to be carried into ,gordon's presence1 the ex-governor of ,khartoum having bastinadoed him so severely on the feet that the flesh had all gone1 and only the sinews and bones were showing4 ,gordon was so indignant at this that he telegraphed to ,cairo to have #ej stopped out of the pay of ,hussein ,pasha ,cheri1 and handed to his victim by way of compensation for such brutal treatment4 ,he had a collection made of kourbashes and other instruments of torture1 and had them all destroyed in a bonfire4 ,writing on ,february #bbnd1 ,gordon says3-- ,i have all my old servants back1 and it is like old times again4 ,i have not minced matters with the ,pashas2 it was useless to do so4 ,we have thousands of petitions daily4 ,i have ordered an ,arabic text1 ',god rules the hearts of all men1' to be put up over my throne1 to which ,i can refer when people come to me in fear4444 ,there is1 of course1 a very mixed sort of feeling here about the evacuation of the ,soudan2 the civil employs do not desire it1 for the half taxes will cause their pay to be diminished by half1 and the personnel reduced4 ,from ,mr4 ,power's interesting correspondence we get pleasant little peeps at the private life of the great hero3-- ,gordon is a most lovable character--quiet1 mild1 gentle and strong2 he is so humble too4 ,the way he pats you on the shoulder when he says1 ',look here1 dear fellow1 now what would you advise8' would make you love him4 ,when he goes out of doors there are always crowds of ,arab men and women at the gate to kiss his feet1 and twice to-day the furious women1 wishing to lift his feet to kiss them1 threw him over4 ,he likes my going so much amongst the natives1 for not to do so is a mortal sin in his eyes4444 ,it is wonderful that one man could have such an influence on #bjj1jjj people4 ,numbers of women flock here every day to ask him to touch their children to cure them2 they call him the ',father and the ,saviour of the ,soudan4' ,he has found me badly up in ,thomas ,kempis1 which he reads every day1 and has given me an ',imitation of ,christ4' ,he is indeed1 ,i believe1 the greatest and best man of this century4444 ,i like ,gordon more and more every day2 he has a most lovable manner and disposition1 and is so kind to me4 ,he is glad if you show the smallest desire to help him in his great trouble4 ,how one man could have dared to attempt his task1 ,i wonder4 ,one day of his work and bother would kill another man1 yet he is so cheerful at breakfast1 lunch1 and dinner2 but ,i know he suffers fearfully from low spirits4 ,i hear him walking up and down his room all night 7it is next to mine74 ,it is only his great piety carries him through4 ,he and ,i agree in a great many religious views4 ,mr4 ,power being an ,irishman and a ,roman ,catholic1 while ,general ,gordon was a ,scotchman and a member of the ,church of ,england1 such testimony speaks volumes for the ,general as well as for the writer4 ,there can be little doubt that ,general ,gordon had not known the brave young ,irishman long1 before he had cast over him that fascinating spell which invariably attracted and charmed young men4 ,cowper tells us that-- ,truth embodied in a tale1 ,shall entrance find at lowliest doors4 ,might not the poet have added that truth embodied in a life shall be even more efficacious in obtaining an entrance8 ,power's life was cut short before he had an opportunity of doing much in the world1 but the little that he was permitted to do shows us that he too was made of that stuff which produces heroes2 and as long as our country has such men in reserve to fall back upon in times of emergency1 there need be no fear of her not being able to maintain her supremacy among nations4 ,how unwavering was ,gordon's faith in the providence of ,god1 even in the midst of difficulties that would have appalled most men1 is shown by the following letter3-- ,february #bg1 #ahhd4--;,i have sent ,stewart off to scour the river ,white ,nile1 and another expedition to push back the rebels on the ,blue ,nile4 ,with ,stewart has also gone ,power1 the ,british ,consul and ,times correspondent1 so ,i am left alone in the vast palace of which you have a photograph1 but not alone1 for ,i feel great confidence in my ,saviour's presence4 ,the peculiar pain1 which comes from the excessive anxiety one cannot help being in for these people1 comes back to me at times4 ,i think that our ,lord1 sitting over ,jerusalem1 is ruling all things to the glory of ,his kingdom1 and cannot wish things were different than they are1 for1 if ,i did so1 then ,i wish my will not ,his to be done4 ,the ,soudan is a ruin1 and1 humanly speaking1 there is no hope4 ,either ,i must believe ,he does all things in mercy and love1 or else ,i disbelieve ,his existence2 there is no half-way in the matter4 ,what holes do ,i not put myself into6 ,and for what8 ,so mixed are my ideas4 ,i believe ambition put me here in this ruin2 however1 ,i trust and stay myself on the fact that not one sparrow falls to the ground without our ,lord's permission2 also that enough for the day is the evil4 ',god provideth by the way1 strength sufficient for the day4' ,march #a1 #ahhd4--,we are all right at present1 and ,i have hope1 but certainly things are not in a good way2 humanly speaking1 ,baker's defeat at ,suakim has been a great disaster1 and now it has its effects up here4 ',it is nothing to our ,god to help with many or with few1' and ,i now take my worries more quietly than before1 for all things are ruled by ,him for ,his glory1 and it is rebellion to murmur against ,his will4 ,excuse a long letter4#ad #ad ,this letter of #bgth ,february and #ast ,march has been presented to the ,trustees of the ,british ,museum1 and is now exhibited in the ,manuscript ,department4 ,it may be well at this point to consider the position of ,general ,gordon in his official relationship to the ,egyptian and ,english ,governments1 for it is impossible to understand subsequent events accurately1 without a proper apprehension of the exact state of affairs4 ,when ,gordon was first sent out1 his instructions were merely to report to ,her ,majesty's ,government on the military situation in the ,soudan1 and on the measures which it might be deemed advisable to take for the security of the ,egyptian garrisons still holding positions in that country1 and for the safety of the ,european population in ,khartoum1 c41 c4 ,added1 however1 to these instructions was an insignificant clause to which no one at the time attached much importance1 and which ran as follows1 ,you will consider yourself authorised and instructed to perform such other duties as the ,egyptian ,government may desire to intrust to you1 and as may be communicated to you by ,sir ,e4 ,baring4 ,the ,egyptian ,government decided to make ,gordon ,governor-,general of the ,soudan1 and the ,khedive gave into his hands all the absolute power that he himself possessed2 this appointment was sanctioned by the ,british ,government1 and officially communicated to ,gordon by ,sir ,e4 ,baring4 ,in view of this appointment1 most readers will concur in the opinion of ,mr4 ,egmont ,hake1 the editor of ,gordon's ,journals1 that it is as unfair as it is illogical to talk about ,general ,gordon having exceeded the instructions conveyed to him by ,her ,majesty's ,government4 ,the real truth is that it was impossible for ,gordon to exceed his instructions4 ,he himself again and again contended that while it was open to the ,khedive to cancel the appointment1 until that was done he was absolutely master of the situation1 to do as he thought best for the good of the country4 ,it must not1 however1 be supposed that ,general ,gordon availed himself of a flaw in his instructions to carry out a policy of his own4 ,on the contrary1 he clearly understood from the ,british ,government that evacuation was what was required1 and that all the ,egyptian employs must be given a chance of leaving the ,soudan if possible4 ,from beginning to end this was the one thing he held out as the object at which he aimed4 ,all the suggestions he put forward were made with this end in view1 and he never swerved from it4 ,he was in reality more true to the instructions he received than were those who issued them4 ,no sooner had he got into the country1 and grasped the actual state of affairs1 than he saw that things were looking very serious4 ,the interval between ,hicks's defeat and his own arrival had been too prolonged4 ,people who might have been loyal had lost heart and gone over to the ,mahdi4 ,added to this1 ,gordon had himself made public the fact that the country was to be evacuated1 so all who intended to remain behind saw that their best policy was to throw in their lot with the ,mahdi4 ,gordon blamed himself sometimes for having made known the intentions of the ,government1 but it is questionable if such an important fact could have been long kept secret4 ,at all events1 when he openly promulgated it as ,governor-,general1 he thought1 and many thought with him1 that he was taking the line most likely to lead to a peaceful solution4 99 99 99 ,general ,gordon did not take long to make up his mind1 and soon after his arrival in ,khartoum he astonished the ,english people by two steps he took4 ,the first was the issue of a proclamation announcing that the institution of slavery was not to be interfered with in any way2 the second was an application that his old enemy1 ,zebehr ,rahama1 the great slave-dealer1 should be sent up to govern the ,soudan4 ,at first sight ,gordon's action was amazing2 but when it is more carefully examined in the light of facts1 it cannot be blamed4 ,to take the proclamation first1 it must be apparent to any one that when it was decided that the ,soudan was to be given up1 and that thenceforth neither ,egypt nor ,england should interfere in its internal affairs1 it would have been ridiculous to go on talking about the abolition of slavery4 ,gordon had to face a fanatical body of ,mohammedans who1 rightly or wrongly1 looked upon slavery as a religious institution4 ,the feeling of the country was strongly in favour of slavery1 and if the country was to be left to itself slavery would continue to exist4 ,gordon did but make a virtue of a necessity1 and announce that henceforth outsiders would not interfere in the matter4 ,thus he took the wind out of the sails of the ,mahdi and his party1 who could not say that they were fighting on behalf of one of their religious institutions4 ,the proposal to the ,english ,government that ,zebehr should be made ruler of the ,soudan1 was1 as ,mr4 ,hake truly says1 one of those daring strokes of policy which made his tactics unlike those of other men4 ,the telegram reached ,england on ,february #ah1 and must at first have caused some of the ,cabinet ,ministers to think that ,gordon had lost his head4 ,the last that they had heard on the subject of ,gordon's relationship with ,zebehr1 was the suggestion of the former that the latter should be sent as a prisoner to ,cyprus1 to get him out of ,egypt1 where he thought he might give trouble4 ,no wonder1 then1 if the ministers were astonished to hear that their representative had changed his mind so completely as to propose that instead of being imprisoned in ,cyprus1 his enemy should be sent to govern the ,soudan6 ,those who have followed ,gordon's tactics closely will not wonder so much at the proposal4 ,indeed it seems to have been a part of his creed to utilise his enemies1 and thus if possible to turn them into friends4 ,in ,china he frequently enlisted hundreds of prisoners of war1 converted them into staunchest allies1 and led them to victory against their old comrades4 ,he now wanted to apply in the case of ,zebehr the principles he had found so effective elsewhere4 ,so long as he did not see his way to utilising this king of slave-hunters1 he desired to have him kept out of the way1 but when his brilliant genius saw a way of turning his old foe into a friend1 he asked for his services4 ,unfortunately1 ,gordon was not in the position of a ,napoleon3 he was hampered in the carrying out of his brilliant designs by those at home1 who had neither his knowledge nor his capacity4 ,with regard to the proposed appointment of the great slave-hunter to be ,king of the ,soudan1 opinions even now differ greatly4 ,lord ,wolseley1 ,sir ,evelyn ,baring1 and most well-informed people are agreed that the recommendation ought to have been acted upon1 and that its adoption would have been the means of saving many valuable lives1 including ,gordon's1 and of placing the ,soudan under an authoritative government1 which it has not yet obtained4 ,but the ,english ,cabinet felt that public opinion would be strongly opposed to such a step1 and therefore they would not sanction it4 ,when ,gordon left ,cairo for ,khartoum he thought that the best plan for the ,soudan1 when the ,egyptian ,government withdrew1 would be to replace it by the heirs of the petty ,sultans1 who had been deprived of their power when the ,soudan was annexed by ,mehemet ,ali4 ,but when he saw the real state of affairs1 he felt that these disunited kinglets would not be strong enough to resist the power of the ,mahdi4 ,as for the ,mahdi1 he was too much of a religious fanatic to have the government of the ,soudan put into his hands4 ,he was ambitious as well as fanatical2 his object was to overrun the whole world4 ,directly he ceased to be a conqueror1 his people would cease to believe in his ,divine mission1 and he would lose his power4 ,at that time he possessed great power1 and ,gordon felt that there must be a still more powerful man set up4 ,there was only one such man alive1 and he was a prisoner at ,cairo4 ,the argument against ,zebehr was that he had been an inveterate slave-hunter1 and that to put him into supreme power would be to give him unlimited means of gratifying his vices4 ,against this it must be urged that under the ,mahdi's rule the kidnapping of slaves would be just as cruelly carried on as under that of ,zebehr4 ,also that with ,zebehr1 being a prisoner1 it would be possible to make certain stipulations on the subject of slave-hunting4 ,moreover1 it was ,gordon's intention eventually to annex1 for the ,congo ,state1 the great slave-hunting district1 and to rule that himself1 so that ,zebehr could not interfere4 ,apart from these arguments1 ,gordon did not believe that ,zebehr loved slave-hunting for its own sake1 but rather for the wealth and position it gave him4 ,he believed that if ,zebehr were made ,sultan of the ,soudan1 his ambitious nature would be satisfied1 and he would cease to hunt slaves1 the raison d'tre for such an occupation being gone4 ,there can be no question that ,zebehr was a most able man1 a born ruler and leader of men4 ,he was an inveterate enemy of ,gordon's1 and at the meeting which took place between ,gordon and ,zebehr at ,cairo1 when the former was en route to ,khartoum1 lookers-on considered that on no account ought these two men ever to be in the ,soudan together4 ,it was1 however1 one of ,gordon's characteristics1 and a great charm in his nature1 that he was not only forgiving1 but that he never allowed personal feeling to affect his judgment4 ,he thought only of what was good for the ,soudan1 and he was convinced that the only way to restore law and order there was to place ,zebehr in power4 ,one of the faults of our system of party government is that the ,cabinet does not consider so much what is right in the abstract1 as what will most affect the public mind4 ,the national hatred of slavery is1 in ,england1 rightly very strong2 but circumstances alter cases4 ,the ,cabinet could not face public opinion1 although the public were at that time ill-informed1 and ignorant of many important elements in the case1 and they consequently refused to let ,zebehr go4 ,public opinion in ,england is generally in the right when the public have been properly informed1 and have had time to form an opinion4 ,but it is not to be expected that the first impressions1 formed by a large mass of people who have not been supplied with full information1 are very reliable4 ,we ought therefore always to have a government in office strong enough to resist1 if need be1 the first impression of public opinion1 but willing to yield when the public have thoroughly made up their minds4 ,the government in office at that time were not united among themselves1 and consequently were weak1 and afraid to face the public4 ,as a result1 ,gordon's policy was not carried out1 and he fell a victim4 ,the ,soudan is still without a settled government1 and the problem how it should be governed is as far as ever from being solved4 ,as for slavery1 that institution alone has gained by the weak policy of those who were afraid to send up the old slave-hunter to govern the unfortunate ,soudan4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,the ,,siege ,one of the most remarkable characteristics of ,general ,gordon was the marvellous fertility of his resources4 ,knowing that there would be a great deal of prejudice against employing ,zebehr1 he almost simultaneously suggested an alternative scheme1 which was that1 as the ,egyptians could not govern the ,soudan1 and the ,english would not1 rather than let it fall into a state of anarchy it should be offered to the ,turks4 ,there was much to be said for this suggestion4 ,turkey had once ruled ,egypt1 and still exercised a suzerainty over it and all its belongings1 and if ,egypt was not strong enough to rule itself and its annexations1 it only seemed fair that the suzerain power should intervene to prevent its being grasped by an upstart like the ,mahdi4 ,besides1 the ,sultan of ,turkey is the head of the ,mohammedan religion1 and had therefore a special interest in suppressing the claims of a ,false ,prophet4 ,that the scheme was no hastily-formed one1 which he would see fit to change later on for something else1 may be gathered from the fact that ,gordon adhered to it to the very last4 ,nor was it a scheme suggested by the immediate difficulties of his position1 for in the month of ,october1 when ,lord ,wolseley was on the way to relieve him1 he writes3-- ,give the country to the ,turks1 when once you have come to ,khartoum1 with one or two millions sterling 7which you will have to spend in three months' occupation up here if you delay71 make arrangements at once with the ,porte for its ,soudan cession1 let #fjjj ,turks land at ,suakim and march up to ,berber1 thence to ,khartoum2 you can then retire at once before the hot weather comes on4444 ,i do not advocate the keeping of the ,soudan by us1 it is a useless possession1 and we could not govern it1 neither can ,egypt 7after the late events74 ,i am only discussing how to get out of it in honour and in the cheapest way 7we must remember we caused its troubles71 and that way is1 either by some sort of provincial government under ,zubair1 or by giving it to the ,turks2 it is simply a question of getting out of it with decency4 ,the ,turks are the best solution1 though most expensive4 ,they would keep the ,soudan3 give them #b1jjj1jjj4 ,the next best is ,zubair1 with #ejj1jjj and #ajj1jjj a year for two years3 he will keep the ,soudan for a time 7in both cases slave trade will flourish71 thus you will be quiet in ,egypt1 and will be able to retreat in ,january #ahhe4 ,if you do not do this1 then be prepared for a deal of worry and danger1 and your campaign will be entirely unprofitable and devoid of prestige1 for the day after you leave ,khartoum the ,mahdi will walk in and say that he drove you out4 ,but the ,government that had refused the assistance of ,zebehr for fear of public opinion at home1 were equally decided not to allow the assistance that might be obtained from the ,turks1 and this time1 it must be admitted1 they had more reason on their side4 ,there were already too many complications connected with the government of ,egypt to make it prudent to admit another possible element of discord4 ,earl ,granville1 the ,foreign ,secretary1 therefore telegraphed as follows3-- ,gordon should be at once informed by several messengers 444 that we do not propose to supply him with ,turkish or other force for the purpose of undertaking military expeditions1 such being beyond the scope of the commission he holds1 and at variance with the pacific policy which was the purpose of his mission to the ,soudan2 that1 if with this knowledge1 he continues at ,khartoum1 he should at once state to us the cause and intention with which he so continues4 ,this dispatch shows how little the powers in ,england actually understood the questions at issue1 or the practical working of their own instructions4 ,gordon had been asked to undertake the withdrawal of the ,egyptian garrisons1 and civil employs4 ,having accepted this duty1 he goes out1 and finding the ,mahdi's forces stronger than was supposed in this country1 he sends home word that the task is a far more complicated one than the authorities in ,england knew of1 and he suggests other methods4 ,his suggestions are not accepted1 and he is asked why he continues at ,khartoum1 as if he could have left his duty unperformed with honour to himself1 or credit to his country4 ,gordon was anxious to evacuate the country as quickly as possible2 in this he was quite at one with his employers2 but1 on the spot1 and knowing all the difficulties of the situation1 he saw what they in the distance could not see1 that the evacuation was a practical impossibility4 ,the most distant garrison held by ,egyptians was at ,senaar1 and if ,gordon could have got to that place1 a feat which it is more than doubtful if even he could have performed1 it is perfectly certain that with the wretched troops he would have had to command he could not have safely escorted the host of the ,egyptian employs thence to ,khartoum1 while the whole intermediate country was in the hands of the fanatical hordes owning allegiance to the ,mahdi4 ,the commencement of his march from ,senaar to ,khartoum would have been the signal for a repetition of the horrors of the march of our retreating army from ,cabul to ,jellalabad in #ahdb1 the sole survivor of which has been immortalised in ,miss ,elizabeth ,thompson's 7,lady ,butler7 celebrated picture1 the only difference being that the heat and sand of the ,soudan would have been substituted for the cold and snow of ,afghanistan4 ,the ,mahdi's forces would have at once occupied ,senaar1 and spread reports to the effect that they had driven out the ,egyptians1 while ,gordon's party with very limited provisions would have been exposed to incessant attacks during the whole of their journey4 ,a retreating army has always plenty of enemies2 and it is doubtful if a single survivor would have reached ,khartoum4 ,on the other hand1 if either of ,gordon's suggestions had been accepted and the country handed over to the ,turks or to ,zebehr1 the towns at both ends would have been held in force1 and a suitable escort could have been provided for the ,egyptian employs4 ,gordon states his position very fairly in the following brief telegram to ,sir ,evelyn ,baring3-- ,you ask me to state cause and intentions in staying at ,khartoum1 knowing ,government means to abandon ,soudan1 and in answer ,i say1 ,i stay at ,khartoum because ,arabs have shut us up1 and will not let us out4 ,i also add that if the road was opened the people would not let me go1 unless ,i gave them some government or took them with me1 which ,i could not do4 ,no one would leave more willingly than ,i would if it was possible4 ,there were some in authority who advocated leaving such a distant garrison as ,senaar to its fate1 and wanted ,gordon to retreat with the ,khartoum force only1 picking up the ,berber force on the way home4 ,against this ,gordon's generous heart revolted1 and he was determined that so long as he was ,governor-,general it should never be said that he left his subordinates to perish4 ,he thus telegraphs to ,sir ,evelyn ,baring3-- ,put yourself in my position1 if you say 'rapid retreat1 and leave ,senaar to its fate4' ,i will say1 ',no1 ,i would sooner die first1' and will resign my commission1 for ,i could not do it4 ,if you say1 ',then you are no longer ,governor-,general1' then ,i am all right1 and all the responsibility is on you 7for ,i could not be supposed1 if you turn me out of being ,governor-,general1 to be obliged to aid such a movement1 which ,i think is disgraceful74 ,writing as late as ,october #bdth1 and assuming that ,lord ,wolseley had conquered the country1 he says3-- ,i declare ,i do not see how we will get out of it 7the ,soudan7 even now2 allow that you come to ,khartoum1 that you drive off the ,arabs1 open the road to ,senaar4 ,what are you going to do8 ,you will say1 ',take out those who wish to leave4' ,well1 you begin with ,senaar1 and of course will have to fight all the way down4 ,it will take three months4 ,during these three months1 how are you to feed ,khartoum8 for the moment you leave ,senaar you leave your granary4 ,you get to ,khartoum1 you are face to face with #cj1jjj people who will not leave1 and who are hedging with the ,mahdi2 and with #cjjj ,shaggyeh all armed4 ,you fight your way to ,berber2 another three months1 you have no food at ,berber2 then it will need another two months to get to ,dongola1 which 7seeing your policy7 will be hostile4 ,it is indeed a terrible problem1 and ,i wish ,i could see my way out of it4 ,then you come into the hot months1 and low ,nile4 ,this time next year will not see you out of the ,soudan with decency4 ,of course you can go back now1 but what was the use of your coming8 ,i will not allow that you came for me4 ,you came for the garrisons of the ,soudan4 ,now1 by the ,turkish arrangement1 if you act promptly1 you can get away quietly in ,january #ahhe4 ,not only1 however1 did the ,british ,government refuse to adopt either of ,gordon's alternative proposals1 but they neglected until ,august #abth to take any other measures for relieving the garrisons4 ,yet all the time the gallant ,general felt that he had not a free hand1 and could not take independent action1 for he writes in his journal3-- ,truly the indecision of our ,government has been1 from a military point of view1 a very great bore1 for we never could act as if independent2 there was always the chance of their taking action1 which hampered us4444 ,it is truly deplorable1 the waste of men and money on account of our indecision4 ,the mistake our ,government made was the old one of endeavouring to control details in distant countries from ,downing ,street1 instead of sending out the best man to the spot1 and giving him more or less of a free hand4 ,at last1 on ,april #afth1 ,gordon telegraphed to ,sir ,evelyn ,baring at ,cairo3-- ,as far as ,i can understand1 the situation is this3 ,you state your intention of not sending any relief up here or to ,berber1 and you refuse me ,zebehr4 ,i consider myself free to act according to circumstances4 ,i shall hold on here as long as ,i can1 and if ,i can suppress the rebellion ,i shall do so4 ,if ,i cannot1 ,i shall retire to the ,equator1 and leave you the indelible disgrace of abandoning the garrisons of ,senaar1 ,kassala1 and ,dongola1 with the certainty that you will eventually be forced to smash up the ,mahdi under great difficulties1 if you would retain peace in ,egypt6 ,but though ,gordon saw that it was impossible to attempt an immediate evacuation with something like #ej1jjj men1 women1 and children1 he did everything that lay within his power to get rid of as many refugees as possible during the few weeks that he was in ,khartoum before the means of communication were cut off4 ,the measures he took were described by ,colonel ,duncan1 ,m4,p41 at that time in command of a station on the ,nile1 through which the refugees had to pass en route to ,egypt1 in a speech made some time afterwards1 as follows3-- ,last year1 after the arrival of ,general ,gordon at ,khartoum1 ,i was sent to the northern end of the ,korosko desert to facilitate the passage of the refugees from ,khartoum to ,egypt4 ,it was then that ,i realised the true nature of ,gordon1 who was not a mere sentimental philanthropist1 but a man of business as well as a man of courage4 ,at that time the telegraph wire between ,khartoum and where ,i was stationed was still uncut2 and with marvellous monotony1 ,i might say1 batch after batch of the sick and the injured1 of women and children1 used to be sent by ,gordon to me4 ,they used to arrive in an almost perfect state of comfort1 with all the necessary papers enabling me to disperse them among their different villages in ,egypt4 ,one of the first messages the ,general sent to me was this1 ',do try and find a motherly ,european woman to receive these poor women and children1 for they have never been in ,egypt yet before4' ,with the regularity of clockwork over #bjjj refugees arrived1 all the arrangements for their transport from ,khartoum to ,berber having been made by ,gordon4444 ,two thousand five hundred men1 women1 and children were saved by the direct action and the direct humanity of ,gordon himself1 long before the expedition set out for ,khartoum4 ,it is evident that the impression among the three ,englishmen at ,khartoum was1 that the ,english ,government had deserted ,gordon1 and intended to leave him there to die4 ,both ,colonel ,stewart and ,mr4 ,power nobly decided that they would not forsake him in his hour of need1 and that1 happen what might1 they would remain with him4 ,though plenty of skirmishes took place1 there was no real fight that might be dignified by the name of a battle till the middle of ,march4 ,some #djjj of the ,mahdi's force had cut off about #hjj of ,gordon's men at a village called ,halfaya1 on the north of ,khartoum1 and1 as the detachment could not retreat1 ,gordon decided to attempt to relieve them4 ,by means of steamers he succeeded in extricating them from danger1 but he could not drive away the rebels who held ,halfaya in strong force4 ,on the #afth1 therefore1 he sent ,colonel ,stewart to attempt to dislodge the enemy1 and the following is his own description of what actually occurred3-- ,at #h ,a4,m4 on the #afth1 two steamers started for ,halfaya4 ,bashi-,bazouks and some regulars advanced across plain towards rebels4 ,at #aj ,a4,m4 the regulars were in square opposite centre of rebels' position1 and ,bashi-,bazouks were extended in their line to their right4 ,the gun with regulars then opened fire4 ,very soon after this a body of about sixty rebel horsemen charged down a little to the right of centre of ,bashi-,bazouks line4 ,the latter fired a volley1 then turned and fled4 ,the horsemen galloped towards the square1 which they immediately broke4 ,the whole force then retreated slowly towards the fort with their rifles shouldered4 ,the horsemen continued to ride along flanks1 cutting off stragglers4 ,the men made no effort to stand1 and the gun was abandoned with sixty-three rounds and fifteen cases of reserve ammunition4 ,the rebels advanced1 and retreat of our men was so rapid that the ,arabs on foot had no chance of attacking4 ,pursuit ceased about a mile from stockade and the men rallied4 ,we brought in the wounded4 ,nothing could be more dismal than seeing these horsemen1 and some men even on camels1 pursuing close to troops who1 with arms shouldered1 plodded their way back4 ,the result of this1 the first real battle1 showed ,gordon the hopelessness of his position4 ,colonel ,stewart was wounded1 though not very seriously1 and ,gordon saw that not only were his men cowards1 but they were treacherous as well4 ,at one time the rebels were actually retreating when two of ,gordon's generals1 ,hassan and ,seyid1 by name1 actually rode after them and summoned them back4 ,need it be added that an army1 seeing itself thus betrayed by its own leaders1 lost all heart and bolted1 leaving two valuable guns in the hands of their opponents4 ,it is satisfactory1 however1 to be able to record that both these traitors were tried by court-martial and shot4 ,general ,gordon made every effort to avoid further bloodshed by opening negotiations with the ,mahdi1 and even going so far as to offer to make him ,sultan of ,kordofan4 ,the ,false ,prophet briefly replied1 ,i am the ,mahdi1 which was a polite way of saying that it would be beneath his dignity to accept such a subordinate post4 ,he1 however1 sent ,gordon a courteous letter1 urging him to become a ,mohammedan4 ,as ,gordon declined this offer all negotiations between the two were closed4 99 99 99 ,towards the end of ,april ,gordon wrote that the ,nile was beginning to rise4 ,it continues to rise during ,may1 ,june1 and ,july1 and is so high during the last-mentioned month that boats can pass the numerous cataracts with comparative safety4 ,this is the season of which an expedition should have taken advantage for the ,nile campaign4 ,unfortunately the greatest empire of the world was at this time ruled by a disunited ,cabinet1 and party conflicts were going on at home4 ,there may be much to be said in favour of party government1 but there can be no question that to it is due the disgrace of ,england in the eyes of the whole civilised world1 for having sent one of her bravest heroes into the heart of a hostile country in ,africa1 and then left him to perish4 ,the blame in the matter is often cast solely upon the ,liberals4 ,those who are not political partisans must see that this is not a fair way of stating the truth4 ,the government in office was a ,liberal one1 but it cannot be said that it is a part of their programme to leave ,english heroes to perish4 ,lord ,palmerston1 the old ,whig leader1 would have been the first to denounce such a policy4 ,the fact is1 the fault was not due to either party as such1 but to the party form of government that unfortunately prevails in this country4 ,the opposite party might have fallen into the same mistake1 had they been in the same position4 ,the ,government was afraid to split up its supporters by engaging in another war so soon after the ,egyptian and ,suakim campaigns4 ,but1 be the cause what it may1 the fact remains that much valuable time was lost1 in spite of ,lord ,wolseley's remonstrances1 who said with truth-- ,remember1 we can command many things1 but all the gold of ,england will not affect the rise and fall of the ,nile1 or the duration of the hot and cold seasons in ,egypt4 ,time is a most important element in this question1 and it will be indeed an indelible disgrace if we allow the most generous1 patriotic1 and gallant of our public servants to die of want1 or fall into the hands of a cruel enemy1 because we would not hold out our hands to save him4 ,public opinion at last grew too strong for the ,government1 and orders were given on ,august #abth to commence making the boats that were to convey the troops up the river ,nile4 ,the official report of the campaign states that there were only #ajd vessels on the ,nile that were able to pass the cataracts on the upper part of the river1 so that boats of some sort had to be taken out4 ,from ,august #abth till the final disaster took place no reasonable time was lost1 but it takes time to transport a large army over such obstacles as had to be surmounted4 ,it has been truly said that the campaign of the ,nile was far more a conflict with ,nature than with man4 ,we might1 however1 have overcome ,nature had we only taken the field earlier in the day4 99 99 99 ,when ,gordon realised how thoroughly the enemy had invested ,khartoum1 and that all supplies from outside were cut off1 he wisely decided to reduce the number of persons inside the beleaguered city4 ,there were1 it was estimated1 something like #aj1jjj who were in sympathy with the enemy1 and who not only ate food1 which was most valuable1 but were a source of weakness to the defenders4 ,consequently the ,general gave them permission to go over to the enemy1 which they did with alacrity4 ,he was after all only acting on the sensible advice he gave the leader of the ,taipings in ,china1 who was retaining a large force of white men against their wills in the city of ,soo-chow1 of whom ,gordon's rival1 ,burgevine1 was one 7see page #fj74 ,the ,khartoum general gained considerably more than the enemy by this bold yet humane stroke of policy1 as he got rid of #aj1jjj traitors1 who would have very soon demoralised his whole force4 ,the greater the difficulties became the nobler ,gordon's character appears4 ,no sooner was he absolutely cut off from the outer world than he fell back on his boundless fertility of resources1 and showed himself to be at the same time a skilful general1 a brave soldier1 a far-seeing statesman1 and a clever financier4 ,the defences of the town were attended to1 and the whole place so well covered with obstacles and mines1 that it might have been defended for years1 had the food supply only held out4 ,cartridges were manufactured on an enormous scale2 the ,general calculated that over half a million were fired away during four months of the siege4 ,eight steamers1 which were nothing more than ordinary vessels1 similar to the ,penny ,steamers on the ,thames1 were armour-plated1 and made to act as miniature men-of-war1 new ones were built1 old ones were fitted up and adapted1 and landsmen were trained to take them into action4 ,our steamers1 ,gordon said1 are blinded and bullet proof1 and do splendid work1 for you see they cannot run away1 and must go into action4 ,the food supply1 such as it was1 was regulated so that nothing should be wasted1 and paper money was issued1 redeemable in six months4 ,so great was the faith of the inhabitants in ,gordon's ultimate success that #bejj worth of this paper money was in circulation by the end of ,april1 and #bf1jjj worth was issued before the end of ,july4 ,in addition1 the merchants advanced to him upwards of #ej1jjj4 ,for six long weary months ,general ,gordon held out at ,khartoum4 ,till the #ith of ,september he had at all events the companionship of his two brave countrymen1 ,colonel ,stewart and ,mr4 ,power4 ,but for the remaining months of the siege he was deprived of even this comfort1 and had to stand at the post of duty single-handed1 as far as his own countrymen were concerned4 ,on the #bfth ,august the authorities at ,cairo received a telegram from ,gordon to the effect that now that the ,nile had risen1 and the way from ,khartoum to ,dongola was opened for a steamer1 he intended to attack ,berber and capture it1 and thence to despatch ,colonel ,stewart and ,mr4 ,power to ,dongola4 ,his object was to publish to the outside world the real facts of the terrible position at ,khartoum1 and to enable ,colonel ,stewart to urge on the authorities the necessity of at once despatching troops to the rescue2 for he had not received any notification that a few days before this time--namely1 on ,august #abth--the ,government had decided to send an expedition for his relief4 ,colonel ,stewart brought ,gordon's ,diary of ,events up to the date of his starting1 and was accompanied by ,mr4 ,power1 ,m4 ,herbin1 the ,french ,consul1 and about fifty soldiers4 ,they went in the ,abbas1 a small paddle-boat drawing only two feet of water4 ,the following remark is made in ,gordon's ,journals in reference to the departure of ,colonel ,stewart in this vessel3-- ,stewart said he would go if ,i would exonerate him from deserting me4 ,i said1 ',you do not desert me4 ,i--,i cannot go1 but if you go you do me a great service4' ,i then wrote him an official4 ,he wanted me to write him an order4 ,i said1 ',no1 for though ,i fear not responsibility1 ,i will not put you in any danger which ,i am not in myself4' ,i wrote then a letter couched thus3 ',abbas is going down4 ,you say you are willing to go in her if ,i think you can do so with honour4 ,you can go in honour1 for you can do nothing here1 and if you go you do me service in telegraphing my views4' ,the ,abbas started together with two other steamers on the night of ,september #ith1 and having shelled ,berber proceeded on her way to ,dongola1 the two other vessels returning4 ,on the #ahth the ,abbas struck on a rock4 ,when ,colonel ,stewart saw that further progress was hopeless1 he spiked the guns and threw them1 with the ammunition1 into the river4 ,he then went on shore to arrange for the purchase of some camels to take his party on to ,dongola4 ,he was accompanied to the house of a blind man1 named ,fakri ,etman1 by ,power and the ,french ,consul4 ,the ,sheikh ,suleiman ,wad ,gamr was present and invited them on shore1 only insisting that the soldiers must not come armed for fear of frightening the people4 ,to this ,colonel ,stewart agreed1 and was the only one who was armed1 he carrying a small revolver4 ,suleiman accepted from ,colonel ,stewart a sword and a dress as gifts4 ,when ,stewart and his party were in the house1 ,suleiman came outside and made some signs to his people1 who were hanging about in large numbers4 ,immediately they divided into two parties1 one proceeding to the house1 the other to the steamer's crew landed on the bank1 and the whole were massacred4 ,news has recently reached ,cairo to the effect that the perpetrator of this cold-blooded and treacherous murder has at last paid the penalty of his crime1 being slain in a conflict with ,saleh ,bey4 ,all the official documents that ,gordon had sent for the ,british authorities fell into the hands of the ,mahdi1 giving him the most exact information as to the supply of ammunition and food within the walls of ,khartoum4 ,these documents were at once sent to the ,mahdi1 and it is generally supposed that at this present moment they are lying in the ,fort at ,omdurman1 outside ,khartoum4 ,the loss of the ,abbas was a cause of great grief to ,general ,gordon1 and again and again he refers to it4 ,writing on ,november #eth he says3-- ,i cannot get out of my head the ,abbas catastrophe2 that the ,abbas 7with her #igj bullet marks on her1 her gun1 and her parapets1 which were bullet proof7 could be captured by force seems impossible2 that she ran upon a rock seems unlikely1 for she had her sides defended by buffers1 sunk one foot in water4 ,i also warned them against ever anchoring by the bank1 also to take wood from isolated spots2 in fact as far as human foresight goes1 ,i did all my possible4444 ,you will notice the number of ,greeks 7on board74 ,they were a bodyguard ,i ordered and paid highly1 to prevent any treachery on the part of the crew4 ,thus the question of treachery was duly weighed by me1 and guarded against1 as far as ,i could--both on the part of the crew1 and on the part of the inhabitants--and ,i told them to anchor mid-stream1 and not to take wood except in isolated spots4 ,one can only echo the words of ,mr4 ,egmont ,hake3 ,it is impossible to read this without a feeling of admiration for the thorough way in which ,general ,gordon examined into the minutest details of everything himself4 ,every precaution human foresight could conceive he took to ensure the safety of the ,abbas and her crew2 having done this1 her fate was in higher hands than his4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,the ,,fall ,,of ,,khartoum ,fortunately for the public1 as soon as ,colonel ,stewart left1 ,gordon commenced1 in addition to all his other duties1 writing journals of events at ,khartoum1 in which doubtless he recapitulated much of what had been given in the ,diary of ,events he had sent with ,stewart4 ,on ,september #bast1 the ,general received authentic news that an expedition was actually on its way to ,khartoum4 ,on ,september #cjth he sent five steamers to ,metemmah to meet the advancing army1 so that there should be no delay on his part in rendering help4 ,by the steamers he sent his ,journals made up to date1 and it is from these that authentic information is obtained4 ,the despatch of these steamers to ,metemmah was a most unselfish act on his part2 indeed1 it is by no means certain that their presence at ,khartoum might not have prevented the crowning disaster later on4 ,he calculated that each steamer was worth to him at least #bjjj men1 so that he practically reduced his force by something like #aj1jjj men in order to assist the ,relief ,expedition4 ,since the ,nile had risen these vessels had considerably increased in utility1 and they had been most valuable in the defence of ,khartoum4 ,each was well provisioned1 so that they would not have required to draw on the slender resources of the garrison4 ,on ,november #eth ,gordon says3-- ,a curious thing has happened2 my friend ,kitchener sent up the post2 he wrapped the letters in some old newspapers 7he gave me no news in his letter71 the old newspapers were thrown out into the garden3 there a clerk who knew some ,english found them blowing about1 and gave them to the apothecary of the hospital1 who knows ,english4 ,the doctor found him reading them1 saw date #aeth ,september1 and secured them for me2 they are like gold1 as you may imagine1 since we have had no news since #bdth ,february #ahhd6 ,these papers gave us far more information than any of your letters4 ,did ,k4 send them by accident or on purpose8 ,in the newspaper appeared the following statement in the form of a heading3 ,lord ,wolseley seen off at ,victoria ,station for the ,gordon ,relief ,expedition4 ,to this ,gordon appended1 ,no6 for the relief of the ,soudan garrisons2 and he extracted another statement to the following effect1 ,an official telegram received here from ,wady ,halfa states that1 owing to the unprecedented lowness of the ,nile1 no confidence is felt in the practicability of hauling boats over the cataracts till the end of ,september4 ,general ,gordon pasted this into the ,journal1 and wrote opposite to it1 ,it was not a low ,nile1 it was an average ,nile1 only you were too late--a verdict which events only too completely justified4 ,it will be of interest to give here a few brief extracts selected from ,gordon's remarks regarding the ,relief ,expedition3-- ,if it is right to send up an expedition now1 why was it not right to send it up before8 ,we are a wonderful people2 it was never our ,government which made us a great nation2 our ,government has been ever the drag on our wheels4 ,i am afraid to say what numbers have been killed through this present policy1 certainly some #hj1jjj2 and it is not over yet4 ,i altogether decline the imputation that the projected expedition has come to relieve me4 ,it has come to save our national honour in extricating the garrisons1 c41 from a position in which our action in ,egypt had placed these garrisons4 ,i was relief expedition ,no4 ,i4 ,they are relief expedition ,no4 ,,ii4 ,as for myself ,i could make good my retreat at any moment if ,i wished4 ,now realise what would happen if this first relief expedition was to bolt and the steamers fall into the hands of the ,mahdi2 this second relief expedition 7for the honour of ,england engaged in extricating garrisons7 would be somewhat hampered4 ,we1 the first and second1 are equally engaged for the honour of ,england4 ,this is fair logic4 ,earle#ae comes up to extricate garrisons and 7,i hope7 succeeds4 ,earle does not come to extricate me4444 ,i am not the rescued lamb1 and ,i will not be4 #ae ,gordon thought that ,general ,earle was to be in command of the whole force4 ,as a matter of fact he was in command of the brigade that was going by water the whole way to ,khartoum4 ,he was killed on the way4 ,in spite of his great anxiety1 and the worries through which he was called to pass1 ,gordon never seemed to lose his sense of humour4 ,there are many amusing entries in his ,journals1 of which the following may be taken as fair specimens3-- ,a horse escaped from the ,arabs1 formerly belonging to ,government4 ,it gave no information2 but from its action1 may be supposed not to believe in the ,mahdi4 ,it is really amusing to find 7when one can scarcely call one's life one's own7 one's servant1 already with one wife 7which most men find is enough71 coming and asking for three days' leave1 in order to take another wife4 ,yet such was the case1 a few days ago1 with one of my servants4 ,his comments on the ,mahdi are also amusing3-- ,the ,greek 7refugee7 who came in told the ,greek ,consul that the ,mahdi puts pepper under his nails1 and when he receives visitors then he touches his eyes and weeps copiously2 that he eats a few grains of dhoora openly1 but in the interior of the house he has fine feeding and drinks alcoholic drinks4444 ,after this pepper business6 ,i think ,i shall drop any more trouble in writing him letters1 trying to convince or persuade him to reasonable measures4 ,i must confess that the pepper business has sickened me2 ,i had hitherto hoped ,i had to do with a regular fanatic1 who believed in his mission1 but when one comes to pepper in the finger nails1 it is rather humiliating to have to succumb to him1 and somehow ,i have the belief that ,i shall not have to do so4444 ,one cannot help being amused at this pepper business4 ,those who come in for pardon1 come in on their knees1 with a halter round their neck4 ,the ,mahdi rises1 having scratched his eyes and obtained a copious flow of tears1 and takes off the halter4 ,as the production of tears is generally considered the proof of sincerity1 ,i would recommend the ,mahdi's receipt to ,cabinet ,ministers1 justifying some job4 ,it is not necessary to enumerate the number of encounters that took place between ,gordon's men and the ,mahdists2 he took little personal part in these engagements4 ,the fiery spirit of the young soldier1 who led his own troops in ,china1 had not expended itself1 but was kept in subjection by a higher spirit4 ,he knew that much was staked on his life1 and that the risk was too great4 ,there was no one to succeed him2 his death meant defeat to his cause1 and ruin to the country for which he had done so much4 ,speaking generally1 therefore1 he did not expose himself more than he could help4 ,but though he avoided rashness in any form1 he was a good deal exposed to danger1 and the palace in which he lived was an object on which the enemy expended much of their ammunition4 ,the ,mahdi had kept himself as far from ,gordon's reach as possible1 by remaining at ,obeid1 while his troops conducted the investment of ,khartoum4 ,but when the new year of the ,mohammedan ,calendar commenced1 on ,october #bast1 and the ,mahdi had heard1 through the capture of ,colonel ,stewart's papers1 of the difficulties that ,gordon was in1 he appears to have mustered his courage and to have brought up #cj1jjj men to intimidate ,gordon4 ,when called upon to surrender the following was the reply that ,gordon returned3 ,if you are the real ,mahdi1 dry up the ,nile and come over1 and ,i will surrender4 ,it is said that the ,mahdi took him literally1 and lost #cjjj men in an attempt to walk across the ,nile6 ,be that as it may1 the ,mahdi ordered an attack1 which was conducted with some vigour4 ,it was resisted successfully by ,gordon1 aided by his twelve steamers and #hjj men1 but the fighting must have been severe1 for it lasted for eight hours4 ,the bursting of mines and torpedoes carried more havoc into the ranks of the enemy than ,gordon's men did4 ,material things of this kind at least responded to the will of him who organised them1 and did not prove cowardly or treacherous4 ,the ,mahdi then retreated to a more respectful distance1 and1 it is said1 hid himself in a cave1 prophesying that there should be sixty days of rest1 and that then blood would flow like water4 ,the real truth of the matter is that the ,mahdi's military advisers saw that there was little use in attempting to capture ,khartoum by direct assault4 ,having full information from ,stewart's papers that the food supply could not last long1 they prudently decided to starve out the garrison4 99 99 99 ,english officers have before now gone through trying sieges1 as1 for instance1 ,lawrence and ,havelock at ,lucknow1 and ,sale at ,jellalabad1 but it would be difficult in the whole of the military history of ,england to find a case in which an officer was left single-handed to contend with such frightful odds for so long a time4 ,the siege lasted #cag days1 very nearly as long as the siege of ,sebastopol4 ,english officers have usually had a few of their own countrymen1 on whom they could rely and with whom they could take counsel1 to share their hardships4 ,but ,gordon stood alone1 and the troops he had were not only foreigners1 but1 with a few exceptions1 they were cowards1 and he knew that very few of them were really loyal to him4 ,nothing but his extraordinary personality kept the force together4 ,his opinion of these miserable troops is frequently expressed in his ,journals4 ,the following passages are examples3-- ,october #cast4--,i have ever felt the greatest insecurity respecting the lines1 for ,i believe #ajj determined men would carry them with ease1 if they made their attack on the ,shaggyeh or ,bashi-,bazouk part4444 ,the ,cairo ,turkish ,bashi-,bazouks1 the ,shaggyeh1 and the ,fellaheen soldiers1 ,i will back against any troops in the world for cowardice4 ,november #agth4--,i certainly lay claim to having commanded1 more often than any other man1 cowardly troops1 but this experience of #ahhd beats all past experiences2 the worst of the matter is that you cannot believe one word the officers say4 ,on ,november #bnd he writes3 ,six weeks' consumption6 and then the sponge must be thrown up4 ,fortunately1 he discovered on ,november #aath that a robbery by some corrupt ,egyptian officials had been going on1 and that #b-a_/b million lbs4 of biscuit--worth #ijjj at any time1 but at least #bf1jjj during the siege--had been stolen4 ,the recovery of this helped him to hold out a little longer4 ,on ,december #acth he writes3-- ,we have in hand #a1gif1jjj rounds ,remington ammunition2 #edj rounds ,krupp2 #fjjj rounds mountain gun ammunition2 #adj in specie2 #ah1jjj in paper in treasury6 #fj1jjj in town in paper2 #aaj1jjj okes of biscuits2 #gjj ard ebs of dhoora4444 ,we are going to send down the ,bordeen the day after to-morrow1 and with her ,i shall send this ,journal4 ,if some effort is not made before ten days' time the town will fall4 ,the following day1 ,december #adth1 was the last as far as his ability to communicate with the outer world was concerned4 ,though he held on for nearly six weeks longer1 nothing is known accurately after the ,bordeen left ,khartoum4 ,writing to the commander of the approaching ,expeditionary ,force1 he says3-- ,i send down the steamer ,bordeen to-morrow1 with vol4 vi4 of my private journal1 containing account of the events in ,khartoum from ,november #e to ,december #ad4 ,the state of affairs is such that one cannot foresee further than five to seven days1 after which the town may at any time fall4 ,i have done all in my power to hold out1 but ,i own ,i consider the position is extremely critical1 almost desperate2 and ,i say this without any feeling of bitterness with respect to ,her ,majesty's ,government1 but merely as a matter of fact4 ,should the town fall1 it will be questionable whether it will be worth the while of ,her ,majesty's ,government to continue its expedition2 for it is certain that the fall of ,khartoum will ensure that of ,kassala and ,senaar4 ,another letter of the same date was received by ,sir ,gerald ,graham in ,cairo1 saying3 ,farewell4 ,you will never hear from me again4 ,i fear there will be treachery in the garrison1 and all will be over by ,christmas4 ,the following message1 addressed to a friend in ,cairo1 and also dated ,december #ad1 was received only on ,february #bd3 ,all is up4 ,i expect a catastrophe in ten days' time4 ,it would not have been so if our people had kept me better informed as to their intentions4 ,my adieux to all4 ,he also wrote to his sister3-- ,this may be the last letter you will receive from me1 for we are on our last legs1 owing to the delay of the expedition4 ,however1 ,god rules all1 and1 as ,he will rule to ,his glory and our welfare1 ,his will be done4 ,i fear1 owing to circumstances1 that my affairs pecuniarily are not over-bright4444--,your affectionate brother1 ,c4 ,g4 ,,gordon4 ,p4,s4--,i am quite happy1 thank ,god1 and like ,lawrence1 ,i have 'tried to do my duty4' ,it has already been mentioned that ,august #abth was the day when the ,english ,government yielded to the pressure of public opinion and gave orders to commence the building of the boats which were to convey the troops to relieve ,khartoum4 ,it is unnecessary to follow in detail the history of that force4 ,suffice it to say that the commander1 ,lord ,wolseley1 received at ,korti a message from ,general ,gordon1 dated #adth ,december #ahhd1 ,come quickly1 come together2 do not leave ,berber behind you4 ,but the verbal message which the messenger delivered was far worse1 ,famine was in ,khartoum2 the ,arabs knew it3 there was not a moment to be lost4 ,at once1 ,sir ,herbert ,stewart1 with a small force1 was sent to dash through the desert from ,korti to ,metemmah4 ,he1 ,colonel ,burnaby1 and several other brave men1 fell on that famous march1 for the enemy at two points warmly disputed their passage4 ,the loss in these conflicts1 at ,abu ,klea on the #agth1 and at ,metemmah on the #aith1 was appalling for the ,arabs1 but such victories often repeated would soon have done for the conquerors4 ,the entire force reached ,gubat on the ,nile on ,january #bjth1 and there they found the four steamers which ,gordon had sent down4 ,originally there were five steamers1 but one had been sunk4 ,the six journals were handed over to ,sir ,charles ,wilson1 who1 by right of seniority1 had taken command on the death of ,sir ,herbert ,stewart4 ,a note was also given to ,sir ,charles1 which had been brought by a messenger from ,khartoum1 to the following effect3 ,khartoum all right1 could hold out for years4--,c4 ,g4 ,gordon1 #bith ,december #ahhd4 ,it was at first generally believed that this document was but one of many sent out in order to deceive the enemy1 but it is now thought that his real object was not to deceive the enemy1 who knew only too well the actual state of affairs1 so much as to get them to let his messengers pass1 if caught by them1 and that then the messengers could deliver a viv voce message1 and tell the appalling truth4 ,sir ,charles ,wilson1 with two officers and a small detachment of ,englishmen belonging to the ,sussex regiment 7late #ceth71 started on the morning of the #bdth for ,khartoum in two of ,gordon's steamers4 ,the delay that occurred between the arrival of the ,english force at ,gubat1 and the start up the river for ,khartoum1 has been freely criticised by the press4 ,the journey from ,gubat to ,khartoum being entirely by water1 ,lord ,charles ,beresford1 a well-known naval officer1 had been attached to ,stewart's force1 with orders at once to take over and man any steamer or steamers that were either there or in the vicinity1 and to use every means in his power to get one or more of the steamers into an efficient state4 ,unfortunately1 the ,british force that reached the ,nile was in a very different condition from that which left ,korti in such high spirits4 ,rapid marching and hard fighting had demanded a heavy penalty1 and the death-roll and sick-list were very high2 among others1 ,lord ,charles ,beresford himself was on the latter4 ,the whole force under ,sir ,charles ,wilson did not equal a battalion of infantry on its war strength1 and it included a large percentage of sick and wounded to be looked after4 ,in addition to this1 reports came into camp that large bodies of ,arabs were advancing from the north as well as from the south1 with the object of annihilating the force4 ,the commander1 therefore1 had an anxious time of it1 and was compelled to undertake a reconnaissance to ascertain the truth of the rumours1 and to make all sorts of preparations for defending his little camp with its sick and wounded against any sudden onslaught4 ,he was unconscious of the fact that time was so pressing1 and that instead of his camp being attacked1 it would be ,khartoum1 where ,gordon had for so long held out against overwhelming odds4 ,thus the valuable hours of the #bast1 #bbnd1 and #bcrd glided away1 all too rapidly4 ,even when ,wilson's force was ready to start1 ,lord ,charles ,beresford was not able to accompany it1 and ,sir ,charles had to go without him4 ,the distance to ,khartoum was about #ajj miles1 but it was not until ,january #bhth that the steamers got clear of the ,sixth ,cataract1 which was about half-way between ,gubat and ,khartoum4 ,for about a dozen miles large boulders and rocks caused delay and danger4 ,no sooner had the steamers got clear of these obstacles than all eyes were strained to catch sight of the ,egyptian flag floating over ,khartoum4 ,the steamers made rapid progress in the open water1 and as the distance was reduced1 the square roof of the palace where ,gordon had resided came into view4 ,but there was no ,egyptian flag flying from it1 and the reception accorded to the relieving force1 although a warm one1 was not such as ,gordon would have given4 ,his eyes had often been strained looking to the quarter whence he thought his grateful countrymen would surely send aid1 but he had looked in vain4 ,now1 when the tardy help was at hand1 it received no welcome from him1 for just two days before1 on ,january #bfth1 he had yielded up his heroic spirit4 ,from every side the ,mahdists poured shot and shell upon ,sir ,charles ,wilson and his little band2 and it was matter for grateful surprise that they escaped the fate of him whom1 too late1 they had come to rescue4 ,they approached within eight hundred yards of the city1 and then1 convinced that it had fallen1 retreated to a safer position1 from which they could institute inquiries as to the fate of the gallant hero1 hoping1 yet hardly daring to hope1 that his life might have been spared4 ,it is not necessary to follow further in detail the history of ,sir ,charles ,wilson's party1 the narrow escape they had from being treacherously run on to a rock1 and the way in which they were gallantly rescued by ,lord ,charles ,beresford1 who by ,february #ast was sufficiently recovered to enable him to take command of another of ,gordon's steamers1 and relieve the would-be relievers4 ,there followed at least six days of suspense1 as the accounts brought in by natives were very conflicting1 but by the #aath of ,february it was known in ,england that a consensus of evidence pointed to the fact that the noble hero of ,khartoum had been killed at his post4 99 99 99 ,probably it will never be accurately known either how ,khartoum fell into the hands of the ,mahdi1 or how the gallant defender actually met his fate4 ,there have been many wild rumours regarding both events1 but it is probable that the most authentic account is that obtained by ,colonel ,kitchener1 who of all men was most likely to be well informed1 for not only was his experience of the ,arabs great1 but he had personal opportunities of examining witnesses4 ,he thinks that the ordinary food supply at ,khartoum was quite exhausted by the #ast ,january #ahhe1 and that on the #fth the ,general issued a proclamation1 offering to any of the inhabitants who liked free permission to leave the town and go to the ,mahdi4 ,great numbers availed themselves of this permission1 and ,gordon wrote letters to the ,mahdi1 requesting him to protect and feed these poor ,moslem people1 as he had for the last nine months4 ,in this way the population of the city was reduced to about #ad1jjj out of the #cd1jjj inhabitants who were there in ,september4 ,about the #ahth of ,january1 a sortie was made which resulted in desperate fighting1 and a large number of the ,mahdi's troops and about #bjj of ,gordon's men were killed4 ,colonel ,kitchener says3-- ,the state of the garrison was then desperate for want of food2 all the donkeys1 dogs1 cats1 rats1 c41 had been eaten2 a small ration of grain was issued daily to the troops1 and a sort of bread was made from pounded palm-tree fibre4 ,on the #bcrd ,general ,gordon had a stormy interview with ,farag ,pasha the commander of his black troops4 ,an eye-witness states that it was owing to ,gordon having passed a fort on the ,white ,nile which was under ,farag ,pasha's charge1 and found to be inadequately protected4 ,gordon is said to have struck ,farag ,pasha on this occasion4 ,it seems probable to me that at this interview ,farag ,pasha proposed to ,gordon to surrender the town1 and stated the terms the ,mahdi had offered1 declaring in his opinion that they should be accepted4 ,farag ,pasha left the palace in a great rage1 refusing the repeated attempts of other officers to effect a reconciliation between him and ,gordon4 ,on the following day 7#bdth7 ,general ,gordon held a council of the notables at the palace4 ,the question of the surrender of the town was then discussed1 and ,general ,gordon declared1 whatever the council decided1 he would never surrender the town4 ,i think it very probable that on this occasion ,general ,gordon brought ,farag ,pasha's action and proposals before the council1 and it appears that some in the council were of ,farag ,pasha's opinion1 that the town could resist no longer1 and should be surrendered on the terms offered by the ,mahdi4 ,general ,gordon would not1 however1 listen to this proposal4 ,on the #beth ,gordon was slightly ill1 and as it was ,sunday1 he did not appear in public4 ,he had1 however1 several interviews with leading men of the town1 and evidently knew that the end was near4444 ,on the night of the #beth many of the famished troops left their posts on the fortifications in search of food in the town4 ,some of the troops were also too weak1 from want of nourishment1 to go to their posts4 ,meanwhile news had reached the ,mahdists of their terrible defeat at ,abu ,klea1 and also rumours that the ,english had taken ,metemmah4 ,reports which have quite recently arrived from ,egypt say that the ,mahdi1 alarmed at the approach of ,english troops1 had already packed up his goods and chattels and was about to beat a retreat4 ,there was a meeting of all the ,emirs in the camp of the ,mahdi1 and1 with one exception1 all were in favour of abandoning the siege4 ,a single ,emir1 however1 said1 ,let us make one more attempt4 ,let us fire #aja guns and proclaim a great victory over the advancing ,english army1 and then make one more attempt on ,khartoum4 ,if we fail we shall be no worse off than we are now1 for we can only retreat1 but if we succeed we shall be able to defy the approaching ,british4 ,unfortunately for us the advice of the ,emir was taken1 and the ,british expedition1 which was so near succeeding1 failed by forty-eight hours to gain its object4 ,the ,mahdist attack took place at #c4cj ,a4,m4 on ,monday1 ,january #bfth1 and was only too successful4 ,with regard to the report that the fall of ,khartoum was due to foul play on the part of ,farag ,pasha1 ,colonel ,kitchener says3 ,the accusations of treachery have all been vague1 and are1 to my mind1 the outcome of mere supposition4 ,in my opinion ,khartoum fell from sudden assault1 when the garrison was too exhausted by privation to make proper resistance6 ,whether ,farag ,pasha was guilty or not is not definitely known1 but it is certain that he was taken prisoner1 and three days after the fall of the town was brought up to show where the wealth was hidden4 ,as there was none he could not reveal it1 so he was killed in the market-place at ,omdurman4 ,the ,mahdi's troops massacred #djjj persons1 and after they had been engaged for six hours in thus wreaking their vengeance1 the ,mahdi sent over to stop them1 and a systematic method was adopted of searching for loot4 ,as the ,mahdi had bribed his men by promises of untold wealth1 and they were disappointed1 a large number deserted his cause1 and afterwards actually fought against him4 ,the most contradictory reports have been circulated as to the manner in which ,general ,gordon met his fate1 and although it would be impossible to allude to all1 it may not be out of place to refer to one which has been very widely accepted4 ,it is to the effect that the ,general1 hearing that the city had been betrayed1 put on his uniform and rushed out1 sword in hand1 to die as a soldier4 ,narratives which have a dramatic element are always easily accepted4 ,dramatic effect was1 however1 the last thing our gallant hero thought of at any time1 and still less on such an occasion as this4 ,as a matter of fact he had not a stitch of uniform in ,khartoum1 and1 considering his ,chinese experience1 it is very unlikely that he would have drawn his sword1 even if he had possessed one1 which he certainly did not4 ,one person who recognised ,gordon after his death says that he was dressed in light clothes4 ,colonel ,kitchener quotes the only person who claimed to be an eye-witness of his death1 who says3-- ,on hearing the noise1 ,i got my master's donkey1 and went with him to the palace4 ,muhamed ,bey ,mustapha1 with my master1 ,ibrahim ,bey ,rushdi1 and about twenty cavasses1 then went with ,gordon towards the house of the ,austrian ,consul ,hansall1 near the church1 when we met some rebels in an open place near the outer gate of the palace4 ,gordon ,pasha was walking in front leading the party4 ,the rebels fired a volley1 and ,gordon was killed at once2 nine of the cavasses1 ,ibrahim ,bey ,rushdi1 and ,muhamed ,bey ,mustapha were killed2 the rest ran away4 ,whether ,gordon's death was intended by the ,mahdi or was entirely an accident is not known4 ,colonel ,kitchener says that the ,mahdi professed to be very angry when he heard that ,gordon was killed1 but the ,colonel thinks that had he expressed himself strongly on the subject beforehand1 this calamity would never have taken place4 ,this1 however1 is very doubtful2 a rushing host of victorious soldiers1 firing wildly in every direction1 are never very discriminating2 of course many of them did not know ,gordon personally1 and the brave ,general was not the man to make himself conspicuous by any distinguishing garb4 ,though ,colonel ,kitchener is perhaps rather hard on the ,mahdi in this respect1 he is probably correct in thinking that the want of discipline in the ,mahdi's camp made it dangerous for him to keep as a prisoner a man whom all the black troops liked better than himself1 and in favour of whom1 on a revulsion of feeling1 a successful revolt might take place in his own camp4 ,moreover1 if ,gordon was dead1 he calculated 7and rightly7 the ,english would retire and leave him in peace4 ,how ,gordon was actually killed1 and whether it was the intention of the ,mahdi that he should be accidentally disposed of1 is open to dispute4 ,there can1 however1 be no question that he was slain1 for his dead body was recognised4 ,well might ,colonel ,kitchener say1 ,never was a garrison so nearly rescued1 never was a commander so sincerely lamented4 ,as far back as ,october #acth ,general ,gordon had written3-- ,it is1 of course1 on the cards that ,khartoum is taken under the nose of the ,expeditionary ,force1 which will be just too late4 ,the ,expeditionary ,force will perhaps think it necessary to retake it2 but that will be of no use1 and will cause loss of life uselessly on both sides4 ,it had far better return1 with its tail between its legs4444 ,england was made by adventurers1 not by its ,government1 and ,i believe it will only hold its place by adventurers4 ,the ,government decided to take ,gordon's advice1 and1 to save further bloodshed1 withdrew the ,relief ,expedition4 ,wady ,halfa1 ,korosko1 and ,assouan1 were held with some force1 in case the ,mahdi's adherents should seek to follow up their victory4 ,the death of the ,mahdi1 however1 and the defeat of his followers at the end of #ahhe1 have together helped to crush the ,mahdist movement1 and ,egypt has been left unmolested4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,conclusion ,the news of ,gordon's death startled not ,england only1 but the whole of the civilised world4 ,every eye had been watching the relief column slowly wending its way up the ,nile1 and over the desert route4 ,one war correspondent had actually used the words in his telegram1 ,to-morrow the lonely and weary hero will joyfully grasp the hand of an ,englishman4 ,people would not at first believe the sad reality1 and for a time every one hoped against hope4 ,the news reached the ,war ,office on ,february #dth1 and was communicated to the public during the following day4 ,no better proof exists of the tenacity with which many clung to the hope that ,gordon might possibly have survived1 than the fact that the ,queen1 whose womanly heart always prompted her to be one of the first to send expressions of sympathy to the relatives of those who fall at the post of duty1 did not date her letter to ,miss ,gordon till ,february #agth1 and even then used the sentence1 ,i fear there cannot be much doubt of it1 in alluding to the hero's death4 ,the ,queen's letter1 which did but give expression to the feelings of the country on the subject1 was as follows3-- ,,osborne1 #agth ,february #ahhe4 ,,dear ,,miss ,,gordon1--,how shall ,i write to you1 or how shall ,i attempt to express what ,i feel6 ,to think of your dear1 noble1 heroic ,brother1 who served his ,country and his ,queen so truly1 so heroically1 with a self-sacrifice so edifying to the ,world1 not having been rescued4 ,that the promises of support were not fulfilled--which ,i so frequently and constantly pressed on those who asked him to go--is to me grief inexpressible6 indeed1 it has made me ill6 ,my heart bleeds for you1 his ,sister1 who have gone through so many anxieties on his account1 and who loved the dear ,brother as he deserved to be4 ,you are all so good and trustful1 and have such strong faith1 that you will be sustained even now1 when real absolute evidence of your dear ,brother's death does not exist--but ,i fear there cannot be much doubt of it4 ,some day ,i hope to see you again1 to tell you all ,i cannot express4 ,my daughter ,beatrice1 who has felt quite as ,i do1 wishes me to express her deepest sympathy with you4 ,i hear so many expressions of sorrow and sympathy from abroad3 from my eldest daughter1 the ,crown ,princess1 and from my ,cousin1 the ,king of the ,belgians1--the very warmest4 ,would you express to your other ,sisters and your elder ,brother my true sympathy1 and what ,i do so keenly feel1 the stain left upon ,england for your dear ,brother's cruel1 though heroic fate8--,ever1 dear ,miss ,gordon1 yours sincerely and sympathisingly1 ,v4 ,r4 ,i4 ,parliament at once voted #bj1jjj1 the sum usually given to a successful general on the completion of a campaign1 to be set apart for the sisters1 nephew1 and nieces of ,general ,gordon1 and an ,in ,memoriam service was conducted in every cathedral1 and in nearly all the large churches of ,england4 ,a statue was in course of time erected in ,trafalgar ,square1#af and another has recently been unveiled at ,chatham4 ,a monument was erected in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 and it was decided to place another in ,westminster ,abbey1 the national mausoleum of ,england4 ,but better still1 we know that his memory is enshrined in the hearts of many left behind1 and that the record of his noble saintly life is still teaching many of our countrymen valuable lessons4 #af ,it is from this monument that the picture on the cover is taken4 ,it represents ,gordon in the undress uniform of the ,royal ,engineers1 with a ,bible under one arm1 and the magic wand of victory under the other4 ,few men have done more than ,general ,gordon to elevate the tone of the soldier4 ,the old-fashioned notion still survives that soldiers love war for its own sake1 and for the honours it brings to those who take part in it2 but ,gordon showed us a higher ideal1 that the true soldier should study his profession with the idea of mastering it1 so as the better to enable him to maintain peace4 ,if good men were all to abstain from studying the science of war1 evildoers would very soon have a monopoly of it1 and would become aggressors4 ,there are plenty of bullies1 who1 like ,napoleon1 would soon upset the peace of ,europe were it not that they fear to do so4 ,such men can only be kept in order by brute force1 and brute force is absolutely of no avail1 unless it is organised and directed by a brain that has studied the art and science of directing and controlling physical force4 ,it need hardly be said that a knowledge of this kind is not acquired in a day1 and although there have been some splendid soldiers of the type of ,cromwell1 ,warren ,hastings1 and ,washington1 who have never had a military training1 it is unquestionable that a knowledge of the science of war gives a general a very great advantage over one who has not had such training4 ,exceptions there are to every rule1 and the names mentioned must be placed amongst them4 ,it is doubtful if some of the generals named would have ever attained celebrity had their opponents been well trained4 ,gordon loved his profession1 but he took a high view of it4 ,soldiering with him was not a mere profession for slaughtering his fellow-creatures1 but for the prevention of that bullying and bloodshed which would be ever going on in this world1 were it not for those who train themselves in order to be able to stop it4 ,the ,taiping rebellion1 which caused the death of millions of innocent creatures1 is but a specimen of what might go on throughout the world did not skilful1 well-trained soldiers throw in their lot with the side of law and order4 ,had the ,chinese ,government only possessed an able general1 and a proper army1 that rebellion would never have made such headway as it did4 ,and had they not received the services of such an able soldier as ,gordon proved to be1 the rebellion might have been indefinitely prolonged1 and might have broken up the ,empire of ,china4 ,in less civilised days the percentage of persons who loved fighting for its own sake was undoubtedly larger than it is now4 ,the more civilised we become1 the more we learn to value peace and to dislike war4 ,but even in a civilised nation like the ,english1 there is a certain percentage who really love fighting for its own sake2 and besides these1 there are many who do not actually love it1 but think they ought to do so1 as they are in the army1 and so they cultivate a style of talking as if they really liked it1 and thus they mislead others4 ,in the case of ,gordon there was an entire absence of either the one or the other spirit4 ,he did not love fighting for its own sake1 and he would probably have looked upon a person who did as a survival of a former age4 ,as for the latter class he had an utter abhorrence of all shams1 and he took every opportunity of speaking out of the honesty of his heart4 ,people have little idea how far from 'glorious' war is4 ,it is organised murder1 pillage1 and cruelty1 and it is seldom that the weight falls on the fighting men--it is on the women1 children1 and old people4 ,consider it how we may1 war is a brutal1 cruel affair4 ,speaking of some of his men killed and wounded in a skirmish1 he says1 ,i wish people could see what the suffering of human creatures is--,i mean those who wish for war4 ,i am a fool1 ,i daresay1 but ,i cannot see the sufferings of any of these people without tears in my eyes4 ,it is worthy of note that some of the ablest generals who have lived and died in the latter half of this century have held similar views4 ,the great ,duke of ,wellington remarked1 as he crossed the field of ,waterloo1 the evening after the battle1 that nothing exceeds the horror of victory except a defeat2 and such men as ,sir ,henry ,havelock1 ,sir ,hope ,grant1 ,sir ,henry ,lawrence1 and the heroic ,general ,lee of ,america1 used expressions of similar purport4 ,gordon was a living illustration of the saying that the gentlest men are ever the bravest when enlightened consciousness tells them that they have a just cause to support4 ,gordon's courage was unquestioned1 but1 though he possessed more natural courage than most men1 he never made a wanton display of it merely with a view of impressing others4 ,in ,china he exposed himself almost recklessly1 in order to encourage his officers and men2 but in the ,soudan1 where he felt so much depended on his life1 he carefully refrained from exposing himself1 though it must at times have been a great trial to him to see his men so badly handled by their leaders4 ,it is not unnatural that1 in the case of the death of a man like ,general ,gordon1 people should like to know his views on that event which must in due course happen to all of us1 unless our ,lord ,himself shall come to terminate this dispensation4 ,apparently he sometimes wished for this1 though he did not appear to think the ,second ,advent near at hand4 ,in one of his letters he says3-- ,i wish1 ,i wish the ,king would come again and put things right on earth2 but ,his coming is far off1 for the whole world must long for ,him ere ,he comes1 and ,i really believe that there are but very1 very few who would wish ,him to appear1 for to do so is to desire death1 and how few do this6 ,not that we really ever die3 we only change our sheaths4 ,but though he longed for the return of the ,heavenly ,bridegroom during his life1 he also looked upon death as a welcome release from the trials and troubles of life4 ,he frequently alluded to this subject1 and dozens of extracts might be made from his letters1 all more or less similar to the two following1 which were written at different dates3-- ,i would that all could look on death as a cheerful friend1 who takes us from a world of trial to our true home4 ,all our sorrows come from a forgetfulness of this great truth4 ,i desire to look on the departure of my friends as a promotion to another and a higher sphere1 as ,i do believe that to be the case with all4 ,any one1 to whom ,god gives to be much with ,him1 cannot even suffer a pang at death4 ,for what is death to a believer8 ,it is a closer approach to ,him1 whom1 even through the veil1 he is ever with4 ,there is one point on which we ought specially to dwell in considering the lessons to be learnt from the life of ,general ,gordon1 and that is the moral courage he always exhibited4 ,his physical courage has already been touched on1 but great as it was1 his moral courage was far greater4 ,there are plenty of men possessing physical courage who fail to exhibit moral courage when put to the test4 ,man being a gregarious animal1 and accustomed to go in flocks1 is led by his fellows to evil as well as to good4 ,no man can be a true leader of men who is not prepared to stand alone1 if need be1 against overwhelming majorities4 ,gordon had the courage of his convictions1 and no amount of pressure1 no weight of public opinion1 could deter him when once the path of duty was clear4 ,the time-server does not ask1 ,what is right8 ,what is my duty8 but1 ,what will pay8 ,what will public opinion think8 ,for such an one ,gordon had a supreme contempt4 ,it has been well said by ,dr4 ,ryle1 the ,bishop of ,liverpool1 ,it is not overwhelming majorities that shake and influence the world4 ,small minorities have ever had more influence than large majorities4 ,all great men have had their seasons of loneliness4 ,see ,napoleon1 ,mahomet1 ,luther1 ,john ,wesley1 and ,christ ,himself4 ,to this list we may add the name of ,general ,gordon2 few men so often found themselves so much in opposition in fashionable circles and in the official world4 99 99 99 ,among the false reports that have been circulated about ,general ,gordon is one that he was very unsociable and morose1 shunning society in general1 and ladies' society in particular4 ,it is true that he shunned a certain class of society2 there was also a certain set of women that he fought shy of2 but it is quite untrue to say that he was unsociable4 ,he greatly enjoyed the society of ordinary cultivated women1 who were in sympathy with his efforts to do good1 and with them he was neither shy nor reserved4 ,he could talk pleasantly for hours together1 and as his own mind was a very cultivated one1 he was a great element of attraction to society of a certain kind4 ,what he did dislike intensely was the society of that class of ladies who think of little beyond the fashions of the day1 the latest style of dress1 and the newest forms of amusement4 ,such persons he used to find had no minds to think1 and no hearts to feel for suffering humanity4 ,many of them attempted to lionise him1 while others paid him the most fulsome compliments1 both being things that he particularly disliked4 ,the ordinary conventional dinner-party1 where a man is condemned to take in a lady with whom he has nothing in common1 and next to whom he must sit for a couple of hours or so eating and drinking things which do not agree with him1 was to ,gordon a special object of antipathy4 ,writing from ,cairo on ,march #ae1 #ahgh1 he says3-- ,i am much bothered1 but ,i get to bed at #h ,p4,m41 which is a comfort1 for ,i do not dine out1 and consequently do not drink wine4 ,every one laughs at me2 but ,i do not care4 ,again1 when in ,south ,africa1 he writes3-- ,how ,i hate society2 how society hates me6 ,i never tell you the sort of life ,i lead1 it is not worth it2 for it is simply the life ,i led at home1 being asked out1 and refusing when it is possible2--when ,i go1 getting humiliated1 or being foolish4 ,this latter is better than not being exposed--keeping one's self in cotton wool1 for that brings out no knowledge of self1 such as is brought out by being with others4 ,at the same time1 ,i think it is not right to be much in society1 indeed ,i fight against it truly1 and have only dined out about seven times since ,i have been here4 ,on ,october #bdth1 #ahhd1 when he had made up his mind not to return to ,england1 even if he should get away from ,khartoum1 he says3-- ,i dwell on the joy of never seeing ,great ,britain again1 with its horrid1 wearisome dinner-parties and miseries4 ,how we can put up with those things passes my imagination6 ,it is a perfect bondage4 ,at those dinner-parties we are all in masks1 saying what we do not believe1 eating and drinking things we do not want1 and then abusing one another4 ,i would sooner live like a ,dervish with the ,mahdi1 than go out to dinner every night in ,london4 ,i hope1 if any ,english general comes to ,khartoum1 he will not ask me to dinner4 ,why men cannot be friends without bringing the wretched stomachs in1 is astounding4 ,but though ,gordon did not like the artificial conventional society one meets at ordinary dinner-parties1 it must not be supposed that he was in any way gloomy4 ,his friend1 ,prebendary ,barnes1 says about him3 ,the seriousness of ,gordon's temper did not prevent him from being a bright and agreeable companion1 especially when those with whom he talked could join him in smoking a cigarette4 ,he had a keen sense of humour1 and on every matter about which he cared to form an opinion he spoke clearly and decisively4 ,and his old brother officer1 ,sir ,gerald ,graham1 thus speaks of him3-- ,pictures have been drawn of ,gordon as a gloomy ascetic1 wrapped up in mystic thoughts1 retiring from all communion with the world1 and inspiring fear rather than affection4 ,i can only describe him as he appeared to me4 ,far from being a gloomy ascetic1 he always seemed to me to retain a boyish frankness1 and to long to share his ideas with others4 ,our intimacy began when we were thrown together in mining the docks of ,sebastopol during the winter of #ahee-ef--;a period ,gordon always delighted in referring to whenever we met1 by calling up old scenes1 and even our old jokes of that time4 ,like all men of action1 more especially soldiers1 ,gordon disliked argument with subordinates when once he had resolved on his course of action2 otherwise he invited discussion1 and ,i always found him most tolerant in listening to arguments against his own views1 even on subjects in which he1 of course1 possessed a knowledge far exceeding any ,i could pretend to4 ,to show the impression he made upon me at the time of my last seeing him1 in #ahhd1 ,i will quote from a letter which ,i wrote shortly after3 ',charlie ,gordon's character is a very fascinating one2 he has so much of the natural man about him4 ,to his friends--and he treats all as friends whom he knows and trusts--his charm of manner is irresistible4 ,it is utterly unlike the charm of a polished man of the world2 it is the charm of a perfectly open mind1 giving and demanding confidence1 sometimes playfully1 sometimes earnestly1 and sometimes with touching humility4 ,there were various reasons which made him avoid worldly society2 one was the incessant grumbling in which many indulge1 who have little cause to complain4 ,writing from the ,soudan1 he says3-- ,i have not patience with the groans of half the world1 and declare there is more happiness among these miserable blacks1 who have not a meal from day to day1 than among our own middle classes4 ,the blacks are glad of a little handful of maize1 and live in the greatest discomfort4 ,they have not a strip to cover them2 but you do not see them grunting and groaning all day long1 as you see scores and scores in ,england1 with their wretched dinner-parties1 and attempts at gaiety1 where all is hollow and miserable4 ,then there was a higher reason4 ,he found that such society interfered with his spiritual life4 ,he says1 in three distinct letters3-- ,getting quiet does one good2 it is impossible to hear ,god's voice in a whirl of visits4 ,you must be more or less in the desert1 to use the scales of the ,sanctuary1 to see and weigh the true value of things and sayings4 ,we have no conception or idea of what ,god will show us1 if we persevere in seeking ,him2 and it is ,he who puts this wish into our hearts4 ,all ,i can say to you is3 ,persevere2 avoid the world and its poor wretched little talk about others2 never mind being thought stupid2 look on everything with regard to the great day1 and trust ,him implicitly4 ,christ must actually die1 not come very near death2 and so must we1 if we would rise4 ,i once thought it possible to bargain with ,christ2 to say1 ,i will give up half of my desire of the world1 and gain1 in the gap1 a corresponding measure of ,christ4 ,it was no good3 ,i lost the half1 but did not get the measure filled4 ,then ,i tried to give up a little more1 but with the same result2 now ,i think ,god has shown me that it is not the least use trying these subtle bargains2 that the giving up little by little is more wearisome and trying than one surrender1 and that ,i trust ,he will give me power to make4 ,another reason1 doubtless1 why he shunned fashionable society was his extreme sensitiveness to praise4 ,his honest1 straightforward nature could not tolerate the praise that so often is showered upon great men4 ,he used to say3-- ,if a man speaks well of me1 divide it by millions and then it will be millions of times too favourable4 ,if a man speaks evil of me1 multiply it by millions and it will be millions of times too favourable4 ,man is disguised1 as far as his neighbour is concerned2 this disguise is his outward goodness4 ,some have it in a slight measure torn off in this life1 and are judged accordingly by those whose disguise of goodness is more intact2 the revelation of the evil by this partial tearing off is but the manifestation of what exists4 ,whether the disguise is torn or intact1 the interior and true state 7known to ,god quite clearly7 is the same corrupt thing2 the eye of the ,spirit discerns through the disguise4 ,who could bear to have this disguise quite rent off1 and the evil exposed to the eyes of the world8 ,how would the world receive me1 if they knew what ,i really was1 and what ,god knows that ,i am at this minute8 ,yet1 how hardly ,i judge another whose disguise1 slightly rent1 shows a little of the corruption ,i know exists in me4 ,nothing evil was ever said of any man which was not true1 his worst enemies could not say a thousandth part of the evil that is in him4 ,praise now humbles me1 it does not elate me2 did the world praise ,jesus8 and what right have we to take this praise of men1 when it is due to ,him8 ,when one knows the little one does of oneself1 and any one praises you1 ,i1 at any rate1 have a rising1 which is a suppressed ',you lie4' ,there are several nice bits in our ,lord's life1 when ,he replied with some unpalatable truth to those men who would follow ,him1 and would make much of ,him1 but afterwards they entirely changed their demeanour4 ,at one time he used1 for the same reason1 to avoid reading all newspapers1 as they contained so much praise of him4 ,writing in #ahhb1 when he was ,governor-,general of the ,soudan1 he says3-- ,i have come to a conclusion2 may ,god give me strength to keep it6 ,stop all the newspapers4 ,it is no use mincing the matter2 as the disease is dire1 so also must be the remedy4444 ,newspapers feed a passion ,i have for giving my opinion2 therefore1 as we have no right to judge and have nothing to do with this world 7of which we are not71 this feeding must be cut short4 ,the giving up the papers may cause the starvation of my passion for politics1 and that scab may drop off4 ,god has shown me what the scabs are3--,evil-speaking1 lying1 slandering1 back-biting1 scoffing1 self-conceit1 boasting1 silly talking1 and some few more4 ,i wish friends would not send me papers1 c4 ,i pass them on to ----1 who is my waste-paper basket6 ,not only did he combat that part of his nature which loved the praise of men1 he also sternly resisted the temptation of ambition4 ,for instance1 he writes3-- ,i wonder if ,i look ambitious in your eyes4 ,do you think ,i sought this place8 ,you should know better than most people1 for you have all my thoughts in my letters4 ,judging myself1 ,i fear it was so when ,i took the work in hand2 not that ,i cared for the money or the honours to come from it4 ,i think1 however1 my main idea was the ,quixotic one--to help the ,khedive1 mixed with the feeling that ,i could1 with ,god's direction1 accomplish this work4 444 ,there is death in the seeking of high posts on this earth for the purpose of what the world calls doing great things2 the mightiest of men are flies on a wheel2 a kind word to a crossing-sweeper delights ,christ in him1 as much as it would delight ,christ in a queen4 ,he was conscious1 too1 of a natural tendency to judge his neighbours4 ,like many reformers1 he had a critical nature1 and often found himself led into temptation through it4 ,he never screened this failing1 and did his utmost to fight against it4 ,there are several extracts from his letters on this besetting sin4 ,witness these two3-- ,what troubles me immensely is the way in which circumstances force me into society1 for in it is the great evil of judging others1 picking them to pieces behind their backs1 so entirely mean and contrary to our ,lord's will4 ,all this tends to make a cloud between ,him and us2 and yet ,i declare ,i cannot see how ,i can avoid it4 ,this is one great reason why ,i never desire to enter social life1 for there is very great difficulty in knowing people and not discussing others4 ,considering how thorough ,gordon himself was1 and how intensely he hated shams of every kind1 it is not surprising to find that1 with his naturally critical temperament1 he used most relentlessly to expose the unreality of many who1 acknowledging the truth of ,christianity1 practically denied its power4 ,as a rule1 ,christians are really more inconsistent than 'worldlings4' ,they talk truths1 and do not act on them4 ,they allow that ',god is the ,god of the widows and orphans1' yet they look in trouble to the gods of silver and gold3 either ,he can help altogether1 or not at all4 ,he will not be served in conjunction with idols of any sort4444 ,how unlike in acts are most of so-called ,christians to their ,founder6 ,you see in them no resemblance to ,him4 ,hard1 proud1 'holier than thou1' is their uniform4 ,they have the truth1 no one else1 it is their monopoly4 ,but though he avoided ,christians of this type1 he had a great yearning for the society of those who were real1 and had more sympathy with the weaknesses of those who were true1 in spite of their failings1 than most men4 ,he was fully conscious of the natural depravity of his own heart1 and so was ever tender to those who fell4 ,nobody was more willing than he to act to a fellow ,christian on the principle laid down in the lines-- ,help a poor and weary brother ,pulling hard against the stream4 ,he loved ,christian society of the right sort1 and1 under its influence1 his whole nature would expand1 and he would converse for hours together4 ,writing from ,galatz1 where he went after the pleasant time spent at ,gravesend1 he says1 ,i feel much also the want of some religious talk1 thereby adding another illustration to the truth of that text1 ,they that love the ,lord spake often one to another4 ,general ,gordon's temperament was not that of the monk who shuns his fellow-creatures1 and it must therefore have been all the greater trial for him to cut himself off from his friends for so many years at a time as he used to do4 ,indeed he used to speak of it as a living death4 ,but the great lesson of his life was that of self-sacrifice for the good of others4 ,speaking to the editor of a journal1 to which reference has already been made1 he once said1 ,when ,i was in the ,soudan1 ,i used to pray every day1 ',o ,lord1 let me be crushed4 ,lay the punishment of their sins upon me4' ,then1 as if he was afraid of being misunderstood1 he said1 ,it was a strange prayer1 was it not8 ,as if ,i had not enough of my own sins to bear6 ,few men have learned better than he the great lesson taught from the ,cross of ,calvary1 and few have practised that lesson more completely4 ,as we so often see greatness associated with success in life1 it is well that now and then we witness greatness1 which has not been associated with what the world calls success1 for the two are far from being inseparably connected4 ,general ,gordon frequently emphasised the distinctions between honours and honour4 ,the former he cared very little about1 but the latter he ever valued highly1 and he used to say that often men attain the former at the expense of the latter4 ,no titles precede his name1 nor do any decorations of importance follow it1 but his simple and yet heroic self-sacrificing life have fascinated his countrymen1 and helped to make the world better by setting before it a higher ideal4 ,on the monument in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral his life is briefly summed up in the few following words3 ,to ,major-,general ,charles ,george ,gordon1 ,c4,b41 who at all times and everywhere gave his strength to the weak1 his substance to the poor1 his sympathy to the suffering1 his heart to ,god4 ,he saved an empire by his warlike genius1 he ruled vast provinces with justice1 wisdom1 and power1 and lastly1 obedient to his ,sovereign's command1 he died in the heroic attempt to save men1 women1 and children1 from imminent and deadly peril4 ,the nation felt that their ,poet ,laureate1 ,lord ,tennyson1 did but speak the simple truth when he penned the following lines3-- ,warrior of ,god1 man's friend1 not laid below1 ,but somewhere dead far in the waste ,soudan1 ,thou livest in all hearts1 for all men know ,this earth has borne no simpler1 nobler man4 ,,the ,,end ,printed by ,,ballantyne1 ,,hanson ,,co4 ,edinburgh ,london