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eminent victorians-第60章

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reins into his own hands。 And Mr。 Gladstone did not wish to send

a relief expedition。 What was Sir Evelyn Baring to do? Was he to

pit his strength against Mr。 Gladstone's? To threaten

resignation? To stake his whole future upon General Gordon's

fate? For a moment he wavered; he seemed to hint that unless the

Government sent a message to Khartoum promising a relief

expedition before the end of the year; he would be unable to be a

party to their acts。 The Government refused to send any such

message; and he perceived; as he tells us; that 'it was evidently

useless to continue the correspondence any further'。 After all;

what could he do? He was still only a secondary figure; his

resignation would be accepted; he would be given a colonial

governorship and Gordon would be no nearer safety。 But then;

could he sit by and witness a horrible catastrophe; without

lifting a hand? Of all the odious dilemmas which that man had put

him into this; he reflected; was the most odious。 He slightly

shrugged his shoulders。 No; he might have 'power to hurt'; but he

would 'do none'。 He wrote a dispatcha long; balanced; guarded;

grey dispatch; informing the Government that he 'ventured to

think' that it was 'a question worthy of consideration whether

the naval and military authorities should not take some

preliminary steps in the way of preparing boats; etc。; so as to

be able to move; should the necessity arise'。 Then; within a

week; before the receipt of the Government's answer; he left

Egypt。 From the end of April until the beginning of September

during the most momentous period of the whole crisis; he was

engaged in London upon a financial conference; while his place

was taken in Cairo by a substitute。 With a characteristically

convenient unobtrusiveness; Sir Evelyn Baring had vanished from

the scene。



Meanwhile; far to the southward; over the wide…spreading lands

watered by the Upper Nile and its tributaries; the power and the

glory of him who had once been Mohammed Ahmed were growing still。

In the Bahr…el…Ghazal; the last embers of resistance were stamped

out with the capture of Lupton Bey; and through the whole of that

vast province three times the size of Englandevery trace of the

Egyptian Government was obliterated。 Still farther south the same

fate was rapidly overtaking Equatoria; where Emir Pasha;

withdrawing into the unexplored depths of Central Africa; carried

with him the last vestiges of the old order。 The Mahdi himself

still lingered in his headquarters at El Obeid; but; on the

rising of the tribes round Khartoum; he had decided that the time

for an offensive movement had come; and had dispatched an arm of

30;000 men to lay siege to the city。 At the same time; in a long

and elaborate proclamation; in which he asserted; with all the

elegance of oriental rhetoric; both the sanctity of his mission

and the invincibility of his troops; he called upon the

inhabitants to surrender。 Gordon read aloud the summons to the

assembled townspeople; with one voice they declared that they

were ready to resist。 This was a false Mahdi; they said; God

would defend the right; they put their trust in the Governor…

General。 The most learned Sheikh in the town drew up a

theological reply; pointing out that the Mahdi did not fulfil the

requirements of the ancient prophets。 At his appearance; had the

Euphrates dried up and revealed a hill of gold? Had contradiction

and difference ceased upon the earth? And; moreover; did not the

faithful know that the true Mahdi was born in the year of the

Prophet 255; from which it surely followed that he must be now

1;046 years old? And was it not clear to all men that this

pretender was not a tenth of that age?



These arguments were certainly forcible; but the Mahdi's army was

more forcible still。 The besieged sallied out to the attack; they

were defeated; and the rout that followed was so disgraceful that

two of the commanding officers were; by Gordon's orders; executed

as traitors。 From that moment the regular investment of Khartoum

began。 The Arab generals decided to starve the town into

submission。 When; after a few weeks of doubt; it became certain

that no British force was on its way from Suakin to smash up the

Mahdi; and when; at the end of May; Berber; the last connecting

link between Khartoum and the outside world; fell into the hands

of the enemy; Gordon set his teeth; and sat down to wait and to

hope; as best he might。 With unceasing energy he devoted himself

to the strengthening of his defences and the organisation of his

resourcesto the digging of earthworks; the manufacture of

ammunition; the collection and the distribution of food。 Every

day there were sallies and skirmishes; every day his little

armoured steamboats paddled up and down the river; scattering

death and terror as they went。 Whatever the emergency; he was

ready with devices and expedients。 When the earthworks were still

uncompleted he procured hundreds of yards of cotton; which he

dyed the colour of earth; and spread out in long; sloping lines;

so as to deceive the Arabs; while the real works were being

prepared farther back。 When a lack of money began to make itself

felt; he printed and circulated a paper coinage of his own。 To

combat the growing discontent and disaffection of the

townspeople; he instituted a system of orders and medals; the

women were not forgotten; and his popularity redoubled。 There was

terror in the thought that harm might come to the Governor…

General。 Awe and reverence followed him; wherever he went he was

surrounded by a vigilant and jealous guard; like some precious

idol; some mascot of victory。 How could he go away? How could he

desert his people? It was impossible。 It would be; as he himself

exclaimed in one of his latest telegrams to Sir Evelyn Baring;

'the climax of meanness'; even to contemplate such an act。 Sir

Evelyn Baring thought differently。 In his opinion it was General

Gordon's plain duty to have come away from Khartoum。 To stay

involved inevitably a relief expeditiona great expense of

treasure and the loss of valuable lives; to come away would

merely mean that the inhabitants of Khartoum would be 'taken

prisoner by the Mahdi'。 So Sir Evelyn Baring put it; but the case

was not quite so simple as that。 When Berber fell; there had been

a massacre lasting for days an appalling orgy of loot and lust

and slaughter; when Khartoum itself was captured; what followed

was still more terrible。 Decidedly; it was no child's play to be

'taken prisoner by the Mahdi'。 And Gordon was actually there;

among those people; in closest intercourse with them;

responsible; beloved。 Yes; no doubt。 But was that in truth; his

only motive? Did he not wish in reality; by lingering in

Khartoum; to force the hand of the Government? To oblige them;

whether they would or no; to send an army to smash up the Mahdi?

And was that fair? Was THAT his duty? He might protest; with his

last breath; that he had 'tried to do his duty'; Sir Evelyn

Baring; at any rate; would not agree。



But Sir Evelyn Baring was inaudible; and Gordon now cared very

little for his opinions。 Is it possible that; if only for a

moment; in his extraordinary predicament; he may have listened to

another and a very different voicea voice of singular quality;

a voice whichfor so one would fain imaginemay well have

wakened some familiar echoes in his heart? One day; he received a

private letter from the Mahdi。 The letter was accompanied by a

small bundle of clothes。 'In the name of God!' wrote the Mahdi;

'herewith a suit of clothes; consisting of a coat (jibbeh); an

overcoat; a turban; a cap; a girdle; and beads。 This is the

clothing of those who have given up this world and its vanities;

and who look for the world to come; for everlasting happiness in

Paradise。 If you truly desire to come to God and seek to live a

godly life; you must at once wear this suit; and come out to

accept your everlasting good fortune。' Did the words bear no

meaning to the mystic of Gravesend? But he was an English

gentleman; an English officer。 He flung the clothes to the

ground; and trampled on them in the sight of all。 Then; alone; he

went up to the roof of his high palace; and turned the telescope

once more; almost mechanically; towards the north。



But nothing broke the immovability of that hard horizon; and;

indeed; how was it possible that help should come to him now? He

seemed to be utterly abandoned。 Sir Evelyn Baring had disappeared

into his financial conference。 In England; Mr。 Gladstone had held

firm; had outfaced the House of Commons; had ignored the Press。

He appeared to have triumphed。 Though it was clear that no

preparations of any kind were being made for the relief of

Gordon; the anxiety and agitation of the public; which had risen

so suddenly to such a height of vehemence; had died down。 The

dangerous beast had been quelled by the stern eye of its master。

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