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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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