eminent victorians-第48节

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and　re…read　with　an　untiring；　unending　assiduity。　There；　he　

was　convinced；　all　truth　was　to　be　found；　and　he　was　equally　

convinced　that　he　could　find　it。　The　doubts　of　philosophers；　the　

investigations　of　commentators；　the　smiles　of　men　of　the　world；　

the　dogmas　of　Churches　such　things　meant　nothing　to　the

Colonel。　

Two　facts　alone　were　evident：　there　was　the　Bible；　and　there　was　

himself；　and　all　that　remained　to　be　done　was　for　him　to　discover



what　were　the　Bible's　instructions；　and　to　act　accordingly。　In　

order　to　make　this　discovery　it　was　only　necessary　for　him　to　

read　the　Bible　over　and　over　again；　and　therefore；　for　the　rest　

of　his　life；　he　did　so。



The　faith　that　he　evolved　was　mystical　and　fatalistic；　it　was　

also　highly　unconventional。　His　creed；　based　upon　the　narrow　

foundations　of　Jewish　Scripture；　eked　out　occasionally　by　some　

English　evangelical　manual；　was　yet　wide　enough　to　ignore　every　

doctrinal　difference；　and　even；　at　moments；　to　transcend　the　

bounds　of　Christianity　itself。　The　just　man　was　he　who　submitted　

to　the　Will　of　God；　and　the　Will　of　God；　inscrutable　and　

absolute；　could　be　served　aright　only　by　those　who　turned　away　

from　earthly　desires　and　temporal　temptations；　to　rest　themselves



whole…heartedly　upon　the　in…dwelling　Spirit。　Human　beings　were　

the　transitory　embodiments　of　souls　who　had　existed　through　an　

infinite　past；　and　would　continue　to　exist　through　an　infinite　

future。　



The　world　was　vanity；　the　flesh　was　dust　and　ashes。　'A　man；'

Gordon　

wrote　to　his　sister；　'who　knows　not　the　secret；　who　has　not　the

in…dwelling　

of　God　revealed　to　him；　is　like　this＇picture　of　a　circle　with

Body　and　

Soul　written　within　it＇。　　He　takes　the　promises　and　curses　as

addressed　

to　him　as　one　man；　and　will　not　hear　of　there　being　any　birth

before　his　

natural　birth；　in　any　existence　except　with　the　body　he　is　in。

The　man　to　

whom　the　secret　（the　indwelling　of　God）　is　revealed　is　like　this：

＇picture　

of　a　circle　with　soul　and　body　enclosed　in　two　separate　circles＇。



He　applies　the　promises　to　one　and　the　curses　to　the　other；　if　

disobedient；　which　he　must　be；　except　the　soul　is　enabled　by　God　

to　rule。　He　then　sees　he　is　not　of　this　world；　for　when　he　speaks



of　himself　he　quite　disregards　the　body　his　soul　lives　in；　which　

is　earthly。'　Such　conceptions　are　familiar　enough　in　the　history　

of　religious　thought：　they　are　those　of　the　hermit　and　the　fakir；



and　it　might　have　been　expected　that；　when　once　they　had　taken　

hold　upon　his　mind；　Gordon　would　have　been　content　to　lay　aside　

the　activities　of　his　profession；　and　would　have　relapsed　at　last



into　the　complete　retirement　of　holy　meditation。　But　there　were　

other　elements　in　his　nature　which　urged　him　towards　a　very　

different　course。　He　was　no　simple　quietist。　He　was　an　English　

gentleman；　an　officer；　a　man　of　energy　and　action；　a　lover　of　

danger　and　the　audacities　that　defeat　danger；　a　passionate　

creature；　flowing　over　with　the　self…assertiveness　of　independent



judgment　and　the　arbitrary　temper　of　command。　



Whatever　he　might　find　in　his　pocket…Bible；　it　was　not　for　such

as　

he　to　dream　out　his　days　in　devout　obscurity。　But；　conveniently

enough；　

he　found　nothing　in　his　pocket…Bible　indicating　that　he　should。

What　

he　did　find　was　that　the　Will　of　God　was　inscrutable　and

absolute；　

that　it　was　man's　duty　to　follow　where　God's　hand　led；　and；　if　

God's　hand　led　towards　violent　excitements　and　extraordinary　

vicissitudes；　that　it　was　not　only　futile；　it　was　impious　to　

turn　another　way。　Fatalism　is　always　apt　to　be　a　double…edged　

philosophy；　for　while；　on　the　one　hand；　it　reveals　the　minutest　

occurrences　as　the　immutable　result　of　a　rigid　chain　of　

infinitely　predestined　causes；　on　the　other；　it　invests　the　

wildest　incoherences　of　conduct　or　of　circumstance　with　the　

sanctity　of　eternal　law。　And　Gordon's　fatalism　was　no　exception。　

The　same　doctrine　that　led　him　to　dally　with　omens；　to　search　for



prophetic　texts；　and　to　append；　in　brackets；　the　apotropaic　

initials　D。V。　after　every　statement　in　his　letters　implying　

futurity；　led　him　also　to　envisage　his　moods　and　his　desires；　his



passing　reckless　whims　and　his　deep　unconscious　instincts；　as　the



mysterious　manifestations　of　the　indwelling　God。　That　there　was　

danger　lurking　in　such　a　creed　he　was　very　well　aware。　The　

grosser　temptations　of　the　world　money　and　the　vulgar

attributes　

of　power　had；　indeed；　no　charms　for　him；　but　there　were　subtler



and　more　insinuating　allurements　which　it　was　not　so　easy　to　

resist。　More　than　one　observer　declared　that　ambition　was；　in　

reality；　the　essential　motive　in　his　life：　ambition；　neither　for　

wealth　nor　titles；　but　for　fame　and　influence；　for　the　swaying　of



multitudes；　and　for　that　kind　of　enlarged　and　intensified　

existence　'where　breath　breathes　most　even　in　the　mouths　of　men'。

　

Was　it　so？　In　the　depths　of　Gordon's　soul　there　were　intertwining



contradictions　intricate　recesses　where　egoism　and　renunciation



melted　into　one　another；　where　the　flesh　lost　itself　in　the　

spirit；　and　the　spirit　in　the　flesh。　What　was　the　Will　of　God？　

The　question；　which　first　became　insistent　during　his　retirement　

at　Gravesend；　never　afterwards　left　him；　it　might　almost　be　said　

that　he　spent　the　remainder　of　his　life　in　searching　for　the　

answer　to　it。　In　all　his　Odysseys；　in　all　his　strange　and　

agitated　adventures；　a　day　never　passed　on　which　he　neglected　the



voice　of　eternal　wisdom　as　it　spoke　through　the　words　of　Paul　or　

Solomon；　of　Jonah　or　Habakkuk。　He　opened　his　Bible；　he　read；　and　

then　he　noted　down　his　reflections　upon　scraps　of　paper；　which；　

periodically　pinned　together；　he　dispatched　to　one　or　other　of　

his　religious　friends；　and　particularly　his　sister　Augusta。　The　

published　extracts　from　these　voluminous　outpourings　lay　bare　the



inner　history　of　Gordon's　spirit；　and　reveal　the　pious　visionary　

of　Gravesend　in　the　restless　hero　of　three　continents。



His　seclusion　came　to　an　end　in　a　distinctly　providential　manner。



In　accordance　with　a　stipulation　in　the　Treaty　of　Paris；　an　

international　commission　had　been　appointed　to　improve　the　

navigation　of　the　Danube；　and　Gordon；　who　had　acted　on　a　similar　

body　fifteen　years　earlier；　was　sent　out　to　represent　Great　

Britain。　At　Constantinople；　he　chanced　to　meet　the　Egyptian　

minister；　Nubar　Pasha。　The　Governorship　of　the　Equatorial　

Provinces　of　the　Sudan　was　about　to　fall　vacant；　and　Nubar　

offered　the　post　to　Gordon；　who　accepted　it。　'For　some　wise　

design；'　he　wrote　to　his　sister；　'God　turns　events　one　way　or　

another；　whether　man　likes　it　or　not；　as　a　man　driving　a　horse　

turns　it　to　right　or　left　without　consideration　as　to　whether　the



horse　likes　that　way　or　not。　To　be　happy；　a　man　must　be　like　a　

well…broken；　willing　horse；　ready　for　anything。　Events　will　go　as



God　likes。'



And　then　followed　six　years　of　extraordinary；　desperate；　

unceasing；　and　ungrateful　labour。　The　unexplored　and　pestilential



region　of　Equatoria；　stretching　southwards　to　the　Great　Lakes　and



the　sources　of　the　Nile；　had　been　annexed　to　Egypt　by　the　Khedive



Ismail；　who；　while　he　squandered　his　millions　on　Parisian　ballet…

dancers；　dreamt　strange　dreams　of　glory　and　empire。　Those　dim　

tracts　of　swamp　and　forest　in　Central　Africa　were　so　he　

declared　to　be　'opened　up'；　they　were　to　receive　the　blessings　

of　civilisation；　they　were　to　become　a　source　of　eternal　honour　

to　himself　and　Egypt。　The　slave…trade；　which　flourished　there；　

was　to　be　put　down；　the　savage　inhabitants　were　to　become　

acquainted　with　freedom；　justice；　and　prosperity。　Incidentally；　a



government　monopoly　in　ivory　was　to　be　established；　and　the　place



was　to　be　made　a　paying　concern。　Ismail；　hopelessly　in　debt　to　a　

horde　of　European　creditors；　looked　to　Europe　to　support　him　in　

his　schemes。　Europe；　and；　in　particular；　England；　with　her　

passion　for　extraneous　philanthropy；　was　not　averse。　



Sir　Samuel　Baker　became　the　first　Governor　of　Equatoria；　and　now　

Gordon　was　to　carry　on　the　good　work。　In　such　circumstances　it

was　

only　natural　that　Gordon　should　consider　himself　a　special

instrument　

in　God's　band。　To　put　his　disinterestedness　beyond　doubt；　he　

reduced　his　salary；　which　had　been　fixed　at　￡10；000；　to　￡2；000。

He　

took　over　his　new　duties　early　in　1874；　and　it　was　not　long　

before　he　had　a　first　hint　of　disillusionment。　On　his　way　up　the　

Nile；　he　was　received　in　state　at　Khartoum　by　the　Egyptian　

Governor　General　of　the　Sudan；　his　immediate　official　superior。



The　function　ended　in　a　prolonged　banquet；　followed　by　a　mixed　

ballet　of　soldiers　and　completely　naked　young　women；　who　danced　

in　a　circle；　beat　time　with　their　feet；　and　accompanied　their　

gestures　with　a　curious　sound　of　clucking。　At　last　the　Austrian