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the Red Sea port of Suakin; which were to have a decisive effect

upon the prospects of Khartoum。 General Baker; the brother of Sir

Samuel Baker; attempting to relieve the beleaguered garrisons of

Sinkat and Tokar; had rashly attacked the forces of Osman Digna;

had been defeated; and obliged to retire。 Sinkat and Tokar had

then fallen into the hands of the Mahdi's general。 There was a

great outcry in England; and a wave of warlike feeling passed

over the country。 Lord Wolseley at once drew up a memorandum

advocating the annexation of the Sudan。 In the House of Commons

even Liberals began to demand vengeance and military action;

whereupon the Government dispatched Sir Gerald Graham with a

considerable British force to Suakin。 Sir Gerald Graham advanced;

and in the battles of El Teb and Tamai inflicted two bloody

defeats upon the Mahdi's forces。 It almost seemed as if the

Government was now committed to a policy of interference and

conquest; as if the imperialist section of the Cabinet were at

last to have their way。 The dispatch of Sir Gerald Graham

coincided with Gordon's sudden demand for British and Indian

troops with which to 'smash up the Mahdi'。 The business; he

assured Sir Evelyn Baring; in a stream of telegrams; could very

easily be done。 It made him sick; he said; to see himself held in

check and the people of the Sudan tyrannised over by 'a feeble

lot of stinking Dervishes'。 Let Zobeir at once be sent down to

him; and all would be well。



The original Sultans of the country had unfortunately proved

disap…pointing。 Their place should be taken by Zobeir。 After the

Mahdi had been smashed up; Zobeir should rule the Sudan as a

subsidised vassal of England; on a similar footing to that of the

Amir of Afghanistan。 The plan was perhaps feasible; but it was

clearly incompatible with the policy of evacuation; as it had

been hitherto laid down by the English Government。 Should they

reverse that policy? Should they appoint Zobeir; reinforce Sir

Gerald Graham; and smash up the Mahdi? They could not make up

their minds。 So far as Zobeir was concerned; there were two

counterbalancing considerations; on the one hand; Evelyn Baring

now declared that he was in favour of the appointment; but; on

the other hand; would English public opinion consent to a man;

described by Gordon himself as 'the greatest slave…hunter who

ever existed'; being given an English subsidy and the control of

the Sudan? While the Cabinet was wavering; Gordon took a fatal

step。 The delay was intolerable; and one evening; in a rage; he

revealed his desire for Zobeir which had hitherto been kept a

profound official secret to Mr Power; the English Consul at

Khartoum; and the special correspondent of 〃The Times。〃 Perhaps

he calculated that the public announcement of his wishes would

oblige the Government to yield to them; if so; he was completely

mistaken; for the result was the very reverse。 The country;

already startled by the proclamation in favour of slavery; could

not swallow Zobeir。 The Anti…Slavery Society set on foot a

violent agitation; opinion in the House of Commons suddenly

stiffened; and the Cabinet; by a substantial majority; decided

that Zobeir should remain in Cairo。 The imperialist wave had

risen high; but it had not risen high enough; and now it was

rapidly subsiding。 The Government's next action was decisive。 Sir

Gerald Graham and his British Army were withdrawn from the Sudan。



The critical fortnight during which these events took place was

the first fortnight of March。 By the close of it; Gordon's

position had undergone a rapid and terrible change。 Not only did

he find himself deprived; by the decision of the Government; both

of the hope of Zobeir's assistance and of the prospect of

smashing up the Mahdi with the aid of British troops; the

military movements in the Eastern Sudan produced; at the very

same moment; a yet more fatal consequence。 The adherents of the

Mahdi had been maddened; they had not been crushed; by Sir Gerald

Graham's victories。 When; immediately afterwards; the English

withdrew to Suakin; from which they never again emerged; the

inference seemed obvious; they had been defeated; and their power

was at an end。 The warlike tribes to the north and the northeast

of Khartoum had long been wavering。 They now hesitated no longer;

and joined the Mahdi。 From that moment it was less than a month

from Gordon's arrival at Khartoum the situation of the town was

desperate。 The line of communications was cut。 Though it still

might be possible for occasional native messengers; or for a few

individuals on an armed steamer; to win their way down the river

into Egypt; the removal of a large number of personsthe loyal

inhabitants or the Egyptian garrison was henceforward an

impossibility。 The whole scheme of the Gordon mission had

irremediably collapsed; worse still; Gordon himself; so far from

having effected the evacuation of the Sudan; was surrounded by

the enemy。 'The question now is;' Sir Evelyn Baring told Lord

Granville; on March 24th; 'how to get General Gordon and Colonel

Stewart away from Khartoum。'



The actual condition of the town; however; was not; from a

military point of view; so serious as Colonel Coetlogon; in the

first moments of panic after the Hicks disaster; had supposed。

Gordon was of opinion that it was capable of sustaining a siege

of many months。 With his usual vigour; he had already begun to

prepare an elaborate system of earthworks; mines; and wire

entanglements。 There was a five or six months' supply of food;

there was a great quantity of ammunition; the garrison numbered

about 8;000 men。 There were; besides; nine small paddle…wheel

steamers; hitherto used for purposes of communication along the

Nile; which; fitted with guns and protected by metal plates; were

of considerable military value。 'We are all right;' Gordon told

his sister on March 15th。 'We shall; D。 V。; go on for months。' So

far; at any rate; there was no cause for despair。 But the

effervescent happiness of three weeks since had vanished。 Gloom;

doubt; disillusionment; self…questioning; had swooped down again

upon their victim。 'Either I must believe He does all things in

mercy and love; or else I disbelieve His existence; there is no

half way in the matter。 What holes do I not put myself into! And

for what? So mixed are my ideas。 I believe ambition put me here

in this ruin。' Was not that the explanation of it all? 'Our

Lord's promise is not for the fulfilment of earthly wishes;

therefore; if things come to ruin here He is still faithful; and

is carrying out His great work of divine wisdom。' How could he

have forgotten that? But he would not transgress again。 'I owe

all to God; and nothing to myself; for; humanly speaking; I have

done very foolish things。 However; if I am humbled; the better

for me。'



News of the changed circumstances at Khartoum was not slow in

reaching England; and a feeling of anxiety began to spread。 Among

the first to realise the gravity of the situation was Queen

Victoria。 'It is alarming;' she telegraphed to Lord Hartington on

March 25th。 'General Gordon is in danger; you are bound to try to

save him。。。 You have incurred a fearful responsibility。' With an

unerring instinct; Her Majesty  forestalled and expressed the

popular sentiment。 During April; when it had become clear that

the wire between Khartoum and Cairo had been severed; when; as

time passed; no word came northward; save vague rumours of

disaster; when at last a curtain of impenetrable mystery closed

over Khartoum; the growing uneasiness manifested itself in

letters to the newspapers; in leading articles; and in a flood of

subscriptions towards a relief fund。 At the beginning of May; the

public alarm reached a climax。 It now appeared to be certain; not

only that General Gordon was in imminent danger; but that no

steps had yet been taken by the Government to save him。



On the 5th; there was a meeting of protest and indignation at St。

James's Hall; on the 9th there was a mass meeting in Hyde Park;

on the 11th there was a meeting at Manchester。 The Baroness

Burdett…Coutts wrote an agitated letter to 〃The Times〃 begging

for further subscriptions。 Somebody else proposed that a special

fund should be started with which 'to bribe the tribes to secure

the General's personal safety'。 A country vicar made another

suggestion。 Why should not public prayers be offered up for

General Gordon in every church in the kingdom? He himself had

adopted that course last Sunday。 'Is not this;' he concluded;

'what the godly man; the true hero; himself would wish to be

done?' It was all of no avail。 General Gordon remained in peril;

the Government remained inactive。 Finally; a vote of censure was

moved in the House of Commons; but that too proved useless。 It

was strange; the same executive which; two months before; had

trimmed its sails so eagerly to the shifting gusts of popular

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