"Not all who seem to fail have failed indeed,
Not all who fail have therefore worked in vain;
There is no failure for the good and wise;
What though the seed should fall by the way-side,
And the birds snatch it; yet the birds are fed,
Or they may bear it far across the tide
To give rich harvests after thou art dead."
KINGSLEY.
Sir E. Baring wired to Lord Granville, "The interview between Gordon and
the Khedive was very satisfactory." Again--"Gordon leaves Cairo in good
spirits."
His arrival at Khartoum, it is stated, was marked by wonderful
demonstrations of welcome by the people; thousands of them pressing
towards him to kiss his feet: calling him the "Sultan of the Soudan." His
first speech was received with the wildest enthusiasm. He said, "I come
not with soldiers but with God on my side, to redress the wrongs of the
Soudan." The day after he held a levee at the palace, when vast
multitudes thronged around him, kissing the ground on which he walked,
calling him "Father," "Sultan," "Saviour." He appreciated highly their
apparent loyalty and devotion, and he had offices opened at once where
everyone who had a grievance might bring it, have it heard and judged.
The Government books recording the outstanding debts of the over-taxed
people, _were publicly burned in the presence of thousands of onlookers;
the kourbasher_, _whips_, _and implements of torture were thrown down
upon the blazing pile_: thus the evidence of debts, and the emblems of
oppression perished together in the presence of an almost frenzied
people! Next Gordon visited the prisons; there he found dreadful dens of
misery; over two hundred poor starving emaciated beings were confined
therein; some bound with chains: some mere boys, some old men and women.
Many of them were there simply on suspicion, and had never had a hearing.
The cases were quickly and carefully enquired into, and before sunset
that day, most of the unhappy wretches had their chains struck off and
their freedom given them.
For many days, the markets and shops, and bazaars were finely
illuminated; and the rejoicing for Gordon's presence and deeds was
general and universal. Alas, however, the cloud which had so long hung
over the Soudan began to thicken. The Madhi was not to be cheated of
what he thought his rightful authority and dominion. The following
letter recorded in Gordon's journal was received by him from the Madhi:--
"In the name of God the merciful and compassionate;
Praise be to God, the bountiful ruler, and blessing
on our Lord Mahomet and peace. From the servant who
trusts in God--Mahomet, the son of Abdallah.
To Gordon Pasha of Khartoum,--May God guide him into the path of
virtue, Amen! Know that your small steamer, named 'Abbas' which you
sent with the intention of forwarding your news to Cairo, by the way
of Dongola, the persons sent being your representative, Stewart Pasha,
and the two Consuls, French and English, with other persons, has been
captured by the will of God. Those who believed in us as the Madhi
and surrendered, have been delivered; and those who did not have been
destroyed. As your representative afore-named, with the Consuls and
the rest--whose souls God has condemned to the fire and to eternal
misery: That steamer and all that was in it have fallen a prey to the
Moslems, and we have taken knowledge of all the letters and telegrams
which were in it, in Arabic and in Frankish (languages) and of the
maps, which were opened to us (translated) by those on whom God has
bestowed his gifts, and has enlightened their hearts with faith, and
the benefits of willing submission. Also we have found therein the
letters sent from you to the Mudir of Dongola, with the letters, &c.,
accompanying to be forwarded to Egypt and to European countries. All
have been seized, and the contents are known. It should all have been
returned to you, not being wanted here; but as it was originally sent
from you, and is known to you, we prefer to send you part of the
contents, and mention the property therein, so that you may be
certified: and in order that the truth may make a lasting impression
on my mind--in the hope that God may guide thee to the faith of Islam,
and to surrender to him and to us, that so you and they may obtain
everlasting good and happiness. Now, first among the documents seized
is the cipher dated September 22, 1884, 'to the Mudir of Dongola.' . .
. On the back of which is your telegram to the Khedive of Egypt . . .
We have also taken knowledge of your journal (daily record) of the
provision in the granary . . . Also your letters written in European
all about the size of Khartoum; and all about the arranging of the
steamers, with the number of troops in them and their arms, and the
cannon, and about the movements of the troops, and the defeat of your
people, and your request for reinforcements, even if only a single
regiment, and all about how your agent Cuzzi turned Moslem. Also many
letters which had come to you from your lieutenants and what they
contained of advice, also stating the number of Europeans at Khartoum
. . . . Also the diary (registry) of the arms, ammunition, guns and
soldiers . . . . We have also noted the telegrams of the officials
and of the presidents of Courts, and of the Kadi and the Muftis, and
Ulema, numbering 34, sent to the Mohurdar of the Khedive in Egypt,
dated Aug. 28th, 1884, in which they ask for succour from the Egyptian
Government . . . Also your cipher telegrams to the Mohurdar of the
Khedive in which you explain that on your arrival at Khartoum the
impossibility had become clear to you of withdrawing the troops and
the employes, and sending them to Egypt, on account of the rebellions
in the country, and on the closing of the roads; for which reason you
ask for reinforcements which did not come . . . Also about your
coming to Khartoum with seven men after the annihilation of Hicks'
army; and your requesting a telegram to be sent to you in Arabic, in
plain language, about the Soudan to show to the people of Khartoum--as
the telegrams in European cipher do not explain enough . . . Also
your letter to the Khedive of Egypt, without date, in which you ask to
have English soldiers sent . . . And your letter to the President of
the Council and the English Minister at Cairo, in which you speak of
your appointing three steamers to go and inquire as to the state of
Sennaar, and that you will send soldiers to Berber by the steamers to
recapture it, sending with them Stewart and the Consuls, whom the Most
High God has destroyed. Also we have seen the two seals engraved with
our name to imitate our seals . . . . Tricks in making ciphers, and
using so many languages, are of no avail. From the Most High God, to
whom be praise, no secrets can be hidden. As to your expecting
reinforcements, reliance for succour on others than God, that will
bring you nothing but destruction, and cause you to fall into utmost
danger in this world and the next. For God Most High has dispersed
sedition through our manifestation, and has vanquished the wicked and
obstinate people, and has guided those who have understanding in the
way of righteousness. And there is no refuge but in God, and in
obedience to His command, and that of His prophet and of His Madhi. No
doubt you have heard what has happened to your brethren from whom you
expected help, at Suakin and elsewhere, whom God has destroyed, and
dispersed and abandoned. Notwithstanding all this, as we have arrived
at a days journey from Omdurman and are coming please God, to your
place, if you return to the most High God and become a Moslem and
surrender to His Order and that of His prophet, and believe in us as
the Madhi, send us a message from thee, and from those with thee,
after laying down your arms and giving up the thought of fighting, so
that I may send you one with safe conduct, by which you will obtain
assurance of benefits of the blessings of this world and the next.
Otherwise, and if you do not act thus, you will have to encounter war
from God and His prophet. And know that the Most High God is mighty
for thy destruction, as He has destroyed others before thee, who were
much stronger than thee, and more numerous. And you, and your
children and your property, will be for a prey to the monsters, and
you will repent when repentance will not avail . . . And there is no
succourer or strength but in God, and peace be upon those who have
followed the Madhi. (_Guidance_.)
POSTSCRIPT.--"In one of your cipher-telegrams sent to Bahkri and
seized, you mention that the troops present in Bahr Gazelle and the
Equator and elsewhere number 30,000 soldiers whom you cannot leave
behind, even though you should die. And know that Bahr Gazelle and
the Equator are both of them under our power and both have followed us
as Madhi, and that they and their chiefs and all their officers are
now among the auxiliaries of the Madhi. And they have joined our
lieutenants in that part, and letters from them are constantly coming
and going without hinderence or diminution of numbers. . . . By this
thou wilt see and understand that it is not under thy command as thou
thinkest. And for thy better information and our compassion for thee
we have added this postscript.
(_Seal_.)
There is no God but Allah.
Mahomet is the prophet Allah.
Mahomet the Madhi, son of Abd Allah."
Year 1292.
Gordon's reply was just what we should expect from an officer of his
temperament and experience. It is true things looked anything but
cheering and our hero needed all his force of character and confidence in
the God of Israel. This he had and kept brightly burning. To the Madhi
he replied--
"Sheikh Mahomed Achmed has sent us a letter to inform us that Lupton
Bey, Mudir of 'Bahr Gazelle' has surrendered to him, and that the
small steamer in which was Stewart Pasha, has been captured by him,
together with what was therein. But to me it is all one whether
Lupton Bey has surrendered or has not surrendered. And whether he has
captured twenty thousand steamers like the 'Abbas' or twenty thousand
officers like Stuart Pasha or not; it is all one to me. I am here
like iron, and hope to see the newly arrived English; and if Mahomed
Achmed says that the English die, it is all the same to me. And you
must take a copy of this and give it to the messenger from Slatin, and
send him out early in the morning, that he may go to him. It is
impossible for me to have any more words with Mahomed Achmed, only
lead; and if Mahomed Achmed is willing to fight he had better, instead
of going to Omdurman, go to the white hill by the moat."
(Signed) C. G. GORDON.
Gordon, though borne up by a sense of the Divine presence, yet he
occasionally at least, felt as if he was leading a forlorn hope. We know
not, nor can we ever know all the deeds of heroism he did for that down
trodden people.
"A life long year unsuccoured and alone
He stemmed the fury of fanatic strife,
Till all lands claimed the hero as their own,
And wondering would he there lay down his life."
It is a mystery, and one that will never be solved, how he supported his
vast family in Khartoum; for food had to be distributed to each
individual member for months. It is also a sad but remarkable fact, that
through the last ten months he had to depend upon the most unreliable and
worthless of troops. And for four of those weary months, he had been
without the cheering presence of his companion in arms, Colonel Stewart.
Yet he held out bravely, courageously, and in hope of English help. At
this juncture a poetess wrote--
"A message from one who went in haste
Came flashing across the sea,
It told not of weakness, but trust in God,
When it asked us--pray for me.
And since from Churches, and English homes,
In the day or the twilight dim,
A chorus of prayers went up to God--
Bless and take care of him:
A lonely man to those strange far lands,
He has gone with a word of peace;
And a million hearts are questioning
With a pain that cannot cease:
Is Gordon safe? Is there news of him?
What will the tidings be?
There is little to do but trust and wait;
Yet utterly safe is he.
Was he not safe when the Chinese shots,
Were flying about his head,
When trouble thickened with every day,
And he was sore bestead;
Was he not safe in his dreary rides,
Over the desert sands;
Safe with the Abyssinian King;
Safe with the robber bands;
We know not the dangers around him now,
But this we surely know--
He has with him in his hour of need,
His Protector of long ago;
He is not alone, but a Friend is by
Who answers to every need;
God is his refuge and strength at hand,
Gordon is safe indeed:
Safe in living, in dying safe, where is the need of pain;
We may pray--God give the hero long life,
But death would be infinite gain.