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Darfur to the neighbouring province of Bahr…el…Ghazal; the young 

man was soon once more at the head of a formidable force。 A 

prolonged campaign of extreme difficulty and danger followed。 

Eventually; Gordon; summoned again to Cairo; was obliged to leave



to Gessi the task of finally crushing the revolt。 After a 

brilliant campaign; Gessi forced Suleiman to surrender; and then 

shot him as a rebel。 The deed was to exercise a curious influence



upon Gordon's fate。



Though Suleiman had been killed and his power broken; the slave…

trade still flourished in the Sudan。 Gordon's efforts to suppress



it resembled the palliatives of an empiric treating the 

superficial symptoms of some profound constitutional disease。 The



root of the malady lay in the slave…markets of Cairo and 

Constantinople: the supply followed the demand。 Gordon; after 

years of labour; might here and there stop up a spring or divert 

a tributary; but; somehow or other the waters would reach the 

river…bed。 In the end; he himself came to recognise this。 'When 

you have got the ink that has soaked into blotting…paper out of 

it;' he said; 'then slavery will cease in these lands。' And yet 

he struggled desperately on; it was not for him to murmur。 'I 

feel my own weakness; and look to Him who is Almighty; and I 

leave the issue without inordinate care to Him。'



Relief came at last。 The Khedive Ismail was deposed; and Gordon 

felt at liberty to send in his resignation。 Before he left 

Egypt; however; he was to experience yet one more remarkable 

adventure。 At his own request; he set out on a diplomatic 

mission to the Negus of Abyssinia。 The mission was a complete 

failure。 The Negus was intractable; and; when his bribes were 

refused; furious。 Gordon was ignominiously dismissed; every 

insult was heaped on him; he was arrested; and obliged to 

traverse the Abyssinian Mountains in the depth of winter under 

the escort of a savage troop of horse。 When; after great 

hardships and dangers; he reached Cairo; he found the whole 

official world up in arms against him。 The Pashas had determined 

at last that they had no further use for this honest and peculiar



Englishman。 It was arranged that one of his confidential 

dispatches should be published in the newspapers; naturally; it 

contained indiscretions; there was a universal outcry the man 

was insubordinate; and mad。 He departed under a storm of obloquy。



It seemed impossible that he should ever return to Egypt。



On his way home he stopped in Paris; saw the English Ambassador; 

Lord Lyons; and speedily came into conflict with him over

Egyptian 

affairs。 There ensued a heated correspondence; which was finally 

closed by a letter from Gordon; ending as follows: 'I have some 

comfort in thinking that in ten or fifteen years' time it will

matter 

little to either of us。 A black box; six feet six by three feet

wide; 

will then contain all that is left of Ambassador; or Cabinet

Minister; 

or of your humble and obedient servant。'



He arrived in England early in 1880 ill and exhausted; and it 

might have been supposed that after the terrible activities of 

his African exile he would have been ready to rest。 But the very 

opposite was the case; the next three years were the most 

momentous of his life。 He hurried from post to post; from 

enterprise to enterprise; from continent to continent; with a 

vertiginous rapidity。 He accepted the Private Secretaryship to 

Lord Ripon; the new Viceroy of India; and; three days after his 

arrival at Bombay; he resigned。 He had suddenly realised that he 

was not cut out for a Private Secretary; when; on an address 

being sent in from some deputation; he was asked to say that the 

Viceroy had read it with interest。 'You know perfectly;' he said 

to Lord William Beresford; 'that Lord Ripon has never read it; 

and I can't say that sort of thing; so I will resign; and you 

take in my resignation。' He confessed to Lord William that the 

world was not big enough for him; that there was 'no king or 

country big enough'; and then he added; hitting him on the 

shoulder; 'Yes; that is flesh; that is what I hate; and what 

makes me wish to die。'



Two days later; he was off for Pekin。 'Every one will say I am 

mad;' were his last words to Lord William Beresford; 'but you say



I am not。' The position in China was critical; war with Russia 

appeared to be imminent; and Gordon had been appealed to in 

order to use his influence on the side of peace。 He was welcomed 

by many old friends of former days; among them Li Hung Chang; 

whose diplomatic views coincided with his own。 Li's diplomatic 

language; however; was less unconventional。 In an interview with 

the Ministers; Gordon's expressions were such that the

interpreter 

shook with terror; upset a cup of tea; and finally refused to

translate 

the dreadful words; upon which Gordon snatched up a dictionary;

and; 

with his finger on the word 'idiocy'; showed it to the startled

Mandarins。 

A few weeks later; Li Hung Chang was in power; and peace was

assured。 

Gordon had spent two and a half days in Pekin; and was whirling

through 

China; when a telegram arrived from the home authorities; who 

viewed his movements with uneasiness; ordering him to return at 

once to England。 'It did not produce a twitter in me;' he wrote 

to his sister; 'I died long ago; and it will not make any 

difference to me; I am prepared to follow the unrolling of the 

scroll。' The world; perhaps; was not big enough for him; and yet 

how clearly he recognised that he was 'a poor insect!' 'My heart 

tells me that; and I am glad of it。'



On his return to England; he telegraphed to the Government of the



Cape of Good Hope; which had become involved in a war with the 

Basutos; offering his services; but his telegram received no 

reply。 Just then; Sir Howard Elphinstone was appointed to the 

command of the Royal Engineers in Mauritius。 it was a thankless 

and insignificant post; and; rather than accept it; Elphinstone 

was prepared to retire from the Army unless some other officer 

could be induced; in return for £800; to act as his substitute。 

Gordon; who was an old friend; agreed to undertake the work upon 

one condition: that he should receive nothing from Elphinstone; 

and accordingly; he spent the next year in that remote and 

unhealthy island; looking after the barrack repairs and testing 

the drains。 



While he was thus engaged; the Cape Government; whose

difficulties 

had been increasing; changed its mind; and early in 1882; begged

for 

Gordon's help。 Once more he was involved in great affairs: a new

field 

of action opened before him; and then; in a moment; there was

another 

shift of the kaleidoscope; and again he was thrown upon the

world。 Within 

a few weeks; after a violent quarrel with the Cape authorities;

his mission 

had come to an end。 What should he do next? To what remote corner

or what 

enormous stage; to what self…sacrificing drudgeries or what

resounding 

exploits; would the hand of God lead him now? He waited; in an

odd hesitation。 

He opened the Bible; but neither the prophecies of Hosea nor the

epistles 

to Timothy gave him any advice。 The King of the Belgians asked if

he would 

be willing to go to the Congo。 He was perfectly willing; he would

go whenever 

the King of the Belgians sent for him; his services; however;

were not required 

yet。 It was at this juncture that he betook himself to Palestine。

His studies 

there were embodied in a correspondence with the Rev。 Mr。 Barnes;

filling over 

2;000 pages of manuscript a correspondence which was only put

an end to 

when; at last; the summons from the King of the Belgians came。 He



hurried back to England; but it was not to the Congo that he was 

being led by the hand of God。



Gordon's last great adventure; like his first; was occasione

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