eminent victorians-第62章

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highly　distasteful　to　them；　above　all；　they　dreaded　the　loss　of　

Khartoum。　Now；　supposing　that　General　Gordon；　in　response　to　a　

popular　agitation　in　the　Press；　were　sent　to　Khartoum；　what　would



follow？　Was　it　not　at　least　possible　that；　once　there；　with　his　

views　and　his　character；　he　would；　for　some　reason　or　other；　

refrain　from　carrying　out　a　policy　of　pacific　retreat？　Was　it　not



possible　that　in　that　case　he　might　so　involve　the　English　

Government　that　it　would　find　itself　obliged；　almost　

imperceptibly　perhaps；　to　substitute　for　its　policy　of　withdrawal



a　policy　of　advance？　Was　it　not　possible　that　General　Gordon　

might　get　into　difficulties；　that　he　might　be　surrounded　and　cut　

off　from　Egypt'？　If　that　were　to　happen；　how　could　the　English　

Government　avoid　the　necessity　of　sending　an　expedition　to　rescue



him？　And；　if　an　English　expedition　went　to　the　Sudan；　was　it　

conceivable　that　it　would　leave　the　Mahdi　as　it　found　him？　In　

short；　would　not　the　dispatch　of　General　Gordon　to　Khartoum　

involve；　almost　inevitably；　the　conquest　of　the　Sudan　by　British　

troops；　followed　by　a　British　occupation？　And；　behind　all　these　

questions；　a　still　larger　question　loomed。　The　position　of　the　

English　in　Egypt　itself　was　still　ambiguous；　the　future　was　

obscure；　how　long；　in　reality；　would　an　English　army　remain　in　

Egypt？　Was　not　one　thing；　at　least；　obvious　that　if　the　English



were　to　conquer　and　occupy　the　Sudan；　their　evacuation　of　Egypt　

would　become　impossible？



With　our　present　information；　it　would　be　rash　to　affirm　that　

all；　or　any；　of　these　considerations　were　present　to　the　minds　of



the　imperialist　section　of　the　Government。　Yet　it　is　difficult　to



believe　that　a　man　such　as　Lord　Wolseley；　for　instance；　with　his　

knowledge　of　affairs　and　his　knowledge　of　Gordon；　could　have　

altogether　overlooked　them。　Lord　Hartington；　indeed；　may　well　

have　failed　to　realise　at　once　the　implications　of　General　

Gordon's　appointment　for　it　took　Lord　Hartington　some　time　to　

realise　the　implications　of　anything；　but　Lord　Hartington　was　

very　far　from　being　a　fool；　and　we　may　well　suppose　that　he　

instinctively；　perhaps　subconsciously；　apprehended　the　elements　

of　a　situation　which　he　never　formulated　to　himself。　However　that



may　be；　certain　circumstances　are　significant。　It　is　significant　

that　the　go…between　who　acted　as　the　Government's　agent　in　its　

negotiations　with　Gordon　was　an　imperialist　Lord　Wolseley。　It　

is　significant　that　the　'Ministers'　whom　Gordon　finally

interviewed；　

and　who　actually　determined　his　appointment　were　by　no　means　the

whole　

of　the　Cabinet；　but　a　small　section　of　it；　presided　over　by　Lord

Hartington。　

It　is　significant；　too；　that　Gordon's　mission　was　represented

both　to　Sir　

Evelyn　Baring；　who　was　opposed　to　his　appointment；　and　to　Mr。

Gladstone；　who　

was　opposed　to　an　active　policy　in　the　Sudan；　as　a　mission　merely

'to　

report'；　while；　no　sooner　was　the　mission　actually　decided　upon；　

than　it　began　to　assume　a　very　different　complexion。　In　his　final



interview　with　the　'Ministers'；　Gordon　we　know　（though　he　said　

nothing　about　it　to　the　Rev。　Mr　Barnes）　threw　out　the　suggestion　

that　it　might　be　as　well　to　make　him　the　Governor…General　of　the　

Sudan。　The　suggestion；　for　the　moment；　was　not　taken　up；　but　it　

is　obvious　that　a　man　does　not　propose　to　become　a　Governor…

General　in　order　to　make　a　report。



We　are　in　the　region　of　speculations；　one　other　presents　itself。　

Was　the　movement　in　the　Press　during　that　second　week　of　January　

a　genuine　movement；　expressing　a　spontaneous　wave　of　popular　

feeling？　Or　was　it　a　cause　of　that　feeling；　rather　than　an　

effect？　The　engineering　of　a　newspaper　agitation　may　not　have　

been　an　impossibility　even　so　long　ago　as　1884。　One　would　like　

to　know　more　than　one　is　ever　likely　to　know　of　the　relations　of　

the　imperialist　section　of　the　Government　with　Mr。　Stead。



But　it　is　time　to　return　to　the　solidity　of　fact。　Within　a　few　

hours　of　his　interview　with　the　Ministers；　Gordon　had　left　

England　forever。　At　eight　o'clock　in　the　evening；　there　was　a　

little　gathering　of　elderly　gentlemen　at　Victoria　Station。　

Gordon；　accompanied　by　Colonel　Stewart；　who　was　to　act　as　his　

second…in…command；　tripped　on　to　the　platform。　Lord　Granville　

bought　the　necessary　tickets；　the　Duke　of　Cambridge　opened　the　

railway…carriage　door。　The　General　jumped　into　the　train；　and　

then　Lord　Wolseley　appeared；　carrying　a　leather　bag；　in　which　was



￡200　in　gold；　collected　from　friends　at　the　last　moment　for　the　

contingencies　of　the　journey。　The　bag　was　handed　through　the　

window。　The　train　started。　As　it　did　so；　Gordon　leaned　out　and　

addressed　a　last　whispered　question　to　Lord　Wolseley。　Yes；　it　had



been　done。　Lord　Wolseley　had　seen　to　it　himself；　next　morning；　

every　member　of　the　Cabinet　would　receive　a　copy　of　Dr。　Samuel　

Clarke's　Scripture　Promises。　That　was　all。　The　train　rolled　out　

of　the　station。



Before　the　travellers　reached　Cairo；　steps　had　been　taken　which　

finally　put　an　end　to　the　theory　if　it　had　ever　been　seriously　

held　that　the　purpose　of　the　mission　was　simply　the　making　of　a



report。　On　the　very　day　of　Gordon's　departure；　Lord　Granville　

telegraphed　to　Sir　Evelyn　Baring　as　follows：　'Gordon　suggests　

that　it　may　be　announced　in　Egypt　that　he　is　on　his　way　to　

Khartoum　to　arrange　for　the　future　settlement　of　the　Sudan　for　

the　best　advantage　of　the　people。'　Nothing　was　said　of　

reporting。　A　few　days　later；　Gordon　himself　telegraphed　to　Lord　

Granville　suggesting　that　he　should　be　made　Governor…General　of　

the　Sudan；　in　order　to　'accomplish　the　evacuation'；　and　to　

'restore　to　the　various　Sultans　of　the　Sudan　their　independence'。



Lord　Granville　at　once　authorised　Sir　Evelyn　Baring　to　issue；　if　

he　thought　fit；　a　proclamation　to　this　effect　in　the　name　of　the　

Khedive。　Thus　the　mission　'to　report'　had　already　swollen　into　a　

Governor…Generalship；　with　the　object；　not　merely　of　effecting　

the　evacuation　of　the　Sudan；　but　also　of　setting　up　'various　

Sultans'　to　take　the　place　of　the　Egyptian　Government。



In　Cairo；　in　spite　of　the　hostilities　of　the　past；　Gordon　was　

received　with　every　politeness。　He　was　at　once　proclaimed　

Governor…General　of　the　Sudan；　with　the　widest　powers。　He　was　on　

the　point　of　starting　off　again　on　his　journey　southwards；　when　a



singular　and　important　incident　occurred。　Zobeir；　the　rebel　

chieftain　of　Darfur；　against　whose　forces　Gordon　had　struggled　

for　years；　and　whose　son；　Suleiman；　had　been　captured　and　

executed　by　Gessi；　Gordon's　lieutenant；　was　still　detained　at　

Cairo。　It　so　fell　out　that　he　went　to　pay　a　visit　to　one　of　the　

Ministers　at　the　same　time　as　the　new　Governor…General。　The　two　

men　met　face　to　face；　and；　as　he　looked　into　the　savage　

countenance　of　his　old　enemy；　an　extraordinary　shock　of　

inspiration　ran　through　Gordon's　brain。　He　was　seized；　as　he　

explained　in　a　State　paper；　which　he　drew　up　immediately　after　

the　meeting；　with　a　'mystic　feeling'　that　he　could　trust　Zobeir。　

It　was　true　that　Zobeir　was　'the　greatest　slave…hunter　who　ever　

existed'；　it　was　true　that　he　had　a　personal　hatred　of　Gordon；　

owing　to　the　execution　of　Suleiman'and　one　cannot　wonder　at　it；



if　one　is　a　father'；　it　was　true　that；　only　a　few　days　

previously；　on　his　way　to　Egypt；　Gordon　himself　had　been　so　

convinced　of　the　dangerous　character　of　Zobeir　that　he　had　

recommended　by　telegram　his　removal　to　Cyprus。　But　such　

considerations　were　utterly　obliterated　by　that　one　moment　of　

electric　impact　of　personal　vision；　henceforward　；there　was　a　

rooted　conviction　in　Gordon's　mind　that　Zobeir　was　to　be　trusted；



that　Zobeir　must　join　him　at　Khartoum；　that　Zobeir's　presence　

would　paralyse　the　Mahdi；　that　Zobeir　must　succeed　him　in　the　

government　of　the　country　after　the　evacuation。　Did　not　Sir　

Evelyn　Baring；　too；　have