eminent victorians-第41章

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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　occasioned　by　

a　religious　revolt。　At　the　very　moment　when；　apparently　forever；　

he　was　shaking　the　dust　of　Egypt　from　his　feet；　Mahommed　Ahmed　

was　starting　upon　his　extraordinary　career　in　the　Sudan。　The　time



was　propitious　for　revolutions。　The　effete　Egyptian　Empire　was　

hovering　upon　the　verge　of　collapse。　The　enormous　territories　of　

the　Sudan　were　seething　with　discontent。　Gordon's　administration　

had；　by　its　very　vigour；　only　helped　to　precipitate　the　

inevitable　disaster。　His　attacks　upon　the　slave…trade；　his　

establishment　of　a　government　monopoly　in　ivory；　his　hostility　to



the　Egyptian　officials；　had　been　so　many　shocks；　shaking　to　its　

foundations　the　whole　rickety　machine。　The　result　of　all　his　

efforts　had　been；　on　the　one　hand；　to　fill　the　most　powerful　

classes　in　the　community　the　dealers　in　slaves　and；　ivory

with　

a　hatred　of　the　government；　and　on　the　other　to　awaken　among　the　

mass　of　the　inhabitants　a　new　perception　of　the　dishonesty　and　

incompetence　of　their　Egyptian　masters。　



When；　after　Gordon's　removal；　the　rule　of　the　Pashas　once　more

asserted　

itself　over　the　Sudan；　a　general　combustion　became　inevitable：

the　first　

spark　would　set　off　the　blaze。　Just　then　it　happened　that

Mahommed　Ahmed；　

the　son　of　an　insignificant　priest　in　Dongola；　having　quarrelled

with　the　

Sheikh　from　whom　he　was　receiving　religious　instruction；　set　up

as　an　

independent　preacher；　with　his　headquarters　at　Abba　Island；　on

the　Nile；　

150　miles　above　Khartoum。　Like　Hong…siu…tsuen；　he　began　as　a

religious　

reformer；　and　ended　as　a　rebel　king。　It　was　his　mission；　he

declared；　to　

purge　the　true　Faith　of　its　worldliness　and　corruptions；　to　lead　

the　followers　of　the　prophet　into　the　paths　of　chastity；　

simplicity；　and　holiness；　with　the　puritanical　zeal　of　a　Calvin；　

be　denounced　junketings　and　merrymakings；　songs　and　dances；　lewd　

living　and　all　the　delights　of　the　flesh。　He　fell　into　trances；　

he　saw　visions；　he　saw　the　prophet　and　Jesus；　and　the　Angel　

Izrail　accompanying　him　and　watching　over　him　forever。　He　

prophesied　and　performed　miracles；　and　his　fame　spread　through　

the　land。



There　is　an　ancient　tradition　in　the　Mohammedan　world；　telling　of



a　mysterious　being；　the　last　in　succession　of　the　twelve　holy　

Imams；　who；　untouched　by　death　and　withdrawn　into　the　recesses　of



a　mountain；　was　destined；　at　the　appointted　hour；　to　come　forth　

again　among　men。　His　title　was　the　Mahdi；　the　guide；　some　

believed　that　he　would　be　the　forerunner　of　the　Messiah；　others

believed　that　he　would　be　Christ　himself。　Already　　various　Mahdis



had　made　their　appearance；　several　had　been　highly　successful；

and　

two；　in　medieval　times；　had　founded　dynasties　in　Egypt。　But　who

could　

tell　whether　ail　these　were　not　impostors？　Might　not　the　twelfth　

Imam　be　still　waiting；　in　mystical　concealment；　ready　to　emerge；　

at　any　moment；　at　the　bidding　of　God？　There　were