eminent victorians-第67章

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instrument　of　official　discipline；　had　been　converted　by　the

agile　strategist　at　the　other　end　of　it　into　a　means　of　extending

his　own　personality　into　the　deliberations　at　Cairo。　Every

morning　Sir　Evelyn　Baring　would　find　upon　his　table　a　great　pile

of　telegrams　from　Khartoumtwenty　or　thirty　at　least；　and　as　the

day　went　on；　the　pile　would　grow。　When　a　sufficient　number　had

accumulated　he　would　read　them　all　through；　with　the　greatest

care。　There　upon　the　table；　the　whole　soul　of　Gordon　lay　before

himin　its　incoherence；　its　eccentricity；　its　impulsiveness；　its

romance；　the　jokes；　the　slang；　the　appeals　to　the　prophet　Isaiah；

the　whirl　of　contradictory　policiesSir　Evelyn　Baring　did　not

know　which　exasperated　him　most。　He　would　not　consider　whether；

or　to　what　degree；　the　man　was　a　maniac；　no；　he　would　not。　A

subacid　smile　was　the　only　comment　he　allowed　himself。　His

position；　indeed；　was　an　extremely　difficult　one；　and　all　his

dexterity　would　be　needed　if　he　was　to　emerge　from　it　with

credit。



On　one　side　of　him　was　a　veering　and　vacillating　Government；　on

the　other；　a　frenzied　enthusiast。　It　was　his　business　to

interpret　to　the　first　the　wishes；　or　rather　the　inspirations；　of

the　second；　and　to　convey　to　the　second　the　decisions；　or　rather

the　indecisions；　of　the　first。　A　weaker　man　would　have　floated

helplessly　on　the　ebb　and　flow　of　the　Cabinet's　wavering

policies；　a　rasher　man　would　have　plunged　headlong　into　Gordon's

schemes。　He　did　neither；　with　a　singular　courage　and　a　singular

caution　he　progressed　along　a　razor…edge。　He　devoted　all　his

energies　to　the　double　task　of　evolving　a　reasonable　policy　out

of　Gordon's　intoxicated　telegrams；　and　of　inducing　the　divided

Ministers　at　home　to　give　their　sanction　to　what　he　had　evolved。

He　might　have　succeeded；　if　he　had　not　had　to　reckon　with　yet

another　irreconcilable；　Time　was　a　vital　element　in　the

situation；　and　Time　was　against　him。　When　the　tribes　round

Khartoum　rose；　the　last　hope　of　a　satisfactory　solution　vanished。

He　was　the　first　to　perceive　the　altered　condition　of　affairs；

long　before　the　Government；　long　before　Gordon　himself；　he

understood　that　the　only　remaining　question　was　that　of　the

extrication　of　the　Englishmen　from　Khartoum。　He　proposed　that　a

small　force　should　be　dispatched　at　once　across　the　desert　from

Suakin　to　Barber；　the　point　on　the　Nile　nearest　to　the　Red　Sea；

and　thence　up　the　river　to　Gordon；　but；　after　considerable

hesitation；　the　military　authorities　decided　that　this　was　riot　a

practicable　plan。　Upon　that；　he　foresaw；　with　perfect　lucidity；

the　inevitable　development　of　events。　Sooner　or　later；　it　would

be　absolutely　necessary　to　send　a　relief　expedition　to　Khartoum；

and；　from　that　premise；　it　followed；　without　a　possibility　of

doubt；　that　it　was　the　duty　of　the　Government　to　do　so　at　once。

This　he　saw　quite　clearly；　but　he　also　saw　that　the　position　in

the　Cabinet　had　now　altered；　that　Mr。　Gladstone　had　taken　the

reins　into　his　own　hands。　And　Mr。　Gladstone　did　not　wish　to　send

a　relief　expedition。　What　was　Sir　Evelyn　Baring　to　do？　Was　he　to

pit　his　strength　against　Mr。　Gladstone's？　To　threaten

resignation？　To　stake　his　whole　future　upon　General　Gordon's

fate？　For　a　moment　he　wavered；　he　seemed　to　hint　that　unless　the

Government　sent　a　message　to　Khartoum　promising　a　relief

expedition　before　the　end　of　the　year；　he　would　be　unable　to　be　a

party　to　their　acts。　The　Government　refused　to　send　any　such

message；　and　he　perceived；　as　he　tells　us；　that　'it　was　evidently

useless　to　continue　the　correspondence　any　further'。　After　all；

what　could　he　do？　He　was　still　only　a　secondary　figure；　his

resignation　would　be　accepted；　he　would　be　given　a　colonial

governorship　and　Gordon　would　be　no　nearer　safety。　But　then；

could　he　sit　by　and　witness　a　horrible　catastrophe；　without

lifting　a　hand？　Of　all　the　odious　dilemmas　which　that　man　had　put

him　into　this；　he　reflected；　was　the　most　odious。　He　slightly

shrugged　his　shoulders。　No；　he　might　have　'power　to　hurt'；　but　he

would　'do　none'。　He　wrote　a　dispatcha　long；　balanced；　guarded；

grey　dispatch；　informing　the　Government　that　he　'ventured　to

think'　that　it　was　'a　question　worthy　of　consideration　whether

the　naval　and　military　authorities　should　not　take　some

preliminary　steps　in　the　way　of　preparing　boats；　etc。；　so　as　to

be　able　to　move；　should　the　necessity　arise'。　Then；　within　a

week；　before　the　receipt　of　the　Government's　answer；　he　left

Egypt。　From　the　end　of　April　until　the　beginning　of　September

during　the　most　momentous　period　of　the　whole　crisis；　he　was

engaged　in　London　upon　a　financial　conference；　while　his　place

was　taken　in　Cairo　by　a　substitute。　With　a　characteristically

convenient　unobtrusiveness；　Sir　Evelyn　Baring　had　vanished　from

the　scene。



Meanwhile；　far　to　the　southward；　over　the　wide…spreading　lands

watered　by　the　Upper　Nile　and　its　tributaries；　the　power　and　the

glory　of　him　who　had　once　been　Mohammed　Ahmed　were　growing　still。

In　the　Bahr…el…Ghazal；　the　last　embers　of　resistance　were　stamped

out　with　the　capture　of　Lupton　Bey；　and　through　the　whole　of　that

vast　province　three　times　the　size　of　Englandevery　trace　of　the

Egyptian　Government　was　obliterated。　Still　farther　south　the　same

fate　was　rapidly　overtaking　Equatoria；　where　Emir　Pasha；

withdrawing　into　the　unexplored　depths　of　Central　Africa；　carried

with　him　the　last　vestiges　of　the　old　order。　The　Mahdi　himself

still　lingered　in　his　headquarters　at　El　Obeid；　but；　on　the

rising　of　the　tribes　round　Khartoum；　he　had　decided　that　the　time

for　an　offensive　movement　had　come；　and　had　dispatched　an　arm　of

30；000　men　to　lay　siege　to　the　city。　At　the　same　time；　in　a　long

and　elaborate　proclamation；　in　which　he　asserted；　with　all　the

elegance　of　oriental　rhetoric；　both　the　sanctity　of　his　mission

and　the　invincibility　of　his　troops；　he　called　upon　the

inhabitants　to　surrender。　Gordon　read　aloud　the　summons　to　the

assembled　townspeople；　with　one　voice　they　declared　that　they

were　ready　to　resist。　This　was　a　false　Mahdi；　they　said；　God

would　defend　the　right；　they　put　their　trust　in　the　Governor…

General。　The　most　learned　Sheikh　in　the　town　drew　up　a

theological　reply；　pointing　out　that　the　Mahdi　did　not　fulfil　the

requirements　of　the　ancient　prophets。　At　his　appearance；　had　the

Euphrates　dried　up　and　revealed　a　hill　of　gold？　Had　contradiction

and　difference　ceased　upon　the　earth？　And；　moreover；　did　not　the

faithful　know　that　the　true　Mahdi　was　born　in　the　year　of　the

Prophet　255；　from　which　it　surely　followed　that　he　must　be　now

1；046　years　old？　And　was　it　not　clear　to　all　men　that　this

pretender　was　not　a　tenth　of　that　age？



These　arguments　were　certainly　forcible；　but　the　Mahdi's　army　was

more　forcible　still。　The　besieged　sallied　out　to　the　attack；　they

were　defeated；　and　the　rout　that　followed　was　so　disgraceful　that

two　of　the　commanding　officers　were；　by　Gordon's　orders；　executed

as　traitors。　From　that　moment　the　regular　investment　of　Khartoum

began。　The　Arab　generals　decided　to　starve　the　town　into

submission。　When；　after　a　few　weeks　of　doubt；　it　became　certain

that　no　British　force　was　on　its　way　from　Suakin　to　smash　up　the

Mahdi；　and　when；　at　the　end　of　May；　Berber；　the　last　connecting

link　between　Khartoum　and　the　outside　world；　fell　into　the　hands

of　the　enemy；　Gordon　set　his　teeth；　and　sat　down　to　wait　and　to

hope；　as　best　he　might。　With　unceasing　energy　he　devoted　himself

to　the　strengthening　of　his　defences　and　the　organisation　of　his

resourcesto　the　digging　of　earthworks；　the　manufacture　of

ammunition；　the　collection　and　the　distribution　of　food。　Every

day　there　were　sallies　and　skirmishes；　every　day　his　little

armoured　steamboats　paddled　up　and　down　the　river；　scattering

death　and　terror　as　they　went。　Whatever　the　emergency；　he　was

ready　with　devices　and　expedients。　When　the　earthworks　were　still

uncompleted　he　procured　hundreds　of　yards　of　cotton；　which