The author's account of his encounter with Colonel Gordon and his departure from Khartoum. I went to the government palace and requested an audience with Colonel Gordon. He granted me an audience, and I returned to my home, determined not to accept any service in Sudan, considering it an insult from the Europeans, whom I believed to be untrustworthy and deceitful. I informed him of my intention to travel to Egypt. He summoned me and addressed me in Arabic, asking if I wished to travel to Egypt. I replied in the affirmative. He then asked why. I explained that I had been in Sudan for seven years and wished to return to my homeland to change the air and escape the company of liars like "Nekr." He asked, "Are they liars?" I replied, "Yes." He then said, "If you had informed me of their falsehoods, I would have shown you their deceit." He added that he had only dealt with them out of necessity and that he had fulfilled his duty. I concluded my statement by reiterating my request to travel to Egypt at the government's expense. He replied, "I have already granted you permission." He then instructed me to write the order for my travel at the government's expense. I then requested a letter to the Egyptian Ministry of War authorizing my transfer to them. He turned away, refusing to answer. I insisted, and he persisted in his refusal. I left him, he was displeased, and I was filled with anger and distress. A few days later, I departed from Khartoum and continued my journey until I reached Cairo.

The author's encounter with Shahin Pasha, the Minister of War. On the second day of my arrival in Cairo, I went to the Ministry of War to collect my official papers, where I met Shahin Pasha, the Minister of War and the Egyptian Navy. He received me with kindness, a smile, and a pleasant demeanor. After we had eaten, he asked me, with evident surprise and astonishment on his face...