Gordon visits Abyssinia and Darfur. 161 condition that he gave up his attacks on Abyssinia. King John, taking advantage of this temporary respite, proceeded to attack Menelik, King of Shoa.

Gordon having visited Bogos, Kassala, Gedaref, and Sennar, proceeded to Khartum ; here he spent some time in carrying out reforms, among others in giving back to the Ulemas their ancient privileges of which they had been deprived by the late Governor, Ismail Yakub Pasha. In May, however, he found himself obliged to start for Darfur.

Harun, a relative of the late Sultan of Darfur, and a claimant to the throne, took advantage of the discontent caused by the misgovernment of the province, to raise a revolt in February, 1877. He had a very large number of 1S77. men with him, as the Beduin tribes, who had not helped the Sultan when Darfur was conquered in 1874, now joined his standard.

These tribes were semi-independent under their own Sheikhs, and each of them could put from 2,000 to 6,000 horse or camel-men into the field. They were largely engaged in the slave trade, making raids on the negro tribes to the south, or buying slaves from other Beduin tribes who lived out of range to the west. Though the traffic of the large slave caravans had ceased, yet there was still an extensive trade carried on by small dealers, which it was impossible to put down.

The Governor of Darfur at this time was Hassan Hilmi Pasha, who showed no energy, as up to May he had failed to render assistance to the stations of El Fasher, Dara, Kolkol, and Kebkebieh, where the followers of Harun had hemmed in the Egyptian garrisons. A force had, it is true, been sent from Foga for the purpose, but seemed unable to accomplish the task.

Gordon arrived himself at Foga on the 7th June, having Gordon dismissed, before his departure from Khartum, Halid arrives in Pasha, who had been sent to him as second in command. June, 1877. In addition to the revolt in Darfur, Suliman, son of Zubehr, was now at the head of the slave dealers to the south, nnd, having a large force at his command, was holding a threatening attitude. Shakka was his headquarters, and the nesfc of the slave trade in that part. Gordon, considering the country was scarcely worth keeping, determined to call in all the outljing stations of Darfur, (386) m