162 Gordon s Journeys— 1877.

and merely maintain garrisons along the trunk road through El Fasher. Harun was at Tanne, and Gordon intended to move against him with the force at his disposal, reinforced by the garrisons of Towaisha, Dara, and Kadjmur, in all about 3,000 men. In July he was at Dara, and Harun retreated to Tura, whence he ravaged the country to the north, but, seeing Gordon was too strong for him, disappeared for the time. S ting Gordon was at El Fasher in August, but soon after left Suiiman, for Dara, where he heard that the slave dealers were f$$ nst' gathering in force. Here he met Suiiman and ordered him to lay down his arms ; after some hesitation Suiiman left a large number of his men with Gordon and returned to Shakka ; to this place Gordon followed him about the middle of September, and sent him to Bahr el Ghazal, while the other chiefs he dismissed to various places. The slave trade was thus broken up for the time being in this direction, and very large numbers of slaves had been liberated. There were, however, upwards of 4,000 more slave hunters to be dealt with in the Bahr el Ghazal, but Idris, the chief of these, was friendly to Gordon.

Crordon now returned to Khartum, via El Obeid, and proceeded • immediately to Bogos, where he heard that Mikaei again Mikael had resumed hostilities. In March, Gordon had trouble, proposed to King Johannes that Egypt should retain Bogos, but be answerable for the conduct of Mikael.

ISTow, however, seeing that the latter was not to be trusted, he proposed to King Johannes to join him in seizing and sending him to Cairo. To this Gordon received no answer, and Mikael continued his aggressive action.

On December 26th Gordon writes :—" I am now waiting for a letter from Has Barion, the frontier General .... I want to get Johannes to give a pardon to Walad el Mikael's men, in order that, if I have to attack them, I may be able to give them the chance of getting away. If I attack them now, with Abyssinia closed to them, they would fight desperately." Visit of At the end of the year Gordon, getting no satisfaction, Sarrar, and returned to Khartum by Suakin and Berber, and, having dismissal of paid a visit to Cairo, again started for the Red Sea Pasha, the provinces. Having touched at Zeila, he went on in April, f™ 1878, to Harrar. Here he found Raouf, the Governor, had