GORDON’S SECOND JOURNEY TO THE SOUDAN. 135

Slave-trade in many parts. For a full description of this work, and for an account of the terrible difficulties he had encountered from the opposition of the Slave-dealers, the unhealthy nature of the climate, and want of nourishing food, the reader is referred to Dr. Hill’s and Mr. Hake’s most interesting volumes. No one can appreciate what Gordon went through. Nearly all white men who went out to him died or were invalided home. He alone seemed to brave all vicissi- tudes ; but even his iron frame had many a rude shaking.

His personal servant, a German, forsook him and fled. Upon which he remarked, with characteristic sententiousness, ‘‘So much the better! The best servant I ever had is myself; he always does what I like.”

CoLONEL GoRDON’s SECOND JOURNEY TO THE SOUDAN.

Colonel Gordon was not, however, long allowed to remain at home,

for we soon find the Khedive (Ismail) putting great pressure upon his friend to induce him to return to the scene of his former exploits. But this time his empire was to be largely extended, and his rule was to be even more absolute.

On the 3lst January, 1877, Col. Gordon thus writes in London :—

‘‘T have promised :—that if His Highness will not give me the province of Soudan, I will not go back to the Lakes. Ido not think he will give it, and I think you will see me back in six weeks. . . . I hope to start to-night. I will make a stand at Cairo; and, if I see it is no use going up, I will give it up.”

But he did not give it up. The Khedive, as will shortly be seen, granted to Colonel Gordon all that he demanded, and he soon after started upon the second expedition to the Soudan.

On February 17, the Khedive thus wrote to Colonel Gordon :—

‘Setting a just value on your honourable character, on your zeal, and on the reat services that you have already done me, I have resolved to bring the Sinidan! Darfour, and the provinces of the Equator into one great province,

and to place it under you as Governor-General. As the country which you are thus to govern is so vast, you must have beneath you three vakeels (or deputy- governors), the first for the Soudan properly so-called ; the second for Darfour; and the third for the shores of the Red Sea and the Eastern Soudan. Si « There are two matters to which I would draw your attention: the first, the suppression of slavery ; the second, the improvements of the means of commu- nication. As Abyssinia, for a great distance, lies along the borders of the Sou- dan, I beg you, when you are on the spot, to look carefully into the state of affairs there ; and I give you power, should you think well, to enter into nego- tiations with the authorities of that kingdom, to the end that a settlement may be arrived at of the matter in dispute between us and them.”