GORDON AND THE MAHDI.

83 CHAPTER XII.

The rebels round Suakim defeatedbutnot dispersed.— AdmiralHewett starts forAbyssinia tonegotiateforthe relief of Kassala.— Gordon appeals for Zebehr or the Turkstobe sent.— Berber invested and Korosko threatened.—Concentration of Troops at Assouan. MajorKitchener's explorations and outposts.— The Surrender of Slaten Bey and Saleh Bey.— Mr. Cuzzi captured at Sherig.— Blue Jackets to the front.— Fall of Berber.— The Treaty with Abyssinia.— G-hia and Gadaveefcapitulate.— Fighting at Suakim. — Wavering of friendly Arabs and mutiny of Turkish battalion.— Victory over therebels by the Mudir of Dongola.— The defence of Khartoum.—Operations of Gordon's armoured flotilla.— Scarcity of provisions.— Long letter from Gordon on the situation.— Declareshe will not leaveKhartoum.— Parliamentvotes £300,000 for a relief expedition.— Lord Wolseley appointed to the command.— The military preparations.— Departureof Lords Wolseley and Northbrook for Egypt.— Gordon gains a great victory.— The Arab camp captured and the Commander-in-Chiefslain. The departure of the Britishforces fromSuakim, after the barren victories of El Teb and Tamai, at once dissatisfiedthe friendlynatives and emboldenedthe Mahdi's partisans. The latter hadbeen defeated but they were by no means conquered,for scarcelyhad GeneralGraham embarkedonboard the Orontes than they attacked the "friendlies" a few miles outside the town, captured a large number of camels, and gathered in force around the wellsof Handoub and Tamanieb, in view of cutting off the watersupply of the loyal tribes. Mahmoud Ali, the Fadlabsheikh, who had previouslyinterestedhimself in the site of Sinkat, took prompt measures to oppose the rebels, and on April 11, the meagre garrison left at Suakim after General Graham's departure, was reinforced by Colonel Chermside's battalion of Egyptian troops. The Briton and the Ranger, anchored in the harbour, were moreover,kept cleared for action, andpreparations were made for landingmarinesandblue jackets in the event of an attack.

REAR-ADMIRAL SIR W. HEWETT.

skirmishes but donot expose yourself." Zebehr was not disposed or perhaps not allowed to accept this appointment, which came most unexpectedly— for Sir Evelyn Baring hadpreviously informed GeneralGordonthat the old dealer inhuman flesh andbones wouldinno wisebe permitted to proceed to Khartoum. Nevertheless the appeals for his presence were constant and pressing. Colonel Stewart added his own solicitationsto those of his superior, andMr.Power wrotethat withoutZebehrit wouldbeimpossible to beat therebels. While askingfor the appointment of his old foe GeneralGordon furnished some information respecting his own positionat Khartoum, andin a letter to Sir SamuelBaker datedApril 8, hementionedthat he wasprovisioned for five months,but that he was hemmed in by some"500 determined, and 2,000 tag-rag Arabs." At thisdateGordonhadlearntfromSir EvelynBaring that the British government did not intend to send British troops to clear the route to Berber, but that negotiationswere proceeding with the Arabs for opening the road. Gordonrightly attached little or no value to thesenegotiations,and in default of British troops he suggested the despatch of Turkish soldiers. "Do you think," he asked Sir Samuel Baker, "thatif an appeal weremade te the millionairesof Englandand the United States £200,000 would be available? Herewith you might obtain the permission of the Sultan of Turkey to lendus two or three thousand Nizams, and sendthem to Berber. With these we would not only settle our affairs at Khartoum, but also do for the False Prophet, in whosecollapse the Sultan is necessarilyinterested."

OnApril 16, a week after the dispatch of the letter quoted above, General Gordon telegraphing, this time to Sir Evelyn Baring, said: "You state your intention of not sending any relief up here or to Berber, and you refuse me Zebehr. Iconsidermyself free to act according to circumstances. Ishallhold on here as long as I Already on April 2, Admiral Hewett had started for Massowah in view of negotiating withKingJohannes of Abyssinia,forthereliefofKassalaandtheotherbeleagured strongholds southofKhartoum. Thisableofficer, who was gazettedas a Rear-Admiralin1878, when onlyforty-four years of age,had alreadyperformed many distinguished servicesin differentparts of the world. His conspicuous gallantry at the siegeof Sebastopol and at the battle of Inkermann,had wonhimthehighlyprizedVictoriaCross; and for his share in the Ashantee war, whenhe commanded the naval brigade at the battle of Amoaful and the capture ofCoomassie— he hadbeenmade a Knightof the Bath. At the tiftne of his departurefor Massowah, en route for the Abyssinian frontier, the situation of Kassala was becoming most critical. The Hadendowa tribe wasbesiegingthe city, the Bashi-Bazouks, forming a part of the garrison, weredeserting, and the governor was constantly pleading for Britishrelief. The Admiral hadin factbarely reached Massowah beforethe telegraph wires were cut and the news arrived thatKassala was completelyinvested.

While Sir William Hewett washastening with Mason Bey, the governor of Massowah, and an escort of 200 Bashi-Bazouks,towards Adowa, whereKingJohannes was awaitinghis arrival, ZebehrPasha, the old slave hunter of Khartoum, and now detained at Cairo by the authorities, received a despatch from General Gordon, appointinghimassistant-Governor General of the Soudan. " You willadvise me on your arrival at Berber," wrote Gordonin the most confident strain,"andifpossible I willsend you two steamers. These with the other two steamers at Berber,you will provide withiron parapetsin order to protect the troops onboard. Take also asmany as you can of the Galyieen tribe, and make frequent