102 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

with which he had been intrusted. The brother of an influential citizen had been flogged to death under his orders; a young boy was threatened with a similar fate unless he gave some evidence which was required by the pasha for his own purposes; an old sheikh had been so cruelly bastinadoed that his feet were in a horrible condition, and he was carried into the presence of Gordon, who telegraphed to Cairo that ,£50 was to be stopped from Hussein's pay for the benefit of the poor old creature, who had been made a cripple for life. The day on which these events happened concluded with the burning down of the prison by Gordon's orders; and until late at night men, women, and children were dancing and leaping around the building as it fell beneath the flames.

Gordon had then heard of the attempt that was to be made to relieve Tokar, and he telegraphed to Sir E. Baring advising that the British admiral should make it known to rebel chiefs that their wrongs and grievances would be redressed if they went or sent messengers to the crovernor-o-eneral at Khartum and stated their case to him; but the time had gone by for such a course to be adopted, and Sir William Hewett said, reasonably enough, that he could not ask the chiefs to leave their followers and go to meet Gordon at Khartum, at a time when English troops were about to be sent against them. The message was, however, sent to the chiefs before General Graham commenced his campaign, but, as we have seen, it was refused.

We have already followed the narrative of events at Suakim, and the operations which concluded with the defeat of Osman Digma at Tamai, and it is therefore only necessary to resume the somewhat scanty and uncertain story of the occurrences at Khartum and the adjoining provinces, where the first appearances were so hopeful that Gordon, and those who were with him, expected to achieve the objects of the enterprise which he had undertaken. A portion of the Egyptian garrison rapidly embarked to return to Cairo, and 2200 men were sent back down the Nile, leaving about 4000 black troops in Khartum, and 3000 at Sennar, which Gordon had confident hopes of being able to relieve. On the 27th of February that town was quiet and the garrison safe, and on the