GORDONS TESTIMONY. 1 43 Hassan Pasha is brother to Yussaf Pasha, who with Gessi put down the Bahr Gazelle revolt, and afterwards was killed by the Mahdi near Fashoda. Had it not been for these men's treachery; humanly speaking, we should have succeeded on the 16th, for rebels were retreating when these two men went into a wood and, I suppose, called back the rebels. They purposely left, I think, the stockade incomplete, — would not put down the wire entanglement, &c. I assumed this negligence to be due to incapacity and idleness at the time, but I fear it was due to treachery. They are pashas of my fabrication, and are both black soldiers; and townspeople are fierce against them, and I should only have to let them go into the streets to have them shot, but I have preferred to try them. . . . Considering all things one cannot help being very thankful that through my belief in these men we did not lose Khartum. I think we are now safe, and that as the Nile rises we shall account for the rebels. Plenty of supplies come into the town from the south from the White Nile."

On the 21st of March Gordon telegraphed, 7 a.m.: "Boat coming up river. Very few rebels in sight, though it is their usual day for fighting. The full range of the mountain-gun with rebels is 2200 yards. Escaped prisoners say rebels number 4000.

I scarcely think so much. Lightermen were getting a Krupp 16-pounder on a barge to worry them. Had we only 1000 more men we could drive them back, but I am afraid of risking anything more for moment. I am glad to say 140 black soldiers, who were cut off when cutting wood by rapid advance of rebels, are still alive and prisoners. The Sheikh-el-Obeid has written to his son a furious letter on the loss in river attack on Tewfikieh steamer, telling his son he is not to attack or to fight, but to starve Khartum out. In this river attack the rebels were driven to the front on three occasions by their chiefs, and their dead were in heaps. They pushed their bodies into the river. Fortunately we have lots of ammunition, for we have Hicks's reserve ammunition. The steamers in the relief of the steamer Tewfikieh expended over 15,000 rounds of Remington ammunition. The only gun-shot of rebels which struck Tewfikieh steamer was