24 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

for an insurrection that would restore their power and influence. We have seen how Gordon longed for rest, how in his half- humorous way he had a dream of coming to England to find a

period of leisure without making engagements, or going out to dinner, but with full liberty to lie late in bed, to read and stroll

about, and to eat oysters for lunch. He had at anyrate come to very definite conclusions as to the position of any European

entering on important service for an oriental state, and he formu-

lated his experience briefly as follows: —

i. Any foreigner entering the service of an oriental state may be sure that no native official will ever be punished, except in name, for anything he may do; he may be certain also that, unless he can hold his own by his own right hand, he will fall; and that it is not in the power, even if it is in the inclination (?) of the ruler of that state to help him.

2. A foreigner cannot °;o one-tenth as far in the use of — or

rather abuse of — his authority as a native; the people will put up with the one, but not with the other, if he exceeds a certain limit.

3. A foreigner, seeing axiom No. 1, is obliged, if he is to hold

his place, to depart from European rules, and use, to some extent,

arbitrary (i.e. oriental) means for defence and offence.

4. A foreigner, if conjointly charged with natives to carry out any work, may rest assured that his great enemies are those with whom he takes counsel, and that they are ready to be crushed

if they can bring him down with them, and he may generally be

sure that the ruler is not likely to do more than regret (?) his fall.

5. A foreigner, to succeed, must so regulate his affairs that

no gain, but sheer loss, to the many would be incurred by his fall.

(I mean tangible gain — patriotic sentiments, or advantage to the country, or glory, are sentiments which never weigh in the scale.

Actual coin is Allah, and " there is none but" it.) When men reason ihus, then fomenters of trouble find no hearers; but neglect

this, and every one is ears. This is very natural and not

indigenous to the East. When a foreigner has so regulated affairs

that his fall will be a loss to the many, then he may afford to look