THE JOURNEY BACK. 119 disabled for hours. Finally, however, success shone on them and both rescuing parties returned in safety.

Meanwhile authentic news of Gordon’s death was received. At early morning on the 27th of January, Farag Pasha, a black slave whom Gordon had freed and advanced, and who had been implicitly trusted throughout, opened the gates in the southern wall to the enemy. The bulk of the Mahdi’s fighting men were close at hand and at once rushed into the town. General Gordon, hearing the confusion, seized a sword in one hand and an axe in the other, and hurried to the scene. He was accompanied by Ibrahim Bey, the chief clerk, and twenty men. On his way to the Austrian consulate he met a party of the Mahdi’s men. These fired a volley, and General Gordon fell dead. The Arabs then rushed on with their spears, killed the chief clerk and nine of the men ; the rest escaped. One consul (Nicola) was made prisoner ; all the rest of the Europeans were killed, also most of the notables. The majority of the inhabitants fraternized with the enemy.

In the words of Schiller; “So died a hero, right worthy to be wor¬ shipped. ”