12 THE WAR IN THE SOUDAN.

England’s taking the responsibility of helping Egypt to govern herself (for that is what she is really doing) in the form of a fable.

In a great street where rich and powerful merchants were wont to con¬ gregate stood a large shop. This shop was owned by a man who lived far

away, and who took little interest in the business as long as his share of the profits was regularly sent to him. The proprietor was called by some people the sick man. This shop of his was very badly managed. The head clerk cared as little as did his master as to how matters stood. He was very extra¬ vagant, he spent enormous sums of money, presumably in the management

of the business, and his subordinates did the same. The consequence was that both the customers and the wholesale merchants were very harshly treated. The former did not get the worth of their money ; the latter were never paid. The whole affair naturally soon became insolvent.

Behind this shop stood a great warehouse. It was a very grand one—

so grand that the lady v ho owned it (for it was a lady at the time I speak of) called herself by a title specially on its account. This title was “ Kaiser-I- Hind. ” Unfortunately the only way worth speaking of to get into this ware¬ house was through the shop I spoke of a moment ago. There was a back

way, but it was very round about. Amongst the clerks of another merchant

was one clever one who proposed that people should go through the shop into the warehouse. The lady jumped at the idea at once and gladly paid an enormous sum of money (she was very rich) for the right to go through the sick man’s premises whenever she wished.

Well, as I have said, the shop was in a bad way. The great lady, seeing how useful, in fact necessary, it was to her that the business should be kept on, lent the managers money, more money probably than all the other merchants put together felt inclined to do. The consequence was she became the chief creditor—and this is a very important point. The merchant to whom the clever clerk belonged certainly had great claims too, but he did not seem to take any very great interest in matters. He had no warehouse in the rear, you see.

Matters instead of getting better grew worse. The hands employed in the shop—and there were very large numbers of them—were harshly treated. But they had no redress. The head clerk pocketed as much money as he

could, every other clerk did the same, the expenses were tremendous, the money spent in stationery alone being something fabulous.

Amongst the subordinates was a bold man. He saw the disaffection which existed amongst the shop-boys. He made friends with them, and

defied the chief manager, the real proprietor, and the great lady—all three.

The down trodden shop-boys, and indeed many in higher positions also,

flocked to him ; the managers were powerless ; he seized the shop—and the greatest tumult arose.