trong forts
on the Gura plateau they were induced, by jealousy of each other or
contempt for their enemy when he appeared, to leave the shelter of
their forts, and to fight in the open. The Egyptian Ratib had the good
sense to advise, "Stay in the forts," but Loring exclaimed: "No! march
out of them. You are afraid!" and thus a taunt once again sufficed to
banish prudence. The result of this action, which lasted only an hour,
was the loss of over 10,000 Egyptian troops, of 25 cannon, and 10,000
Remington rifles. The survivors took refuge in the forts, and
succeeded in holding them. Negotiations then followed, and King John
showed an unexpected moderation and desire for peace with Egypt, but
only on the condition of the surrender of his recalcitrant vassal
Michael. Michael retaliated by carrying raids into King John's
territory, thus keeping the whole border in a state of disorder, which
precluded all idea of a stable peace.

Such was the position with which General Gordon had to deal. He had to
encourage the weakened and disheartened Egyptian garrison, to muzzle
Michael without exposing the Khedive to the charge of deserting his
ally, and to conclude a peace with Abyssinia without surrendering
either Bogos or Michael. At this stage we are only called upon to
describe the first brief phase of this delicate question, which at
recurring intervals occupied Gordon's attention during the whole of
his stay in the Soudan. His first step was to inform Michael that the
subsidy of money and provisions would only be paid him on condition
that he abstained from attacking the Abyssinian frontier; his next to
write a letter to King John, offering him fair terms, and enclosing
the draft of a treaty of amity. There was good reason to think that
these overtures would have produced a favourable result if it had been
possible for General Gordon to have seen King John at that time, but
unfortunately a fresh war had just broken out with Menelik, and King
John had to proceed in all haste to Shoa. He did not reply to Gordon's
letter for six months, and by that time Gordon was too thoroughly
engaged in the Soudan to take up the Abyssinian question until the
force of events, as will be seen, again compelled him to do so.

Having decided that the Abyssinian dispute must wait, General Gordon
proceeded by Kassala on his journey to Khartoum. Travelling not less
than thirty miles a day, in great heat, organising the administration
on his way, and g