se, dating from 1880, to enter
into his service on the Congo, and stating that the difficulty of
having an internationally recognised Congo flag, which Gordon had made
a _sine qua non_ of his appointment, could be most speedily solved by
Gordon joining him as counsellor at once. This Gordon could not agree
to, and he went to Palestine, there to await the King's summons,
which came by Sir William Mackinnon's note in October 1883. It then
became necessary for Gordon to obtain the official permission of his
Government to take up this post, of the exact nature of which the
Foreign Office had been already informed, both by General Gordon and
King Leopold.

Gordon at once telegraphed to the War Office for the leave rendered
necessary by his being on the active list, and that Department
replied, asking for particulars. When these were furnished through the
Foreign Office the decision was announced that "the Secretary of State
declines to sanction your employment on the Congo." The telegraph
clerk, more discerning or considerate than Her Majesty's Government,
altered "declines" into "decides," and Gordon, in happy ignorance of
the truth, proceeded with all possible despatch _via_ Acre and Genoa
to Brussels, which he reached on New Year's Day, 1884. That very night
he wrote me a short note saying, "I go (_D.V._) next month to the
Congo, but keep it secret." Such things cannot be kept secret, and
four days later a leading article in _The Times_ informed his
countrymen of Gordon's new mission.

On reaching Brussels the mistake in the telegram was discovered, and
Gordon here learnt that his Congo mission was vetoed. Then came the
difficulty to know what was to be done. Without leave he could not go
anywhere without resigning his commission; he was not qualified for a
pension, and there were engagements he had voluntarily contracted that
he would not see broken, and persons who would suffer by his death,
whose interests he was in every way bound to safeguard. Therefore, if
he was to carry out his engagement with the King of the Belgians, it
was obviously necessary that he should resign the British Army, and
that the King should compensate him for his loss. The King said at
once: "Retire from the army and I will compensate you," but in a
matter of such importance to others Gordon felt nothing should be left
to chance, and that a definite contract should be made. For this he
had neither the patience nor the business knowledge, and h