he wrote:
"I hope _much_ from Zebehr's coming up, for he is so well known to all
up here." I come now to the correspondence referred to.

Some time after communications were broken off with Khartoum, Miss
Gordon wrote to Zebehr, begging him to use his influence with the
Mahdi to get letters for his family to and from General Gordon. To
that Zebehr replied as follows:--

"TO HER EXCELLENCY MISS GORDON,--I am very grateful to you for
having had the honour of receiving your letter of the 13th, and
am very sorry to say that I am not able to write to the Mahdi,
because he is new, and has appeared lately in the Soudan. I do
not know him. He is not of my tribe nor of my relations, nor of
the tribes with which I was on friendly terms; and for these
reasons I do not see the way in which I could carry out your
wish. I am ready to serve you in all that is possible all my life
through, but please accept my excuse in this matter.

"Please accept my best respects.

ZEBEHR RAHAMAH, Pasha.

"CAIRO, _22nd January 1885_."

Some time after the fall of Khartoum, Miss Gordon made a further
communication to Zebehr, but, owing to his having been exiled to
Gibraltar, it was not until October 1887 that she received the
following reply, which is certainly curious; and I believe that this
letter and personal conversations with Zebehr induced one of the
officers present at the interview on 26th January 1884 to change his
original opinion, and to conclude that it would have been safe for
General Gordon to have taken Zebehr with him:--

"CAIRO [_received by Miss Gordon
about 12th October 1887_].

"HONOURABLE LADY,--I most respectfully beg to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter, enclosed to that addressed to me by His
Excellency Watson Pasha.

"This letter has caused me a great satisfaction, as it speaks of
the friendly relations that existed between me and the late
Gordon Pasha, your brother, whom you have replaced in my heart,
and this has been ascertained to me by your inquiring about me
and your congratulating me for my return to Cairo" [that is,
after his banishment to Gibraltar].

"I consider that your poor brother is still alive in you, and for
the whole run of my life I put myself at your disposal, and beg