the man who was to wield it presented himself.

Horatio Herbert Kitchener, the eldest son of a lieutenant-colonel, was
born in 1850, and, after being privately educated, entered in 1869 the
Royal Military Academy at Woolwich as a cadet of the Royal Engineers.
In the spring of 1871 he obtained his commission, and for the first ten
years of his military service remained an obscure officer, performing
his duties with regularity, but giving no promise of the talents and
character which he was afterwards to display. One powerful weapon,
however, he acquired in this time of waiting. In 1874 accident or
instinct led him to seek employment in the surveys that were being made
of Cyprus and Palestine, and in the latter country he learned Arabic.
For six years the advantage of knowing a language with which few British
officers were familiar brought him no profit. For procuring military
preferment Arabic was in 1874 as valueless as Patagonian. All this
was swiftly changed by the unexpected course of events. The year 1882
brought the British fleet to Alexandria, and the connection between
England and Egypt began to be apparent. Kitchener did not neglect his
opportunity. Securing leave of absence, he hurried to the scene of
crisis. Alexandria was bombarded. Detachments from the fleet were landed
to restore order. The British Government decided to send an army to
Egypt. British officers and soldiers were badly wanted at the seat of
war; an officer who could speak Arabic was indispensable.

Thus Kitchener came to Egypt and set his feet firmly on the high road to
fortune. He came to Egypt when she was plunged in misery and shame, when
hopeless ruin seemed already the only outcome of the public disasters,
and when even greater misfortunes impended. He remained to see her
prosperous and powerful; to restore empire to her people, peace to her
empire, honour to her army; and among those clear-minded men of action
by whom the marvellous work of regeneration has been accomplished,
Herbert Kitchener will certainly occupy the second place. Lord Wolseley
on his arrival soon found employment for the active officer who could
speak Arabic. He served through the campaign of 1882 as a major. He
joined the new army which was formed at the conclusion of the war, as
one of the original twenty-six officers. In the Nile expedition of
1885 Arabic again led him to the front, and in the service of the
Intelligence Department he found ample opportunity for hi