e said Father Bonomi was aware with what affection he regarded
him, and that, therefore, he could not bear the thought of losing him.
At the same time he instructed Wad Suleiman to give us whatever was
necessary for our sustenance from the beit el mal; this occurred on the
5th of February, 1884.

Just at this time, when all hopes of release seemed at an end, God sent
us light in the midst of our darkness. Some people arrived from Khartum
and reported that Gordon Pasha had reached there and had been received
with great enthusiasm.

The alarm with which this news was received by the Mahdi and his
adherents, and the delight which it occasioned to those who still hoped
for deliverance, can readily be understood. The Mahdi, who thought the
Sudan was actually in his grasp, was thoroughly upset, for it was
generally believed that Gordon had brought Englishmen with him. A few
days later he received a letter from Gordon, and the anxiety to know
what it contained was enormous. Nothing else was talked about, and when
the Mahdi ordered the letter to be read in public the disappointment was
very great.

In this letter Gordon offered the Mahdi the whole of the Western Sudan,
of which he said he should be considered the Sultan. He authorised the
continuance of the slave trade, and free transit to all pilgrims going
to Mecca; and, in conclusion, he asked for the release of the prisoners.
The Mahdi laughed at Gordon's proposals, and thought him a very cunning
unbeliever, who was attempting to delude him with vain promises merely
to gain time. He could not understand how it was Gordon came to offer
him what he already possessed some time ago; and he remarked that the
very ground on which Gordon was standing was practically in his hands.
The fact that Gordon had brought no troops with him served to further
increase his pride, and his reply was couched in the following
terms:--He said that when he was at Abba Island he had warned the
Government officials that if they refused to recognise him as the Mahdi,
they would undoubtedly perish. He had repeated the same warning to Yusef
Pasha Esh Shellali, and to Hicks Pasha. He informed him of the surrender
of Darfur, and concluded by saying that he had no desire for worldly
benefits. His object was to reform the people, and he invited Gordon to
come and join him. With the letter the Mahdi sent him a complete set of
Dervish garments, viz. a jibbeh, takia, turban, girth, and pair of
sandals.

M