glass, sweeps the horizon as far as possible, and
notes as clearly as may be the position of the Madhi's forces, which now
surrounded the City. As night falls, he visits the men at their various
stations, to give them advice, or encouragement, as the case might be
deemed necessary. In the daytime he studies his maps and reads his
Bible, and a work on "Holy living," by Thomas a Kempis, and preserves
such a faith in God as inspired all around him with a courage akin to his
own.

"He held the city, he so long
Faithful mid falterers, mid much weakness strong,
Upon those ramparts now he fought, he planned,
That Citadel was by one true man well manned."

A letter from Kitchener reached Gordon, which raised his hopes and
considerably brightened his prospects for the time being. It ran thus:--

"Dear General Gordon.--Mr. Edgerton has asked me to send you the
following:--'August 30th. Tell Gordon steamers are being passed over
the Second Cataracts, and that we wish to be informed through Dongola
exactly when he expects to be in difficulties as to provision and
ammunition.' Message ends--"Lord Wolseley is coming out to command;
the 35th regiment is now being sent from Halfa to Dongola. Sir E.
Wood is at Halfa, General Earle, Dormer, Buller, and Freemantle are
coming up the Nile with troops. I think an expedition will be sent
across from here to Khartoum, while another goes with steamers to
Berber. A few words about what you wish to be done would be
acceptable."

{Gordon's last slumber: p118.jpg}

In Gordon's journal he says:--"My view is this as to the operations of
British forces. I will put three steamers each with two guns on them,
and an armed force of infantry at the disposal of any British authority;
will send these steamers to either Methemma opposite Shendy, or to the
cataract below Berber to meet there any British force which may come
across country to the Nile. . . . I cannot too much impress upon you
that this expedition will not encounter any enemy worth the name in a
European sense of the word; the struggle is with the climate and
destitution of the country. It is one of time and patience, and of small
parties of determined men backed by native allies, which are to be got by
policy and money. . . . It is the country of the irregular, not of the
regular. If you move in mass you will find no end of difficulties;
whereas if you let detached parties dash out