or the whole
country would have risen."

At Dara he came across a gang of 210 slaves, who had been rescued, but
who had received no food for thirty-six hours. His heart was filled
with pity for them, and he wrote:--

"I am a fool, I dare say, but I cannot see the sufferings of these
people without tears in my eyes.... It is a sad sight to see the
poor starved creatures looking so wistfully at one. What can I do?
Poor souls! I cannot feed or look after them. I must leave it to
God, who will arrange all in kindness. Some of them were so
miserably thin. I have sent them some dhoora. I declare solemnly
that I would give my life willingly to save the sufferings of these
people; and if I would do this, how much more does He care for them
than such imperfection as I am! You would have felt sick had you
seen them. Poor creatures! thirty-six hours without food!"

The more experience Colonel Gordon had of his Bashi-Bazouk soldiers,
the more he seems to have disliked them:--

"I am worn to a shadow by the utter uselessness of the
Bashi-Bazouks. The very sight of them excites my ire. I never saw
such a useless, expensive set. I hate (there is no other word for
it) these Arabs; and I like the Blacks--patient, enduring, and
friendly, as much as the Arab is cowardly, cruel, and effeminate.
All the misery is due to these Arab and Circassian Pashas and
authorities. I would not stay a day here for these wretched
creatures, but I would give my life for these Blacks."

Writing from Dara, he mentions an instance which occurred on the march
to that place to show the cowardly nature of his men, as well as the
bravery of the Blacks. His force of 3500 men was attacked by the
Leopard tribe, numbering only 700 men. In spite of these overwhelming
odds in their favour, Gordon says that his men were nearly beaten. "I
was sickened," he said, "to see twenty brave men of the tribes in
alliance with me ride out to meet the Leopard tribe, unsupported by my
men, who crowded into the stockade. It was terribly painful. The only
thing which restrained me from riding out to the attack was the
sheep-like state in which my people would have been had I been killed.
What, also, would have become of the province?"

Notwithstanding the inferior quality of his troops, Colonel Gordon was
determined to march on and pay a visit to Zebehr Rahama's camp, one of
the boldest acts of his life. Ze