d on that voyage. To
make matters worse, the ship was compelled to pass through the very
territory where Gordon's name was best known, and he was most beloved,
and thus the Suez Canal voyage was a kind of royal progress.
Unfortunately the homage paid was to the subordinate, the uncrowned
king, and not to him who held the higher position. It was Gordon's
opinion that was sought for, it was to him that every one looked, and
it is said by the well informed, that at least once on the voyage this
led to difficulties. Be that as it may, the experience of that voyage
showed Colonel Gordon that he was utterly out of place, and that it was
neither fair to himself, nor to his chief, that he should continue in
it, so he decided to resign at Bombay, which place he reached on June
1st. All sorts of reasons for this resignation were suggested at the
time, but none of them went very near the mark. Of course some said
that the difference of opinion on religious matters was the cause,
while others alleged a political reason, saying that Colonel Gordon was
opposed to the treatment of Yakoob Khan, the late Ameer of Afghanistan.
Colonel Gordon's brother, the late Sir H. Gordon, has given publicity
to this latter as the reason, but as a matter of fact it is not the
correct one, and there is no use handing down false reports to
posterity. More than this I am not at liberty to say.

The only published statement on the subject from Gordon himself was as
follows:--

"In a moment of weakness I took the appointment of private
secretary to Lord Ripon, and repented that I had done so at once,
but I did not like to say so. I went out, and saw at Bombay that in
my irresponsible position I could not possibly hope to do anything
really to the purpose, in the face of vested interests out there;
so seeing this was the case, and also observing that my views were
diametrically opposed to those of the official classes, I gave it
up. It certainly was a great consideration with me--Lord Ripon's
position--for it was assumed by some, that my views of the state of
affairs were those of the Viceroy, and then I felt I would do him
harm by staying with him. Lord Ripon and I left perfect friends.
The brusqueness of my leaving was unavoidable, inasmuch as my stay
would have put me in the possession of State things that I ought
not to know. Certainly, I might have stayed a month or two, and had
a pain in th