ear. In this affair my desire, I
own, would be to take Zebehr. I cannot exactly say why I feel
towards him thus, and I feel sure that his going would settle the
Soudan affair to the benefit of H.M.'s Government, and I would
bear the responsibility of recommending it.

"C. G. GORDON, Major-General."

An interview between Gordon and Zebehr was therefore arranged for 26th
January, the day after this memorandum was written. On 25th it should
also be remembered that the Khedive had again made Gordon
Governor-General of the Soudan. Besides the two principals, there were
present at this interview Sir Evelyn Baring, Sir Gerald Graham,
Colonel Watson, and Nubar Pasha. Zebehr protested his innocence of the
charges made against him; and when Gordon reminded him of his letter,
signed with his hand and bearing his seal, found in the divan of his
son Suleiman, he called upon Gordon to produce this letter, which, of
course, he could not do, because it was sent with the other
incriminating documents to the Khedive in 1879. The passage in that
letter establishing the guilt of Zebehr may, however, be cited, it
being first explained that Idris Ebter was Gordon's governor of the
Bahr Gazelle province, and that Suleiman did carry out his father's
instructions to attack him.

"Now since this same Idris Ebter has not appreciated our kindness
towards him, nor shown regard for his duty towards God, therefore
do you accomplish his ejection by compulsory force, threats, and
menaces, without personal hurt, but with absolute expulsion and
deprivation from the Bahr-el-Gazelle, leaving no remnant of him
in that region, no son, and no relation. For he is a
mischief-maker, and God loveth not them who make mischief."

It is highly probable, from the air of confidence with which Zebehr
called for the production of the letter, that, either during the Arabi
rising or in some other way, he had recovered possession of the
original; but Gordon had had all the documents copied in 1879, and
bound in the little volume mentioned in the preceding Memorandum, as
well as in several of his letters, and the evidence as to Zebehr's
complicity and guilt seems quite conclusive.

In his Memorandum Gordon makes two conditions: first, "if Zebehr bears
no malice personally against me, I will take him to the Soudan at
once," and this condition is given further force later on in refe