ction of delivering 1600 human beings from slavery. This will
show that one of his principal difficulties was caused by his own
subordinates, who were hand-in-glove with the leading slavehunters.
Another of Gordon's troubles arose from the collapse of his staff
under the terrible heat. Of those enumerated as having gone up with or
to him in May, all were dead or invalided in September; and the duties
of sick-nurse at last became so excessive that Gordon had to order, in
his own quaint manner, that no one who was sick should be allowed to
come to headquarters. Only in this way was he able to obtain the time
necessary for the accomplishment, single handed, of his various
duties. Such was the strain on him that he gave positive injunctions
that no more Europeans, and especially young English officers, were to
be sent up to him.

As soon as it was realised that the new Governor was in earnest, that
he was bent on crushing the slave-trade, and that he would not permit
corruption or extortion in any form, he became the mark of general
hostility. The intrigues to mislead and discredit him were incessant.
Abou Saoud, who had been formerly banished by Sir Samuel Baker from
the Soudan, and then taken into high favour by Gordon, turned out a
fraud and a failure, while Raouf Bey, the nominee of the Khartoum
Governor-General, was sent back in disgrace. With regard to Abou Saoud
it may be said that Gordon never really trusted him, that is to say he
was not taken in by him, but believed he would be less able to do
injury in his service than at a distance. It was precisely the same
principle as led him to solicit the co-operation of Zebehr in 1884.

Gordon's method of dealing with those who caused him trouble was short
and simple. It consisted in a brief but unchallengeable order to go
back to the base. As the officials would have been murdered by the
people they had so long and so often injured if they attempted to seek
shelter among them, they had no alternative save to obey; and thus,
one after another, Gordon brushed the chief obstructionists from his
path. He served the old troublesome soldiers who would not work or
change their ways after the same fashion, by sending them to his
Botany Bay at Khartoum. In the midst of all these troubles he kept
well, although "a mere shadow," and he still retained the conviction
that he would be able to do much good work in this unpromising region.

In dealing with the natives, he endeavoured f