around him pressed on or wavered the individuals of a
forlorn hope. It will be difficult for anyone to find in all the
annals of war another instance of human courage more nearly
approaching the sublime.

In November 1875 General Gordon had fully made up his mind to resign
and return to Cairo, in consequence of the indifference with which he
was treated by the Khedive's Government, and he had actually written
the telegrams announcing this intention, and given orders to pack up
the stores for the passage down the Nile, when the receipt of a long
letter full of praise and encouragement from the Khedive Ismail
induced him to alter his plans, to tear up the telegrams, and to
continue his work. General Gordon gives his reason for changing his
mind very briefly: "The man had gone to all this expense under the
belief that I would stick to him; I could not therefore leave him." So
he stayed on for another year. In July 1876 he formally and more
deliberately resigned, but the execution of this decision had to be
postponed by the necessity he felt under, as already explained, of
solving the geographical questions connected with the Nile and the
Lakes, and also of securing the southern frontier against Kaba Rega
and Mtesa.

These tasks accomplished, or placed in the way of accomplishment,
there remained no let or hindrance to his departure; and by the end of
October he was in Khartoum. But even then he felt uncertain as to his
ultimate plans, and merely telegraphed to the Cairo authorities that
he intended to come down for a time. With his back turned on the scene
of his labours, the old desire not to leave his work half done came
over him, and all the personal inconvenience and incessant hardship
and worry of the task were forgotten in the belief that he was called
on by God "to open the country thoroughly to both Lakes." He saw very
clearly that what he had accomplished in the three years of his stay
did not provide a permanent or complete cure of the evils arising out
of the slave-trade and the other accompaniments of misgovernment, and
he did not like to be beaten, which he admitted he was if he retired
without remedying anything. These reflections explain why, even when
leaving, his thoughts were still of returning and resuming the work,
little more than commenced, in those Mussulman countries, where he
foresaw a crisis that must come about soon.

But these thoughts and considerations did not affect his desire for a
chang