would if it was possible."

There were some in authority who advocated leaving such a distant
garrison as Senaar to its fate, and wanted Gordon to retreat with the
Khartoum force only, picking up the Berber force on the way home.
Against this Gordon's generous heart revolted, and he was determined
that so long as he was Governor-General it should never be said that he
left his subordinates to perish. He thus telegraphs to Sir Evelyn
Baring:--

"Put yourself in my position, if you say 'rapid retreat, and leave
Senaar to its fate.' I will say, 'No, I would sooner die first,'
and will resign my commission, for I could not do it. If you say,
'Then you are no longer Governor-General,' then I am all right, and
all the responsibility is on you (for I could not be supposed, if
you turn me out of being Governor-General, to be obliged to aid
such a movement, which I think is disgraceful)."

Writing as late as October 24th, and assuming that Lord Wolseley had
conquered the country, he says:--

"I declare I do not see how we will get out of it (the Soudan) even
now; allow that you come to Khartoum, that you drive off the Arabs,
open the road to Senaar. What are you going to do? You will say,
'Take out those who wish to leave.' Well, you begin with Senaar,
and of course will have to fight all the way down. It will take
three months. During these three months, how are you to feed
Khartoum? for the moment you leave Senaar you leave your granary.
You get to Khartoum, you are face to face with 30,000 people who
will not leave, and who are hedging with the Mahdi; and with 3000
Shaggyeh all armed. You fight your way to Berber; another three
months, you have no food at Berber; then it will need another two
months to get to Dongola, which (seeing your policy) will be
hostile.

"It is indeed a terrible problem, and I wish I could see my way out
of it. Then you come into the hot months, and low Nile. This time
next year will not see you out of the Soudan with decency. Of
course you can go back now, but what was the use of your coming? I
will not allow that you came for me. You came for the garrisons of
the Soudan. Now, by the Turkish arrangement, if you act promptly,
you can get away quietly in January 1885."

Not only, however, did the British Government refuse to adopt either of
Gordon's alternative proposals, but they neglec