Two slaves came in to-day; they say the Arabs are wanting in ammunition. I do not wonder at it, at the way they fire it away; they say the Mahdi has had a revelation that the Turks will keep the country for eight years, that he is to go back and come again at the end of the eight years.[253] The little captured steamer Mahomet Ali came down near Giraffe last night, and then went back.
If Kitchener would take the place, he would be the best man to put in as Governor-General, but I must confess I think, with our Government constituted as it is, that for Her Majesty’s Government to take the charge of these countries would be a very serious burden, and that the only solution would be the Sultan taking them over, with a subsidy and the ports of Suakin and Massowah. Judging from Towfik’s telegram to me, it would seem that the Hewitt Treaty has fallen through, for he speaks of the retention of Kassala.
Our Government has two courses to pursue, one to appoint Kitchener or some other Governor-General, and to be prepared to give him £500,000 a year for two years, for he will never get any taxes worth speaking of; for two years, also, our Government must be prepared to renew the stores, war material, &c., and give 6000 extra soldiers to the Soudan. Second, to give the country over to the Sultan with two millions and the ports.
To me the last is the best and speediest course to pursue; it rids Her Majesty’s Government for ever of any responsibility. If the first course was taken, to my mind, a sine quâ non for its success would be, to make up with France in re Egypt.
There is one other course, an intermediate one, viz., Zubair, with £100,000 a year, and replenished magazines.
About forty females congregated under my window, yelling for food. It delights me to think of the treat Baring will have when he gets here (if ever he does). I do not think there are 500 Arabs in the camp on north side, and no horsemen, though their straw huts extend further than they did in the first blockade. The Zubair steamer was launched to-day. With respect to the force of Arabs on north side it may be said, “if so few, why not attack them;” but supposing I was wrong, and they were more than I think, a defeat would cause the fall of the town, therefore I will not risk it.
The Ulemas and Notables got a telegram from Towfik excusing himself for his indolence. They came to-day and wished to send an answer, which I agreed to. They did this of their free will, and not prompted much by me. It will make Towfik hop. Of the Ulemas who came, two (the Sheikh el Islam and the Cadi) had been imprisoned by me.[254]
November 28.—Fort Omdurman all right. Another of the wounded has died. Two soldiers came in from the Arabs. Small church parades, that on the Blue Nile rather larger than usual. We have to-day in store 174,400 okes of biscuit and 1165 ardebs of dhoora, which is not bad after 261 days’ blockade. A slave has come in at the North Fort, and says the Arabs are expecting four steamers to come up. I hope that the officer in command will clear Halfeyeh before he pushes on to this, for he may get a shell from the Arabs at Omdurman into one of his steamers. I do not like to risk the Bordeen down by herself to give this warning. If the steamers do come up, and have not the sense to stop at Halfeyeh, I shall endeavour to warn them by a tremendous fire on the Arabs at Omdurman. The danger is at the Ras, or nose (x), on the junction of the rivers. We are protecting the Bordeen by casing her steam-chest with wood. The proper thing to do would be to clear the Halfeyeh camp of the Arabs before coming on here. You could then communicate with Kartoum by land, and avoid having to run in penny steamboats the gauntlet of Arab guns.