Some people ought to have their heads cut off, if there is to be any quiet in the Soudan; I wonder how our Government will be able to allow this to be done under their nose, for however necessary to cut their heads off, looking to future peace of the Soudan, they can scarcely be called rebels, for they may say they were forced into rebellion by the inability of the Government aiding them, and also that they had heard that the Soudan was abandoned. 3 p.m. Another battle! with Arabs at Goba, who, however, have no guns—firing terrific. 3.15 p.m. Battle is over, and we have won. Arabs silent. 3.30 p.m. Arabs began it again, by firing their gun. 3.38 p.m. Battle over, an Arab (or most likely one of my men) is standing up, throwing dust in the air (like as Shimei dusting David—“Thou bloody man.” 2 Samuel xvi. 8). The Arabs must have used up a lot of ammunition, for they kept up a good fire, though where their bullets went no one could see; the Palace and the North Fort and Muduriat being high, our bullets reach them, but theirs do not appear to reach the river. They have a regular casemate for the two guns, one directed on the Palace and one on the North Fort. They took two days to make it, quite a creditable piece of work, with a screen wall in front. In the Crimea it was supposed and considered mean to bob, and one used to try and avoid it.... used to say, “It is all well enough for you, but I am a family man,” and he used to bob at every report. For my part, I think judicious bobbing is not a fault, for I remember seeing on two occasions shells like this “●” before my eyes, which certainly, had I not bobbed, would have taken off my head (“And a good riddance too!” F. O. would say). I make these remarks with reference to the Arab rifle fire; you can see them with the telescope aim directly at this wing of the Palace and fire, and then one hears a thud in the water; I have got quite accustomed to them now. The mitrailleuse (a Gatling) moved them out of their cover this evening; we have it on the Muduriat. The Palace roof is thus—
a shell striking x would bring down the roof, so when the Arabs fire, one does not feel comfortable as one hears the shell sighing through the air, till one hears it fall; it is at least 40 feet in height, but with only two storeys. The pasha who built it (Momtoz Pasha) built it without leave from the old Khedive, taking funds which he had no right to; the old Khedive did not see it, and Ismail Pasha Ayoub, who was a prisoner here, split on him; he was tried here, and they say was poisoned, Ismail Ayoub getting his place. Ismail Ayoub was sent up because he did not treat one of the cast-off wives of the old Khedive (whom he was forced to marry) with proper respect; so this wife got up a harem intrigue, and he was exiled.
He (Ismail Ayoub) was a great scamp, whatever was the cause of his exile. He belonged to Kurdistan, and was originally a bugler in Said Pasha’s band; and I used to tell him, he was as much a foreigner in this land as I was. He was a good musician, and had learnt French and German. He is now dead. Whilst I was here, I think he was the best administrator the Soudan ever had. He was the Minister of the Interior during Lord Dufferin’s time, and wrote the famous despatch about the inutility of using the kourbatch. He! who was famous for its use up here, and who, with Cherif and Towfik, roared with laughter over the affair, for Lord Dufferin in the gravest way reported it to Lord Granville, who, I dare say, laughed as heartily over it with Mr. Sanderson. Poor Ismail Ayoub! he was a most agreeable scoundrel; but he came to grief at Cairo in 1883 as Minister of Finance. The bugler “Almas” (i.e. the diamond) telegraphed his confrères that he had killed twenty Arabs to-day!!
December 3.—This morning Arabs fired eight rounds at us, and we replied; one of our shells struck their casemate. Numbers of Arabs left Mahdi’s camp for the north. Arabs fired nine rounds into the town at night from the south lines. One shell fell into the garden of the Palace; this from the south lines. A shell from Arabs at Goba fell in the garden, so it will be seen the attention which is being paid to the Palace.
Twenty shells fell in town yesterday, but none did any harm.
I think this is the programme, and though it is of doubtful morality, perhaps it is the shortest route out of a mess. “British Expedition comes up to relieve British subjects in distress, nothing else; it finds one of its subjects acting as ruler; it takes him away, and he, on going away, appoints Zubair ruler, subject to approval of Towfik, Zubair having been allowed to come up to Kartoum, as a private individual, to look after his family.”
Now who can say anything to the British Government? It has had nothing to do with the appointment of Zubair, or with the Government of Towfik; it came up to relieve its subjects, and “Gordon is entirely responsible for the appointment of Zubair;” “even Towfik is not responsible, for Gordon did it on his own responsibility.” This will be a splendid dodge; it first clears Her Majesty’s Government of any blame, it puts the blame on me, and in the storm that is caused, I shall have been so effectually blackened that every one will forget the—well! we will not say it in direct words (count the months), we will call the Delay; in fact, I expect the public will rather blame the Government for having sent any Expedition at all for such a style of British subject; the Government will chuckle over it all, and will preserve the fiction that they have nought to do with the Soudan or Egypt.
The Opposition will be perfectly wild at seeing the Ministry get out of the mess, with what one may call really credit, while the Anti-Slavery Society and Europe at large will empty their vials of wrath on me. Towfik and his pashas will wring their hands openly over such an act ... will get such kudos! For my part I shall get out of any of those wretched honours, for the Ministry will be only too glad to say, “We could not, you know, confer any honours on him after such very disreputable conduct,” knowing well enough I would not take them if offered; and as I am not going to England again, and shall not see the papers, I shall not much mind the abuse. I think it is a splendid programme. Zubair must be given either £200,000 or £300,000 a year for two years, replenished magazines, and stores of all sorts, all the Expedition’s boats and steamers, &c., &c., and must be aided for two months in small expeditions; besides the £200,000 or £300,000 for two years, he must have down on the nail £150,000 to £200,000.
I must clear, in disgrace, out of the country, to prevent any appearance of any connivance on the part of ... in this arrangement, which he will or ought officially to deplore. I do not think Zubair will care for the Equator Province; he will agree to give that up; he will agree to uphold the Treaty of 1877 Slave Convention, and laugh as he does so. As for the Bahr Gazelle, I expect the Mahdi has it, and if so, his people will move up there, when Zubair by his politics recaptures Obeyed.