From General Gordon. (Reply to his honour the Sheikh Abderrahhman en Najoomi.)
Your letter sent by Mr. George Calamatino, who is called El Jâber, has reached us. That which you have made known in it is understood. It is true that this is not my country, and I am a stranger in it, but I am deputed as Governor-General here by the two great Governments, and must therefore direct its affairs as becomes my friendship and compassion for the Moslems.
If there be a man who desires to become a dervish we do not hinder him. With regard to the Ulema, you state that they are all liars, and that their words are worthless. But they have said nothing but what they find declared in the books; nay, all the Ulema of Islâm are plain on the subject.
They do not wish to sleep on the (bare) ground, or to be dressed like dervishes, or to change the clothing to which they have been accustomed from the beginning of the Moslem religion.
We have never sent answers to His Honour Mahomed Achmed, or to any others, at dictation of scribe or any of the Ulema, but by help of the Arabic and English lexicon in our possession, dictating them (myself) word by word; and if you do not believe this send us an eminent man, of good sense, to listen to my words (and hear), whether they are my own or not.
In proof (of what I say) I have received three dervishes from Mahomed Achmed. They had with them the robes, (of a dervish), and I spoke to them many words in Arabic, and I refused the garments (of a dervish which had been sent by them). Was that my own doing, or that of any one else?
But as to the cannons and the guns which ye want to fight us with, we have still many like them.
We have seen from the letters we receive that the Mahdi destroys people without cannons and guns, which is true.