In his Journals—his last words—those familiar with his character and life will see Charles Gordon true to himself to the very end. They will see in him the same ardent passion for justice and for truth; the same scorn for wrong-doing and deceit; the same gentle pity for the sufferings of all, and the same mercy and forgiveness for his foes: and with all this is combined the perfection of humility, and the sense of imperfection. There is no impatience, save with those who wronged his honour and the poor people for whom he died; there is no unrest, for he neared that “life of action” for which he had long yearned; there is no sorrow, no dark doubt, for Charles Gordon was with his God.
A. Egmont Hake.
[GENERAL GORDON’S POSITION AT KARTOUM.]
Only a very few words on my part are necessary in laying these Journals before the public.
On New Year’s Day, 1884, General Gordon arrived at Brussels from the Holy Land, and at once commenced his arrangements with His Majesty the King of the Belgians to proceed to the Congo.
After visiting England once or twice, he left this country for Belgium and the Congo on the morning of the 16th January.
On the 17th January he was recalled by telegram. He reached London on the morning of the 18th, and was on his road to Kartoum upon that evening.
At this time, he felt quite confident of success, his instructions being that, by restoring the ancient families, whose territories had been seized by the Egyptian authorities, to their former power, he would be able to extricate the Egyptian garrisons and civil employés with their families, and remove them to Lower Egypt without difficulty.