At night.
3 of Moharram, 1302.
22nd October, 1884.
The forcible sentence: “I am here like iron, and I hope to see the newly-arrived English,” runs as a rhymed couplet:—
“Wa ana mawjood hona zey el hhadeed
Wa ashoof el Ingleez el jadeed.”
This may have been accidental on the part of the scribe, for the letter is written in Arabic, but it is worth notice. The phraseology, and even the words, are General Gordon’s own—as he wrote in a former letter that he chose his own words by help of his dictionary, and did not suffer his scribes to write only as they pleased.
Supposed Enclosure in Mahdi’s letter.
Intercepted communication from General Gordon to the Mudir of Dongola.
Note (in Arabic) from General Gordon to the Mudir of Dongola.