All this should have been clear to
those in authority, after a very little reflection. It was clear
enough to Sir Evelyn Baring, though, with characteristic
reticence,
he had abstained from giving expression to his thoughts. But,
even
if a general acquaintance with Gordon's life and character were
not
sufficient to lead to these conclusions, he himself had taken
care to
put their validity beyond reasonable doubt.
Both in his interview with Mr. Stead and in his letter to Sir
Samuel Baker,
he had indicated unmistakably his own attitude towards the Sudan
situation.
The policy which he advocated, the state of feeling in which he
showed
himself to be, was diametrically opposed to the declared
intentions of the
Government. He was by no means in favour of withdrawing from the
Sudan; he was in favour, as might have been supposed, of vigorous
military action. It might be necessary to abandon, for the time
being, the more remote garrisons in Darfur and Equatoria; but
Khartoum must be held at all costs. To allow the Mahdi to enter
Khartoum would not merely mean the return of the whole of the
Sudan to barbarism; it would be a menace to the safety of Egypt
herself. To attempt to protect Egypt against the Mahdi by
fortifying her southern frontier was preposterous. 'You might as
well fortify against a fever.
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