The fortunate discovery of
a large store of grain, concealed by some merchants for purposes
of speculation, once more postponed the catastrophe. But the
attacking army grew daily more active; the skirmishes around the
lines and on the river more damaging to the besieged; and the
Mahdi's guns began an intermittent bombardment of the palace. By
December 10th it was calculated that there was not fifteen days'
food in the town; 'truly I am worn to a shadow with the food
question', Gordon wrote; 'it is one continuous demand'. At the
same time he received the ominous news that five of his soldiers
had deserted to the Mahdi. His predicament was terrible; but he
calculated, from a few dubious messages that had reached him,
that the relieving force could not be very far away. Accordingly,
on the 14th, he decided to send down one of his four remaining
steamers, the Bordeen, to meet it at Metemmah, in order to
deliver to the officer in command the latest information as to
the condition of the town. The Bordeen carried down the last
portion of the Journals, and Gordon's final messages to his
friends. Owing to a misunderstanding, he believed that Sir Evelyn
Baring was accompanying the expedition from Egypt, and some of
his latest and most successful satirical fancies played around
the vision of the distressed Consul-General perched for days upon
the painful eminence of a camel's hump.
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