He and I then put the candles
into the sockets, placed the lantern on the table in front of the
window, lit the candles, and then we sat down at the table. The
Pasha then said, "When God was portioning out fear to all the
people in the world, at last it came to my turn, and there was no
fear left to give me. Go, tell all the people in Khartoum that
Gordon fears nothing, for God has created him without fear." '
On January 5th, Omdurman, a village on the opposite bank of the
Nile, which had hitherto been occupied by the besieged, was taken
by the Arabs. The town was now closely surrounded, and every
chance of obtaining fresh supplies was cut off. The famine became
terrible; dogs, donkeys, skins, gum, palm fibre, were devoured by
the desperate inhabitants. The soldiers stood on the
fortifications like pieces of wood. Hundreds died of hunger
daily: their corpses filled the streets; and the survivors had
not the strength to bury the dead. On the 20th, the news of the
battle of Abu Klea reached Khartoum. The English were coming at
last. Hope rose; every morning the Governor-General assured the
townspeople that one day more would see the end of their
sufferings; and night after night his words were proved untrue.
On the 23rd, a rumour spread that a spy had arrived with letters,
and that the English army was at hand.
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