A merchant found a piece
of newspaper lying in the road, in which it was stated that the
strength of the relieving forces was 15,000 men. For a moment,
hope flickered up again, only to relapse once more. The rumour,
the letters, the printed paper, all had been contrivances of
Gordon to inspire the garrison with the courage to hold out. On
the 25th, it was obvious that the Arabs were preparing an attack,
and a deputation of the principal inhabitants waited upon the
Governor-General. But he refused to see them; Bordeini Bey was
alone admitted to his presence. He was sitting on a divan, and,
as Bordeini Bey came into the room, he snatched the fez from his
head and flung it from him. 'What more can I say?' he exclaimed,
in a voice such as the merchant had never heard before. 'The
people will no longer believe me. I have told them over and over
again that help would be here, but it has never come, and now
they must see I tell them lies. I can do nothing more. Go, and
collect all the people you can on the lines, and make a good
stand. Now leave me to smoke these cigarettes.' Bordeini Bey knew
then, he tells us, that Gordon Pasha was in despair. He left the
room, having looked upon the Governor-General for the last time.
When the English force reached Metemmah, the Mahdi, who had
originally intended to reduce Khartoum to surrender through
starvation, decided to attempt its capture by assault.
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