The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-09-08 00:00:00

SOME OF GORDON'S MEN.

The Standard correspot-elent, writing from Cairo
under date August 114th, gives the following interest-
ing description of some sf Gordon's men :—Yeater
day Captain Montgonwrie arrived in Cairo on the
steanwr Nil, bringing down with him Id of Gordon'a
men, picked up at Dongola. Moat of thews were not
regular soldiers, but sailors, stokers, firemen, &c.
Captain Montgomerie had been much struck during
the voyage down to Cairo with the patience and good
behaviour of thesw men, and instanced their physical
courage by quoting the CSMI of one man who had been
ahot through the nhoul,lea nine months ago, hut who had
never mentioned his wound till the day of his arrival
in Cairo. This morning I went down to the steamer
to have a chat with the men, and in the cabin I
found the wounded man stripped to the waist engaged
in mending his shirt, llis shoulder was roughly
bandaged up, and he was not particularly communica-
tive. Ile said that he knew Gordon well, having
served under him pews ago, but that he had not seen
him lately, having 01,11 engaged for the hat IS months
in outpost duty. He had been wounded in Metentneh.
I asked him what he intended to do with himself, and
if he meant to enter the regular army again. He
shook his head, and said that the Egyptian army
was not worth his slipper. Pointing csmtemptieuisly
over his shoulder to a group of Aryptiatec sitting for-
ward having their midday meal, he remarked that all
they were ',cod for was to eat and drink, and he would
not fight alongside if them. "When they see ten if
the Arabi a whole regiment run away, throw down
their arms, and yell for mercy, lying on their faces ;
and they issin get the mercy of the shear! Always
in their backs ! That is not the way I like to fight"
—with a most ugly sneer 1m his actrred face.
On deck I found several UM' men, ansongat them a
master smith (and soldier) who appeared to have A
tolerably clear recollection Ili the events id the siege,
lie said that of Gordon's great mistakes was his
too great confidence in scamps. FILM( Pasha, foe
instance, he liberatial from chains and promoted to
Is' a Pasha. He had 1101,11 twice degraded and On- ,
pricsineil by the late Khedive, the first time at
Fasted& and the second at Khartoum. Gordon
knocked off his fetters and made him Sub-Governor
if Khartoum He was always working against
Gordon. "I remember, shortly before the fall of
Khartouin, he read and circulated a paper which he
said was signed by Gordon, to the effect that there
were no more victuals in the town, and nothing was
left hot to surrender. There were many "thee Inferiiir
officialx of the same stamp. The second ,great
take was in sending our steamers down to Metemneli
(ii miies't the Enaliah. As long as we were there with
our fleet the eels-la could never get near the lilacs-. All
our steamers are gone now almost. We used to build
thiin and mend them there as well as you could do
here in Cairo. They were a fine aerviceable little
flotilla. When we went down to Metemneh Gorden
came out in front id the Palace and spoke to twin Arabic,
which he had learnt pretty well. He said we were sure
to filet the English either at Metcenneh or Mhendli
and if we did not find them on the first day of our
arrival we were not 4, be dtaeouraged, but they wen-
certain to be there the nest. When we got down GI
Iletemneh we were fired upon from all sides. We
hot two of our five steamers on the way down. We
landed acme of our guns and mounted them on high
places, and held our own, according to our instruc-
tions, till tbe English came. 'rhem we heard Khartoum
had talk& Alf our wive' sad bathes awl pus.

aeasiems are, or were, in Khartoum. I have not ev.•rt
got my Gordon medal. If only the English ha 4
milled on a little quicker they would have (o,t tlare
before Gordon conCCived the unforttinah• nh, „(
sendini away his 144a:sere to meet them. The Aral,
were thoroughly frightened after Alm Klea, and the
English could have come up easily. I think." I
asked him about Stewart (whom he called Semiarid
Parha, and he maid 'Yea, I went (14.W111 in • .1,••
the hots with him. We wanted I to keep to tin.
main branch 14 the river, lint he insisted en
down the channel where he struck. We knew he Inel
been murdered, hut we hardly dared to tell Gordon
. We did, however, but he would not belime
for an instant, and laughed at the story, &darn,
that Stewart was in the English Camp long ago. S.
we did not insist, Isit let I conti 111 l ein Lis Wirt.-
After ether 14 .V 0•711414,21 I left the host. with many
voluble salutations delivered with Imad grins fr...a
the tatterdemalion remnant of Gerdon's
• who 1.1,111e1i perfectly happy mending their shut. iii
eace after thee long campaign.