The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-29

nal, heleadine troops OF the British expedition.
In boats and on camels, had Just reached Kort,
tho point NJ which the caravan route starts 70
Cross the desert 10 Metemneh. Here, at Korti, q
matt OF sixteen days was necessary for tho concon-
tration OF troops and supplies: II was not until
Dec, 81, 1854, Just about the time when tho food
supplies OF the garrison OF Khartoum were OK
hausteo' That tho march was resumed. The
rate OF advance was painfully slow. Short
OF baggage animals as It was, the expedition
was forced to move forward Its mon and stores
In detachments. halting its FIRST body OF troops
at Jakdul, little moro than half the way to
Mctemneh, and ormin n depot there, while
inc canlols wero sent back to Korti to bring on
another detachment OF men and stores Whon,
AT last, tho entire column was concentrated
at 'aRoul' on Jan. 10, 1885, tho camels
were exhausted by their triple journey ana
a rest OF sixty hours was needful. IN the oven
ing OF Jan. Ia the column moved forward from
Jakdul. and from that place inward had 10
make Its way with the sword. On Jan-l'i IL
Fought the Dervishes at the Wells OF Abu hiea;
II engaged them a second time near Metemneh
on the 18th, and on the evening of the same day
tho Nile was reached at Gubat. BY the night OF
tho Goth the entire column was collected on the
left shore OF the river about three miles south
OF Metemneh. and on tho morning OF Jan. Fl,
1885. the four steamers long before sent for
ward by Gordon were sighted, and the means
OF communication was at last forthcom-
ing between tho garrison and tho expedi-
ton. Three days were to pass. however, before
the steamers left with q relief force Tor khar-
toum, and for this delay Sir Charles Wilson.
who had succeeded to tho command OF the col
umns. was at the time severely criticised. Into
the controversy on its strictly military side Mr..
Trail does not enter. Tho question which
he undertakes to answer Is whether the
three days delay. avoldable or unavoidable.
was the proximate cause Of the death or
Gordon and the fall Of khartoum. Gordon's
latest biographcr. Mr.. d. c. Boulger. contends
that 1t was. 1t would have been possible, he
urges. for Sir Charles Wilson, by a desperate Of
fort. to have snatched tho chestnuts out Of the
fire and converted the most ignominious failure
In the military annals OF the country into a cred
liable success To this his opponents have re-
piled by recalling the military situation to which
q series Of blunders had committed tho desert
column. Round Khartoum there were some
forty thousand Mahdists. In Khartoum there
were some thirty thousand people in the last
stages of starvation. Under the circumstances
1t would have been impossible TO rescue Gordon
and the garrison unless the Mahdists could be
compelled TO raise the siege Of Khartoum. Tho
latter feat could not have been accomplished by
s"O VI vi I
neh on Jan. "a. Mr.. Trail, for his part, has no
doubt that, on the oath or 25th. II not on the
21st OF January, and probably by a much earlier
day than any Of tho three, the feat had become
impracticable Khartoum, as we know. was
taken on the morning OF Jan. 20. 1t was this ex.
traordinary coincidence that made 1t possible to
persuade the largo portion of the British public
which does not trouble itself with facts that an
expedition which was more than two months
too late had missed success by a few hours. Mr..
Trail. for his part, considers 1t impossible for
any unprecedented student OF the events to with
hold his assent from the assertion that not at
Gubat, in January. 1885. but at Westminster in
the summer Of 1884, was the doom OF Gordon
scaled. Tho unwillingness Of the Gladstone
Government TO admit that any relief expedition
was needed their doubts and hesitations as TO its
character and route, their long and disastrous
delay in equipping and despatching It; to these
causes. and to no others, was the final tragedy
due; and its sad and shameful dtnouercnt was
already written in the book OF fate before q
single camel knclL on the desert sands to receive
its burden. or II single boat was launched on the
waters OF the Nile.