New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-01
4 MODEL EXPEDITION.

The Sirdar is nearing Khartoum. He was NJ
rmtcrif on Tuesday. only thirty miles away.
Yesterday he advanced ten miles nearer To-
day may soc the remaining distance halved'
and tomorrow the grand attack. and the Cross
of ST George planted above the scene OF tor
don's martyrdom. That there will be serious
resistance at Omlurnan IS not TO be antici-
pated II Is trre that OSman Digna Is there
with the Khalifa But that interesting cut
throat has long been known as the Grand
Master of the Art Of Flight" He has sent as
many of his wives ms he cares 10 keep and all
of his yaluablcs across to Jcidah and has Ill
preparations made for his own fight thther;
which will doubtless he executed At signal
from the Srdar's guns. Shortly afterward we
may expect ncwG Of renewed rGctiOnS in le-
men As for Abdullah tho Taaishn. he hns
brought himself 10 the verge Of paresis. and
his once superb army 10 tho depths Of demoral-
ization That nc and his 5O,o00-to make
liberal cstmaic-can stand for moment be-
fore tho Slrdar and his $1,000 is simply incon-
cclvable 1t will he a repetition Of the Atbara,
If no; Of Donyola. Thus tardily. after more
than thirteen years, will the prophecy of Cor
don be fulfilled. The British will have gone
In and smashed the Mahdi. or his successor.
Of one transccndont Christian hero,
The rcconqucSt of the Soudan is now so near
ly effected and so well assured that it is. In
Itself no longer the most interesting consid-
GRAFTON of the case The latter distinction must
belong 10 the manner Of It's execution which
will. we are inclined 10 think. form n perpetual
landmark in the annals Of warfare. For many
n year the unreadncss. laundering and delay
OF British expeditions have been provcrbial.
Napier could tell MS. and truly. with what might
and majesty the British soldier fights. II would
take the scathnG pen Of n Noltaire 10 char
actcrIzc ftingly the disastrous mbccility and
incompetence with which the transportation
and commissarat OF more than one campaign
have been conducted. In the Crlmea, In Ash
nntee. and thirteen years ago on the Nile, II
was always tho same story. But to-day tho
record is redeemed. The Slrdar's campaign
from Cairo 10 Khartoum stands rs n model for
all time Of that perfect preparation. that I'M
hating execution and that supreme fulnlmoni
which we are wont to associate with tho rc-
mOrscless processes Of fate rather than with
the falliblc enterprises of mankind
Every step in the campaign was carefully
planned In advance and every one hns been
taken without delay or stumbling. Tho cN-
petition has moved on schedule time with the
precision Of well regulated railroad train: or.
II I, has departed therefrom. II has been mere
" 10 inaka more rapid progress. year ago
tho early part OF October was the time set for
tho arrival ut Khartoum. Three months ago
September 20 was named. To-day Is Scpicm-
Dor l. and tho Slrdar and his army are within
a dav's march OF thelr goal and ready 10 strike
tho blow NJ any moment. And there has not
been defeat nor blunder nor failure OF
supplies. nor single untoward incident In the
whole two years campaign for the reconqucst
Of an empire In perfect preparation we may
compare II with Moitkes campaign 10 Kong
gr;itz. and in successful execution with NapcrS
to Magdala. a third comparable example does
no, come 10 mind In Charles Gordon Great
Britain lost one who I'm old times would
worthily have been crowned as hero and canon
lied IA saint. In Herbert Kitchener she has
found one who proves that the race Of Wolfcs
and Wclleslcys Of Napiers and NIcholsons Ia
not extinct