Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-18

Palestine, and after the attack on the party
at Safed he returned to London. The rev.
ing life of surveying and exploring suited
Kitchener admirably. and he went out TO
the Holy Land on surveying expeditions
three times. on the last occasion as sole
commander Of the expedition for the survey
of Galilee.
In 1878 the adr Illustration of the Island
of Cyprus was taken over by Great Britain.
and some one was wanted to organize the
land courts Kitchener was chosen To do the
arduous work. After that he was appoint
ed vice consul in the parts round about
Erzoroum. and after spending some time in
this capacity he returned to Cyprus. ex-
plored every nook and Granny of the island
and laid down the official map
He spent ten ;ears in civil employment,
and when he heard the Egyptian army was
to be reorganiZed by British officers he
volunteered and was accepted.
While governor general of the Red Sea
littoral and commandant at Suakin, he saw
actual service. and while leading 800 mixed
troops at HANDFUL he was badly wounded
and had TO go to Cairo to recuperate-
In December of the same year QsSe) Sua-
kin was besieged by the dervfshes, and
Kitchener. now recovered from hiStinjurles,
hurried to the front. He fought all through
the campaign under the generalship of Sir
Francis Grenfell, particularly distinguish
ing himself a Suakin.
Kitchener also commanded brigade at
the action of GamaiZah. anu again at the
battle of Toski seven miles from the Nile,
where Sir Francis Grenfell broke the ad-
Toski he was in charge of the cavalry, and
for his services was mentioned in the dis
patches and made a c. b.
In 1892 he succeeded Sir Francis Grenfell
sirdar, commander-in-chief, of the
Egyptian army, his local rank being lieu
tenant general. After the fall of Dongola,
in the summer of 1895. he was made a
major general on the British list and a X.
c. B.. specially promoted for distinguished
service in the field
Since then he has constructed q railway
ord; -Iry hos
town and the valley of the Nile as far as
the Atbara river, and has smashed the
best troops of the khalifa.
When the expedition for the relief of
khartoum was set on foot Kitchener was
chosen for the post of danger. He was
sent forward to Debbah to keep up COM
munication with Gordon, and, although he
failed to keep in touch, it was not due to
any lack of skill or energy on his part, but
owing to the stringent and vacillating in
structions which he daily received from
Cairo which made all his efforts futile.
After the fall of Khartoum and the COL
lapse of the expedition, Kitchener resigned
his commission in the disgraced Egyptian
army, and returned to London. The au-
thorities recognized that Kitchener had not
only done his best, but that he had shown
more skill and courage in his unsuccessful
attempt than might have been expected
under the circumstances, and he was pro-
NOTED.
The fight at Omdurman. September 2
1898 was the last and greatest evidence of
lle ne" general s "ofluerIuii Skill lie mad
1900 men; Osman Digna had 10000, as
Mahmud says, who commanded at the hot
test part of the line. 1t will suffice to tell
how these Mahdists fought to say that out
of this 5000, IL 900 were killed outright
10000 wounded and 1000 taken prisoners.
The English and Egyptian loss. killed and
wounded, was under 500 men. True, Cen
erals Hunter, Macdonald and Broadwood
were the subordinate commanders, but this
tall, cool man in white flannel uniform
was everywhere, seeing everything. 1t was
fought out just as the Sirdar Kitchener had
planned.
Kitchener is six feet four inches tall and
straight as lance. He is never tired and
never surprised. When Kitchener returned
to England from the last Egyptian cam
paign honors were heaped upon him.