The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1915-12-30

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believe am the only man who has
ever browbeaten Kitchener to his
face. It is this circumstance that
propose now to relate.
In the summer of the year 1911, Eu-
rope was astounded by the news that
Italy, which had long coveted Tripol1,
was massing an army with the object
of Selling that Turkish province with
hardly a pretense Of justification. AS
she held command of the sea, and
there were only ten thousand Turkish
troops in Tripoli, the success Of the
proposed act OF spoliation appeared a
foregone conclusion unless Turkey
could move a force through Egypt for
the purpose of defending her last Afri-
can possession.
Now Egypt, although occupied by
Great Britain, was nominally Turk
ish province. She paid a tribute to
Turkey of $3.5O0,OOO annually. The
khedive was vassal of the sultan;
Turkey has always claimed the right
to use Egypt as base for warlike op-
eraticns. The very army which over
threw the khalifa at Khartum moved
under the Turkish flag.
With large force in Syria and an
other on the east littoral Of the Red
sea, it seemed only matter OF time
before Turkey could throw enough
men into Tripoli to drive the Italians
into the sea.
Therefore the moment I heard OF
Italy's coup I began to wonder what
part Great Britain was playing in the
crisis.
Three weeks previously Sir Edward
Grey, the British foreign minister, for
whom was engaged in the unofficial
task of investigating certain influences
which were making for war in Europe,
had written me a very friendly letter,
suggesting that the recently construct
ed dam at AHsuan, on the Nile, was
one of the worlds marvels, and that a
sight of it would we'll be worth my
while as soon as my affairs permitted
me to leave Vienna, where I was then
staying
had taken the hint and gone to
Cairo, where, being acquainted with
many members of the English govern
mental staff, spent a very pleasant
fortnight, not, however, too much en-
crossed in social pleasures to prevent
me from keeping my ear to the ground,
to listen for sounds and rumors.
Lord Kitchener had just been ap-
pointed to the supreme command In
Egypt. Nominally the khedive's ad-
wiser, he was to be actually the ruler
of the province. British prestige,
which had sunk to a low ebb during
the period of his predecessor, was ex-
pected to reach the heights which 1t
occupied when Lord Cromer's nod was
law all through the valley of the Nile.
We had known that Lord Kitchen
er's appointment, coming unexpectedly
as it did, was of high significance. He
had been summoned hastily to Down
ing street; something was in the air,
and we had all felt it; his movements,
as always, were yelled in mystery,
and none knew whether he had al.
ready sailed or was still lingering in
England. Meanwhile there was nobody
In charge at Cairo with power and au-
thority to issue commands in Eng
lands name.
They knew it, that polyglot crew of
Germans, Greeks, Armenians, Copts,
Levantines; and Cairo buzzed like a
bees nest with intrigues. So that If
ever the khedive was tempted to defy
his British masters and display his no.
torious pro-Turkish sympathies, now
was the time.
So when I descended to the dining
room Of Shepherds on a certain
morning and read in newspaper that
italy had addressed an ultimatum to
Turkey, 1 knew that I had not been
recommended to Investigate the As
suan dam for nothing.
had hardly finished breakfast when
Atterbury, who was in charge, came
into the dining room. There was q