The River War | Page 8

daring and resource might turn the tide or war;
his energy would have animated a whole people; his achievements are
upon record; but it must also be set down that few more uncertain and

impracticable forces than Gordon have ever been introduced into
administration and diplomacy.
Although the Egyptian Government might loudly proclaim their
detestation of slavery, their behaviour in the Soudan was viewed with
suspicion by the European Powers, and particularly by Great Britain.
To vindicate his sincerity the Khedive Ismail in 1874 appointed Gordon
to be Governor of the Equatorial Province in succession to Sir Samuel
Baker. The name of the General was a sufficient guarantee that the
slave trade was being earnestly attacked. The Khedive would gladly
have stopped at the guarantee, and satisfied the world without
disturbing 'vested interests.' But the mission, which may have been
originally instituted as a pretence, soon became in Gordon's energetic
hands very real. Circumstances, moreover, soon enlisted the
sympathies of the Egyptian Government on the side of their zealous
agent. The slave dealers had committed every variety of atrocity for
which the most odious traffic in the world afforded occasion; but when,
under the leadership of Zubehr Rahamna, they refused to pay their
annual tribute, it was felt in Cairo that their crimes had cried aloud for
chastisement.
Zubehr is sufficiently described when it has been said that he was the
most notorious slave dealer Africa has ever produced. His infamy had
spread beyond the limits of the continent which was the scene of his
exploits to the distant nations of the north and west. In reality, his rule
was a distinct advance on the anarchy which had preceded it, and
certainly he was no worse than others of his vile trade. His scale of
business was, however, more extended. What William Whiteley was in
respect of goods and chattels, that was Zubehr in respect of slaves-- a
universal provider. Magnitude lends a certain grandeur to crime; and
Zubehr in the height of his power, at the head of the slave merchants'
confederacy, might boast the retinue of a king and exercise authority
over wide regions and a powerful army.
As early as 1869 he was practically the independent ruler of the
Bahr-el-Ghazal. The Khedive resolved to assert his rights. A small
Egyptian force was sent to subdue the rebel slaver who not only
disgraced humanity but refused to pay tribute. Like most of the
Khedivial expeditions the troops under Bellal Bey met with ill-fortune.
They came, they saw, they ran away. Some, less speedy than the rest,

fell on the field of dishonour. The rebellion was open. Nevertheless it
was the Khedive who sought peace. Zubehr apologised for defeating
the Viceregal soldiers and remained supreme in the Bahr-el-Ghazal.
Thence he planned the conquest of Darfur, at that time an independent
kingdom. The Egyptian Government were glad to join with him in the
enterprise. The man they had been unable to conquer, they found it
expedient to assist. The operations were successful. The King of Darfur,
who was distinguished no less for his valour than for his folly, was
killed. The whole country was subdued. The whole population
available after the battles became slaves. Zubehr thus wielded a
formidable power. The Khedivial Government, thinking to ensure his
loyalty, created him a Pasha--a rank which he could scarcely disgrace;
and the authority of the rebel was thus unwillingly recognised by the
ruler. Such was the situation when Gordon first came to the Soudan.
It was beyond the power of the new Governor of the Equatorial
Province at once to destroy the slave-hunting confederacy. Yet he
struck heavy blows at the slave trade, and when in 1877, after a short
visit to England, he returned to the Soudan as Governor-General and
with absolute power, he assailed it with redoubled energy. Fortune
assisted his efforts, for the able Zubehr was enticed to Cairo, and, once
there, the Government refused to allow their faithful ally and
distinguished guest to go back to his happy-hunting grounds. Although
the slave dealers were thus robbed of their great leader, they were still
strong, and Zubehr's son, the brave Suliman, found a considerable
following. Furious at his father's captivity, and alarmed lest his own
should follow, he meditated revolt. But the Governor-General, mounted
on a swift camel and attired in full uniform, rode alone into the rebel
camp and compelled the submission of its chiefs before they could
recover from their amazement. The confederacy was severely shaken,
and when, in the following year, Suliman again revolted, the Egyptian
troops under Gessi Pasha were able to disperse his forces and induce
him to surrender on terms. The terms were broken, and Suliman and ten
of his companions suffered death by shooting [von Slatin, Baron
Rudolf Karl. FIRE AND SWORD IN THE