In Darkest Africa, Vol. 1; or, The Quest, Rescue, and Retreat of Emin, Governor of EquatoriaStanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton)
History
In Darkest Africa, Vol. 1; or, The Quest, Rescue, and Retreat of Emin, Governor of Equatoria
Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton)
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Emin Pasha, 1840-1892
In Major Kitchener's report we find a summary of the results of the
taking of Khartoum. "The massacre in the town lasted some six hours, and
about 4000 persons at least were killed. The Bashi Bazouks and white
regulars numbering 3327, and the Shaigia irregulars numbering 2330, were
mostly all killed in cold blood after they had surrendered and been
disarmed." The surviving inhabitants of the town were ordered out, and as
they passed through the gate were searched, and then taken to Omdurman
where the women were distributed among the Mahdist chiefs, and the men
were stripped and turned adrift to pick a living as they could. A Greek
merchant, who escaped from Khartoum, reported that the town was betrayed
by the merchants there, who desired to make terms with the enemy, and not
by Farag Pasha.
Darfur, Kordofan, Senaar, Bahr-el-Ghazal, Khartoum, had been possessed by
the enemy; Kassala soon followed, and throughout the length and breadth
of the Soudan there now remained only the Equatorial Province, whose
Governor was Emin Bey Hakim--the Faithful Physician.
Naturally, if English people felt that they were in duty bound to rescue
their brave countryman, and a gallant General of such genius and
reputation as Gordon, they would feel a lively interest in the fate of
the last of Gordon's Governors, who, by a prudent Fabian policy, it was
supposed, had evaded the fate which had befallen the armies and garrisons
of the Soudan. It follows also that, if the English were solicitous for
the salvation of the garrison of Khartoum, they would feel a
proportionate solicitude for the fate of a brave officer and his little
army in the far South, and that, if assistance could be rendered at a
reasonable cost, there would be no difficulty in raising a fund to effect
that desirable object.
On November 16, 1884, Emin Bey informs Mr. A. M. Mackay, the missionary
in Uganda, by letter written at Lado, that "the Soudan has become the
theatre of an insurrection; that for nineteen months he is without news
from Khartoum, and that thence he is led to believe that the town has
been taken by the insurgents, or that the Nile is blocked "; but he
says:--
"Whatever it proves to be, please inform your correspondents and
through them the Egyptian Government that to this day we are well,
and that we propose to hold out until help may reach us or until we
perish."
A second note from Emin Bey to the same missionary, on the same date as
the preceding, contains the following:--
"The Bahr-Ghazal Province being lost and Lupton Bey, the governor,
carried away to Kordofan, we are unable to inform our Government of
what happens here. For nineteen months we have had no communication
from Khartoum, so I suppose the river is blocked up."
"Please therefore inform the Egyptian Government by some means that
we are well to this day, but greatly in need of help. We shall hold
out until we obtain such help or until we perish."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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