. Too late for Gordon and Khartoum; the testimony of an independent eye-witness of the heroic efforts for their rescue and relief. With maps and plans and several unpublished letters of the late General Gordon . e going. Hehad also observed horsemen moving in our directionalong the ridge on our left. The head of the columnhad now reached a shallow depression, having betweenit and the river a slight rise in the ground forming thecontinuation in our direction of the ridge referred to,which effectually screened it from observation. Wewere now halted again, and General Stewart orderedColonel Barro
. Too late for Gordon and Khartoum; the testimony of an independent eye-witness of the heroic efforts for their rescue and relief. With maps and plans and several unpublished letters of the late General Gordon . e going. Hehad also observed horsemen moving in our directionalong the ridge on our left. The head of the columnhad now reached a shallow depression, having betweenit and the river a slight rise in the ground forming thecontinuation in our direction of the ridge referred to,which effectually screened it from observation. Wewere now halted again, and General Stewart orderedColonel Barrow to move out to our left and threatenMetammeh in order to mask our advance in a moredirect line to the river. Cameron and I then rode onahead together. This was our last and never-to-be-forgotten interview. He seemed unusually anxious anddepressed, and said to me : Well, I would give a five-pound note if our backs were to the Nile ; wouldnt you?When the crest of the ridge up which we were thenriding was reached, we caught a first glimpse of what wesupposed to be Metammeh on our left and some smallerplace beyond it which was taken for Shendy. Cameronnow brightened up a little, and, General Stewart coming. CH. xvir. THE GOAL IN SIGHT 265 up with his staff to where we had halted, we all rodeforward to an isolated high knoll in order to obtain amore unobstructed view of the country before us. On our left was unmistakably Metammeh, loomingagainst the pale yellow light of morning like a gigant ic for-tress. Some three or four miles in front and on our rightglistened the waters of the Nile. Casting wistful looksin the latter direction, the question was anxiously asked, Which is the nearest point of the river to us ? and then, How long should we be in reaching it ? Having with myglass distinctly recognised the upper end of the islandmarked on the map opposite to Eshetabah, I pointed inthat direction and ventured the opinion that we couldreach the river in an hour and a half. Sir Charl
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