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that many thousands* of people could be supplied by an occasional
capture of a cow and a few bushels of dhoora on the banks of a
river held by hostile troops.

Khasm-el-Mûs described how (before Sir C. Wilson's arrival in
January) one steamer, the Mansourah, with captured dhoora, was
struck by a cannon-ball, and sunk with her booty. When Khasm-
el-Mûs got to Matammeh finally (he wrote), "we had not a day's
rations for ourselves or the soldiers."

And yet Gladstone dared to tell the House that a despatch (which
had no existence) represented "a state of things at Khartoum in
which there was not the smallest reference to a scarcity of provi-
sions"–and, so great is the credulity or so little the honour of some
people, that he secured a majority of 14 in the House when Sir
Stafford Northcote righteously moved a vote of censure in February
1885.

We know that all previous despatches showed that by the 14th
December supplies would be exhausted. We know from Gordon's
Journal that for all practical purposes they were so exhausted.

Let us see what the real state of affairs proved to be so far as the
subsequent inquiries by Major Kitchener, of the Staff Intelligence
Department, enables us to judge. He had spoken with all refugees
from Khartoum whom he had been able to meet, and had special
duties in communicating with the tribes from 26th January to 18th
August 1885, the date of his report. Communication between
Omdurman and Khartoum was cut off on 3rd November 1884,
Omdurman then having only one and a half month's provisions;
so that the Omdurman garrison "must have been in great diffi-
culties for food and necessaries after 20th December."

Gordon's position was "weakened" by sending the steamers
(with Stewart and) to meet the exppeditionary force.

He had already (22nd November) "found it necessary to issue
9,600 lbs. biscuit to the poor," and then wrote, "I am determined,
if the town has to fall, the Mahdi shall find precious little to eat
in it."

It may be considered (writes Kitchener) "that even on reduced
rations the supply in store must have been almost, if not quite,
exhausted about 1st January 1885."

On the 6th January,when he proclaimed freedom for all to leave,
Gordon wrote to the Mahdi "requesting him to protect and feed
these poor Moslem people as he had done for the last nine months."

*The exact population at Khartoum in December 1884 cannot be ascertained.
Originally, in February, there had been 40,000; but Gordon sent 2,000 persons
to Berber before Khartoum was invested, and lost no opportunity of letting others
leave. On the 6th January 1885 he proclaimed that all might go who would. Major
Kitchener's final report says that "great numbers availed themselves of this permis-
sion." Major Kitchener estimated that in September the population had reduced
to 34,000.