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full and complete evidence that General Gordon was killed at or
near the palace. ... All the evidence tends to prove that his
death happened near the palace where his body was subsequently
seen by several witnesses." One who claimed to have been a
witness said "General Gordon was walking in front leading the
party. The rebels fired a volley and Gordon was killed at once.
Nine of the cavasses, Ibrahim Bey Rushdi, and Mahomed Bey
Mustafa, were killed. The rest ran away." Major Kitchener adds,
"the massacre in the town lasted some six hours, and about 4,000
persons at least were killed. ... The Bashi-Bazouks and white
regulars numbering 3,327, and the Shaikiyeh irregulars, were
mostly all killed in cold blood after they had surrendered and had
been disarmed. ... The women were distributed as slaves amongst
the rebel chiefs" (those chiefs whom the Gladstone Ministry
exalted in preference to Zebehr). The town was given over to
pillage for three days.

The rigid official narrative of Major Kitchener concludes with
two brief sentences wrung from his heart by the working out of
the "great refusal." "The memorable siege of Khartoum lasted
317 days, and it is not too much to say that such a noble resistance
was due to the indomitable resolution and resource of one English-
man. Never was a garrison so nearly rescued, and never was a
commander so sincerely lamented."

The gallant Major wrote nobly on a noble theme. But there
were one or two of those who had lured Gordon to his doom, who
seem not to have shared the Major's feelings. When the tidings
of the fall of Khartoum and the consequent moral certainty of the
death of Gordon arrived in London at the War Office on Thursday
the 5th February 1885, it was announced in the newspapers on the
6th that "the news was sent to Mr Gladstone, Lord Hartington,
and Lord Granville."

On the 7th February the Times reported that a "Cabinet Coun-
cil was held yesterday," and added, "We are asked to state that
Mr. Gladstone came to London on Thursday by the first train
after the news of the fall of Khartoum reached him."

On the 9th the Times printed the formal announcement of a
Cabinet meeting for that day.

All men knew that Gordon was not a man to be captured alive.
Indeed, his telegram to Sir E. Baring of 8th April 1884 had said
(Blue-Book, 1884, No. 15), "I do not see the fun of being caught
here to walk about the streets for years as a dervish with sandalled
feet; not that (D.V.) I will ever be taken alive," and Gordon was
a man of his word. But those who are promise-breakers them-
selves do not comprehend the virtue of truthfulness.

The particular mode in which the immolation of Gordon was accomplished cannot be said to be known even now; but that he