Part 15 (1/2)
1. Letter to Miss Bishop from Opcina, January 17, 1881.
2. Letter to Miss Bishop from Trieste, December 5, 1881.
3. This refers to _Camoens: the Commentary, Life, and Lusiads_.
Englished by R. F. Burton. Two vols. Containing a Glossary, and Reviewers Reviewed, by Isabel Burton. 1880.
4. From her devotional book _Lamed_, pp. 28, 29.
5. _Life of Sir Richard Burton_, by Isabel his wife, vol.ii., p. 248.
CHAPTER XXV. GORDON AND THE BURTONS.
Oh! bring us back once more When the world with faith was filled; Bring back the fervid zeal, The hearts of fire and steel, The hands that believe and build.
The mention of Gordon's death suggests that this would be the fittest place to bring to notice the relations which existed between him and the Burtons. Their acquaintance, which ripened into a strong liking and friends.h.i.+p, may be said to have existed over a period of ten years (from 1875 to 1885), from the time when Gordon wrote to ask Burton for information concerning Victoria Nyanza and the regions round about, to the day when he went to his death at Kartoum. Long before they met in the flesh, Gordon and Burton knew each other in the spirit, and Gordon thought he saw in Burton a man after his own heart. In many respects he was right. The two men were curiously alike in their independence of thought and action, in their chivalrous devotion to honour and duty, in their absolute contempt for the world's opinion, in their love of adventure, in their indifference to danger, in their curious mysticism and fatalism, and in the neglect which each suffered from the Government until it was too late. They were both born leaders of men, and for that reason indifferent followers, incapable of running quietly in the official harness. Least of all could they have worked together, for they were too like one another in some things, and too unlike in others. Burton saw this from the first, and later Gordon came to see that his view was the right one. But it never prevented either of them from appreciating the great qualities in the other.
The correspondence between Gordon and the Burtons was voluminous. Lady Burton kept all Gordon's letters, intending to publish them some day. I am only carrying out her wishes in publis.h.i.+ng them here. Both Gordon and Burton were in the habit of writing quite freely on men and things, and therefore it has been found necessary to suppress some of the letters; but those given will, I think, be found of general interest.
The first letter Gordon wrote to Burton was about fifteen months after he had taken up the Governors.h.i.+p of the Equatorial Provinces. It was as follows:
”BEDDEN, SOUTH OF GONDORKORO[1] 23 MILES, ”July 17, 1875.
”MY DEAR CAPTAIN BURTON,
”Though I have not had the honour of meeting you, I hope you will not object to give me certain information which I imagine you are most capable of doing. I will first relate to you my proposed movements.
At this moment I am just starting from this station for the South.
You are aware that hitherto the Nile from about eighteen miles south of Gondokoro to the junction of it with the Unyame Hor (Apuddo, Hiameye, Dufte, or Mahade, as different people call it) has been considered impa.s.sable and a torrential stream. Being very much bothered with the difficulties of the land route for this distance, I thought I would establish ports along the river, hoping to find it in steps with portions which might be navigable, instead of what it was supposed to be--viz. a continuous rapid. Happily I came on the river at the commencement of its rise at end of March, and found it navigable as far as Kerri, which is forty-six miles south of Gondokoro, and about forty miles north of the point where the Nile is navigable to the lake.
As far south as one can see from Kerri the river looks good, for the highlands do not approach one another. I have already a station at Mahade, and one at Kerri, and there remains for me to make another midway between Kerri and Mahade, to complete my communication with the lake. I go very slowly, and make my stations as I proceed. I cannot reconnoitre between Kerri and Mahade, but am obliged, when once I move, to move for a permanent object. If I reconnoitred, it would cost me as much time as if I was going to establish myself permanently, and also would alarm the natives, who hitherto have been quiet enough.
I do not think that there are any properly so-called cataracts between Kerri and the lake. There may be bad rapids; but as the bed of the river is so narrow there will be enough water for my boats, and if the banks are not precipices I count on being able to haul my boats through.
We have hauled them through a gap sixty-five yards wide at Kerri, where the Nile has a tremendous current. Now Kerri is below the junction of the Nile and the Asua; while Mahade, where all agree the other rapids are, is above the junction; so that I may hope at Mahade to have a less violent current to contend with, and to have the Asua waters in some degree cus.h.i.+oning up that current. I have little doubt of being able to take my steamer (the one constructed by Baker's[2] engineers at Gondokoro) up to Kerri, for I have already there boats of as great a draught of water. From Mahade it is some one hundred and thirty miles to Magungo. About seventy miles south of Mahade a split takes place in the river: one branch flows from east, another from west. I imagine that to north of the lake a large acc.u.mulation of aquatic vegetation has taken place, and eventually has formed this isle. Through this vegetation the Victoria Nile has cut a pa.s.sage to the east, and the lake waters have done this to the west. Baker pa.s.sed through a narrow pa.s.sage from the lake to Victoria channel. From Magungo to the Victoria Nile is said to be a torrent to within eighteen miles of Karuma Falls. Perhaps it is also in steps. Karuma Falls may be pa.s.sable or not. And then we have Isamba and Ripon Falls. If they are downright cataracts, nothing remains but to make stations at them, and to have an upper and a lower flotilla.
If they are rapids, there must be depth of water in such a river in the rainy season to allow of the pa.s.sage of boats, if you have power to stem the current.
”I now come to Victoria Nyanza; and about this I want to ask you some questions--viz. What is the north frontier of Zanzibar? And have we any British interests which would be interfered with by a debouch of the Egyptians on the sea? Another query is, if the coast north of the Equator does not belong to Zanzibar, in whose hands is it? Are the Arabs there refugees from Wahhabees of Arabia?--for if so, they would be deadly hostile to Egypt. To what limit inland are the people acquainted with partial civilization, or in trade with the coast, and accordingly supplied with firearms? Could I count on virgin native tribes from Lake Baringo or Ngo to Mount Kenia--tribes not in close communication with the coast Arabs?
”My idea is, that till the core of Africa is pierced from the coast but little progress will take place among the hordes of natives in the interior. Personally I would wish a route to sea, for the present route is more or less hampered by other governors of Provinces. By the sea route I should be free. The idea is entirely my own; and I would ask you not to mention it, as (though you are a consul and I have also been one) you must know that nothing would delight the Zanzibar Consul better than to have the thwarting of such a scheme, inasmuch as it would bring him into notice and give him opportunity to write to F. O. I do not myself wish to go farther east than Lake Baringo or Ngo.
But whether Egypt is allowed a port or not on the coast, at any rate I may be allowed to pa.s.s my caravans through to Zanzibar and to get supplies thence.
”When I contrast the comparative comfort of my work with the miseries you and other travellers have gone through, I have reason to be thankful. Dr. Kraft talks of the River Dana--debouching into sea under the name of river--as navigable from Mount Kenia. If so--and rivers are considered highways and free to all flags--I would far sooner have my frontier at Mount Kenia than descend to the lower lands.
”Believe me, with many excuses for troubling you, ”Yours sincerely, ”C. G. GORDON.”
Burton, who possessed a great and personal knowledge of the Nile Basin and the tribes inhabiting it, cordially answered Gordon's letter, giving him full information and many valuable hints. Henceforward the two men frequently corresponded, and got to know one another very well on paper.
The next letter of Gordon's which I am permitted to give was written the following year:
”LARDO, October 12, 1876.