2110-6-9-11

96 Belgrave Road, London, S.W.1.

Nov. 1934

To John Buchan, Esq., C.H., M.P., LL.D. &c &c &c

c/o Peter Davies Ltd. 30 Henrietta St. W.C.2.

Dear Sir

I have completed the persusal of your monograph on Gordon at Khartoum & cannot praise it enough. I would not alter one word; it is perfection. Tota merum sal. And my commendation is not without value. With Francis Elliott & Wingate, I am about the only other official who lived in Cairo during the years '83-85-87' & saw what was happening.

As Consular Assistant I came to Cairo in the

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Suite of Ld Dufferin in '82; was passed on to Sir S. Malet till his departure as Minister at the Brussels Legation, & then to Sir Evelyn Baring. I met him at the Station Sept '82 and as Consul General at Pt Said saw him off in a April ^May 1907. I was his private secretary all through the Gordon Epic, & he made me Consul at Suakin '85, & a judge of the Arab Native Ct of Appeal '89-97. Such are my credentials in addressing you. All the ciphering & deciphering with Gordon was done by me & Chauncy Cartwright or Francis Elliott. The draft instructions to Gordon were copied out by me, signed by Baring & delivered by me to Gordon when he called on the afternoon of the day of his departure. I begged him to take me. He declined. I did not know that he had

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refused Stephenson, Evelyn Wood & Graham when they begged him to take a Secretary & ADC. That was my first failure.

The great & stormy interview with Zobeir is my account in the Blue Book. Telegrams from Khartum came in at 1 pm as we were leaving the luncheon table, day after day. O what a hopeless tangle!

In March '84 Major Chermside was ordered to go via Suakin & try & reach Berber so as to be in touch with Gordon. In the Ezlekieh Square I, on foot, met him on horseback. He asked me to go with him & I jumped at the offer. We went to Suakin & were in the fighting. Then Herbert Stewart was ordered to go with a mounted force & try to get to Berber! We bivouacked at [Haudah?], 1000

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strong for a wild push, 10th & 18th Hussars, 300 of Cairo Mounted infantry. I was a sort of interpreter! Next morning, we were recalled! Then only Chermside & I were to go. I drew up a bit of provisions for 2 camels, 1 plenty of mineral water - 2 Biscuits, tinned meals & milk. In the inner room one after another officers came in & begged Chermside to take them. He refused - No only D.A.C. comes with me. That day the raid was countermanded from home & I had failed a 2nd time in trying to get to Gordon! Then I came back to the Cairo Agency & Egerton, dear old Egerton, Elliot & I worked all through that summer for Gordon. I used to transcribe the figures of the Cipher with a crow/quill

-quill on very thin pieces of paper about 2x2 inches, & send several duplicates of each telegram to Chermside at Suakin. The paper wd be rolled into a quill & carried off by a trusty Fuzzy, 50 talaris down, & 50 more on return with an answer. Few returned. Gordon's replies were of the same nature. Some I kept for myself & gave one to Gordon Money on the staff of Stephenson. He sent it home & it reached the Queen who kept it. I gave another to a Worshipper of Gordon - Ludovic Houston, the Laird of Johnston.

Who were to blame?

Firstly: the Lazy Granville in Nov. 1883. 2^o Hartington who as M. of War cd not make up his mind till August & then talked of his personal honour &c. 3^o Wolseley with his little Boooats,