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3.

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