CHAPTER XXII

PASSING THROUGH EGYPT

At the beginning of the year 1883 I was on my way out to India with

Lady Charles in the P. and O. s.s. _Malwa_. Proceeding into Ismailia

Lake, the _Malwa_ was rammed by another vessel which tried to cross the

_Malwa's_ bows. I was looking over the side of the _Malwa_ and I saw a

curious thing. I saw the colliding vessel rebound from the _Malwa_ and

strike her again. I ran up to the bridge, where the captain had

already given orders to stop the engines. The ship was sinking; it was

no time to stand upon ceremony; and I ventured to suggest to the

captain that he should put his engines full steam ahead, when he might

hope to beach the vessel, whereas if she stayed where she was, she

would infallibly go down in deep water. The captain, like a good

seaman, gave the order, and the chief engineer carried it into

execution with admirable promptitude. I went down into the engine-room

and found the water already rising through the foot-plates.

As the ship steamed towards the shore, settling down as she went, I

stood with Lady Charles on the bridge, telling her that, if the vessel

sank, I should throw her overboard--although she could not swim--and

should jump in after her. To which she merely replied, "That will be

very disagreeable!"

The ship was safely beached, though not before the water had risen to

my cabin. She was afterwards salved by the help of the Navy. H.M.S.

_Carysfort_, commanded by Captain H. F. Stephenson, C.B. (now Admiral

Sir Henry F. Stephenson, {210} G.C.V.O., K.C.B., Gentleman Usher of the

Black Rod), sent a carpenter and a working party; and they did

excellent service in the _Malwa_.

Our party went to Cairo, there to await the next steamer.

Hicks Pasha and his staff dined with us upon the night before they left

Cairo, upon their fatal expedition. Colonel W. Hicks had been

appointed by the Khedive chief of the staff of the Army of the Soudan.

In the following August he was appointed commander-in-chief. From

Cairo he went to Souakim, thence to Berber, and thence to Khartoum. On

the 28th April, he fought a successful action on the White Nile, south

of Khartoum, in which his Egyptian troops did well. In September,

Hicks left Duem with his staff and some 10,000 men and marched into the

desert, which swallowed them up. The whole army was exterminated by

the Mahdi's dervishes. Gordon said that the Mahdi built with the

skulls of the slain a pyramid.

I applied for permission to accompany Hicks Pasha, but my old friend

Lord Dufferin was determined that I should not go upon that hazardous

enterprise. I believe he telegraphed to the Government on the subject.

At any rate, he had his way, and so saved my life.

In October, before the news of the disaster had reached Cairo, the

British Army of Occupation had been reduced from 6700 men to 3000.

Subsequently, the British Government proceeded with the policy of

abandoning the Soudan, in one phase of which I was to bear my part.

In the meantime, Lady Charles and I joined the Duke of Portland and his

party, among whom were Lord de Grey and Lord Wenlock; went to India;

enjoyed some excellent sport; and returned home.

{211}