In the distant country
of Unyanyembe, but a reply was sent by Lieutenant Cameron, together with
large presents of ivory, to me at Gondokoro, [*] as I have been
informed by a letter from Colonel Gordon.
[*Footnote: The letter and the ivory from M'tese were received by
Colonel Gordon.]
The Khedive of Egypt, having appointed Colonel Gordon, R.E., has proved
his determination to continue the work that was commenced under so many
difficulties. The Nile has been opened to navigation; and if the
troubles that I encountered and overcame shall have smoothed the path
for my able and energetic successor, I shall have been well rewarded.
The first steps in establishing the authority of a new government in a
tribe hitherto savage and intractable were of necessity accompanied by
military operations. War is inseparable from annexation, and the law of
force, resorted to in self-defence, was absolutely indispensable to
prove the superiority of the power that was eventually to govern. The
end justified the means.
At the commencement of the expedition I had felt that the object of the
enterprise - "the suppression of the slave trade" - was one for which I
could confidently ask a blessing.
A firm belief in Providential support has not been unrewarded. In the
midst of sickness and malaria we had strength; from acts of treachery we
were preserved unharmed; in personal encounters we remained unscathed.
In the end, every opposition was overcome:
