ItisadutythatIowetotheKhediveofEgypttoexplainthesedetails。Itwouldatfirstsightappearthattheexpeditiontosuppresstheslave-tradewasmerelyatheatricalannouncementtocourtthesympathyofEurope，butwhich，inreality，hadnosolidity。IamperfectlyconvincedthattheKhedivewasthoroughlysincereinhisdeclaredpurposeofsuppressingtheslave-trade，notonlyasahumanitarian，butasanenlightenedmanoftheworld，whoknew，fromtheexampleofthegreatPowersofEurope，thatthetimehadarrivedwhencivilizationdemandedtheextinctionofsuchhorrorsaswerethenecessaryadjunctsofslave-hunting。TheKhedivehadthusdeterminedtoannextheNileBasin，andestablishhisgovernment，whichwouldaffordprotection，andopenanimmensecountrytotheadvantagesofcommerce。
Thisreformmustbethedeath-blowtotheso-calledtradersofKhartoum，whowerepositivelythetenantsofthegovernor-generaloftheSoudan。
TheexpeditionoftheKhedive，launchedwithadmirabledeterminationonhispart，wasthusinimicaltoeverylocalinterest，andwasindirectoppositiontopublicopinion。Itwasthereforeanaturalconsequencethatpressureshouldbeexertedbyeveryinterestagainstthegovernor-generaloftheSoudan。DjiafferPachawasanoldfriendofmine，forwhomIhadagreatpersonalregard，andIregrettedthefalsepositioninwhichbothheandIwereplaced。Mytitleandpositionasgovernor-generalofCentralAfricatoacertainextentweakenedhisauthority。
Hehadbytheforceofcircumstances，andaccordingtoformerusages，sofartoleratedtheactsoftheWhiteNiletradersastoacknowledgethemascontractingpartieswithhisowngovernment。Themostimportantlesseehadnolessthantenstationssituatedwithintheterritoryundermyjurisdiction，forwhichhewaspayingalargeannualrent。Iknew，andthelessee，AchmetSheikAgad，wellknew，thathisso-calledtradewassimplybrigandage。Myformertravels，asdescribedin”TheAlbertN’yanza，”hadledmebehindthecurtain，andthetraderswerewellawarethatIkneweverysecretoftheiratrocities；thusmyreappearanceuponthescenewithrankofpachaandmajor-general，attheheadofasmallarmy，togetherwiththepossessionofabsoluteandsupremepower，threwtheentirepopulationintoastateofconsternation。Thetraders，asMohammedansandsubjects，trustedtotheprotectionoftheirowngovernor-general。AlreadyIhadcapturedtheirvessels，imprisonedtheiragents，liberatedtheirslaves，andconfiscatedtheivory，subjecttothedecisionoftheKhedive。AlreadyIhadcaughtthegovernorhimselfAliBeyofFashodaintheactofkidnappinghelplesswomenandchildren，whomIhadimmediatelyinsisteduponliberating，althoughI
hadnolegaljurisdictioninhisprovince。IsimplydependeduponthepersonalsupportoftheKhedive，whosesincerityIneverdoubted；thusI