118 THE ORIGIN OF THE ROOSEVELT EXPEDITION. 



An Egyptian expedition under Sir Samuel Baker, in 1870, led 

 to the conquest of the equatorial regions on the Nile farther south 

 than the Sudan proper, of which General Gordon was appointed 

 governor general in 1874. 



On the fall of Ismail Pasha of Egypt, Gordon was recalled, 

 and hordes of Turks, Circassians and Bashi-Mazouks were let loose 

 to plunder the Soudanese. 



Egyptian misrule then became intolerable, and in this crisis 

 appeared Mohammed Ahmed of Dongola,, who gave himself out 

 to be the Mahdi, the long-expected redeemer of Islam, Gordon 

 about this time returned to the Sudan, but was shortly after slain 

 at Khartoum. Before his death, he appointed Emin Pasha (Eduard 

 Schnitzer) governor of the equatorial province on the Upper Nile, 

 north of the Albert Nyanza, in 1878. 



Emin Pasha continued to hold his ground, although continually 

 harassed by the enemy, till 1889, when he was relieved by Henry M. 

 Sanzibar and conveyed with his followers to Zanzibar, Great 

 Britain, aiding Egypt, steadily pursued the plan of rescuing the 

 provinces occupied by the Mahdi's forces, which was ultimately 

 accomplished in the death of the Khalifa and destruction of his 

 force in 1899, together with the capture of the Osman Digna in 

 1900. 



RCX)SEVELT AND THE MISSIONARIES. 



Our former President has alw^ays evinced great interest in the 

 Missionaries. While in Africa he made something of a study of 

 their work, not only along religious lines, but in their medical and 

 educational efforts as well as blazers out of the paths for civilization 

 and for commerce. 



Africa's day has long been delayed, but it has come at last. 

 The missionary was the explorer of Africa. The real work of the 

 missionaries in the Dark Continent began, however, after prac- 

 tically all other parts of the world had been made missionary fields. 

 The silent and mysterious Sphynx of Egypt is no longer the symbol 

 of A_frica, For long millenniums the whole continent, except a little 

 ■mrt along the McditfiT?nean, some fringes along the coast and in 



