Gordon carried no weapons except for his rattan cane (though the "bashi-bazouks" were armed with rifles and swords), but Gordon showed utterly no fear while his interpreter and the "bashi-bazouks" were visibly nervous as the rebels numbered about 3,000. Gordon was met by Suleiman Zobeir, the son of Rahama Zobeir and demanded in the name of the Khedive of Egypt that the rebels end their rebellion and accept the authority of their lord and master, telling Zobeir that he would "disarm and break them" if the rebellion did not end at once. Gordon also promised that those rebels who laid down their arms would not be punished and would all be given jobs in the administration.