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fortifications opposite his ships were being strengthened, and that guns were being mounted, he conferred with the French Admiral, both telegraphing to their Governments for instructions. The British Government, until now most averse to meddling with Egyptian matters, advocated a bombardment, but the French Government strongly disapproved of this course, and for some days an animated discussion was kept up. At last, however, the British Government, realising the seriousness of the situation, telegraphed to Admiral Seymour instructing him to bombard the forts unless the strengthening works therein were abandoned. "Before taking any hostile step," said the telegram, "invite co-operation of French Admiral; but you are not to postpone acting on your instructions because French decline to join."

On July 10 Admiral Seymour informed the Military Commandant of Alexandria that unless the fortresses were temporarily surrendered to him for the purpose of disarmament, he would bombard them on the next morning. He received an unsatisfactory reply, and consequently informed the French of his intentions. The Gallic Admiral thereupon ordered the ships under his command to withdraw to Port Said, and at the same time all the foreign vessels took their departure. As each one steamed past the British flagship in the light of the sunset, Admiral Seymour's band played the national anthem of the departing vessel; and thus,

with the most pleasant international courtesies, the foreign fleets left England to solve the Egyptian question. When darkness fell the British meno'-war alone remained on the scene.

There were still a number of lower-class Europeans left in Alexandria, and these fortified themselves in the consulates and other buildings. All the remaining British residents, with two or three exceptions, betook

themselves to the P. & O. ss. Tanjore, and Sir Auckland Colvin and other high officials went quietly on board a battleship during the afternoon.

On the next morning the natives began to leave the city in enormous numbers; and just before 7 A. M., when the watering carts were sprinkling the streets and the incredulous bowabs were yawning and smoking their early cigarettes, a warning bell was rung and a signal shot was fired. Immediately the bombardment commenced. Arabi had stationed himself in the Arsenal at the Ministry of Marine, but as soon as the shells began to fall in that quarter he moved over to certain fortifications which, being behind a hill, were less exposed. The Khedive, meanwhile, remained in his summer palace at Ramleh, a few miles. outside the city; and during the day he continued in constant communication with Arabi, sending through him encouraging messages to the Egyptian troops who were working the guns in the fortresses with consider

able courage.

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the men-o'-war was murderous, and it was not long before the Egyptian response began to be silenced. By noon only two forts, Adda and Pharos, were still offering resistance. The British sailors seem to have had the time of their lives, for there were hardly any casualties on our side, and the forts made most interesting targets. Light-hearted messages were exchanged between the ships, as though the whole affair was a pleasant game. The Sultan, for example, signalled to the Inflexible about noon: "If you happen to be steaming in the direction of Adda and Pharos, one or two shells from your heavy guns would do much good, if you don't mind." At 1.30 P.M. the same vessel signalled to the Superb: "Can you touch up Pharos a bit?"

The firing continued all day, and, as may be imagined, the havoc wrought amongst the Egyptian troops troops was very terrible. The towns-people, meanwhile, amused themselves by looting the shops; and it is not to be wondered at that several Europeans were killed by the angry mob, who, however, made no serious attempts to massacre the foreigners in the consulates. The refugees in the Danish consulate were at one time in considerable danger, but a shell which burst near by, killing three natives, dispersed the mob. The German Hospital, wherein numerous Europeans were collected, was attacked by the natives, but one of the inmates having produced

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creetly retired. The famous Hôtel Abbat was saved from looting by the presence of mind of the native caretaker. As soon as the mob began to batter at the door the Egyptian uttered a string of the most frightful British oaths, which at various times he had learnt from Jack Tar. Immediately the looters stopped short, and, crying out "There are English gentlemen here," fled down the street.

At seven o'clock in the evening the Khedive sent for Arabi and had some consultation with him, and Arabi explained that the forts were all destroyed. Negotiations were therefore opened with the British Admiral, who, early next morning, declared that unless he was allowed peaceably to land his men at three points he would recommence the bombardment at 2 P.M. Arabi at once began to argue the matter, until, nothing being settled, the vessels were obliged to open fire once more. Arabi, fearing that the Khedive might communicate with the fleet, now decided to make him a prisoner, and therefore sent 400 men to surround the palace, at the same time distributing a sum of £2000 amongst the loyal Bedouin who had appointed themselves the Khedive's protectors, and showed some signs of actually protecting him. This bribe induced them to retire, and for several hours His Highness was surrounded with troops who, for all he knew, might have had orders to murder him. It was a trying position for him,

and he is said to have shown great fortitude under the strain. In the afternoon Arabi decided to retreat from Alexandria, and, leaving 250 men to keep the Khedive prisoner, he marched out of the city with all his troops, taking up his position ultimately at a point some miles inland. The 250 men at once declared their loyalty to His Highness, and communication was established between the palace and the British Admiral.

Meanwhile looting went on steadily, and when the troops began to retreat the natives indulged in the maddest orgies of plundering ere they, too, fled from the city. Men were seen staggering along the roads carrying enormous gilt-framed mirrors, or plush and gilt pieces of furniture, upon their backs; others were burdened with heavy clocks and vases; and yet others were half-smothered beneath enormous bundles of valuable clothes. Turkish and Egyptian women flying towards the interior were robbed of their jewellery and were outraged on the public roads. At the gates of the city the looters were met by Bedouin marauders, who fought them for the spoil, and scenes of the wildest confusion ensued.

became necessary for the Europeans still confined in the consulates to break their way through to the sea. They found the streets deserted, and had no difficulty in securing boats, in which they rowed out to the fleet.

The Khedive now informed Admiral Seymour that he wished to take up his residence at the palace of Ras-el-Tin, which stands on a promontory of land near the harbour. His Highness would here be under the protection of the fleet, and could easily steam out to them in his launch should the fire or the mob attack the palace in the rear. The Admiral approved of this move, and the Khedive therefore drove into the city, avoiding by a detour the areas already in flames, and passing on his way several retreating gangs of plunderers. At the palace he was met by a force of bluejackets, who, however, were not of sufficient strength to penetrate into the city to fight the flames.

On the next day, the 14th, as many men as could be spared were landed in the city; and on the following day reinforcements arrived from Malta, these being quickly landed.

Conflagrations con

tinued, however, until the 17th; but on the 18th the work of clearing the remains of the city commenced, the post-office was reopened, several looters caught in the act were summarily dealt with, one being shot, and some semblance of order was established. All night lished. On the 16th some 200 Bedouin of the desert-those lords of romance and adven

Either by the orders of Arabi or at the instigation of the ringleaders of the mob, the city was now set on fire. Stores of paraffin having been looted, the oil was poured in all directions and lighted, with the result that very soon the city was in flames. All night long the conflagration raged, and by the next morning it

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as unscrupulous and barbarous." On the 21st the Egyptians dammed the canals which supplied Alexandria with drinking water, and later let salt water into the channels. This led to fighting between Arabi's army and the British troops, which were now arriving in considerable numbers, and it decided the home Government to despatch a large force to Egypt, France having refused to co-operate. On the 22nd the Khedive issued a decree declaring Arabi a rebel and traitor; but the authorities in Cairo replied with a decree confirming him in his office of Commander-in-Chief and Minister of War.

ture-made a determined at- described tempt to loot a number of buildings which still remained undamaged. They had, however, only succeeded in capturing a donkey, when a small midshipman appeared before them with five or six bluejackets, shot two two of their number with his revolver, and chased the remainder headlong out of the city. Incidentally a remark of another young midshipman may here be recorded. After he had marched about the smouldering ruins of the town all day, and had tried in vain amongst the looted shops to expend some of his accumulated pocket-money in making purchases from the returning tradesmen, he was asked by his superior officer what he thought of the inferno that had once been Alexandria. "Oh," he replied, "the place is nice enough; the only thing is, jam is so dear."

Arabi, as has been said, had entrenched himself at a village several miles inland, and he was reported to have with him a force of over 6000 men, On the 17th Commander Maude rode up to within 300 yards of his entrenchments and had a good look at them; but the British forces had yet no reason to make an attack upon the position. Behind the entrenchments the railway to Cairo stood intact, and Arabi was able to move freely between the two points. In Cairo there was considerable excitement, and in several smaller towns Europeans were murdered. Arabi rapidly gathered a large army, his methods of recruiting being

Desultory fighting continued for the next fortnight, while the British expeditionary force

sent with most remarkable reluctance by the home Government was landing at Alexandria. On 10th August the whole Brigade of Guards arrived, and marched through the streets out to Ramleh, the Duke of Connaught riding at their head. The Egyptians, accustomed to their own somewhat slovenly troops, were filled with awe at the magnificent bearing of these picked men, and reports of their might were conveyed to Arabi's unfortunate soldiers, troubling them much as they lay behind their entrenchments. On 15th August Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived to take up his command, and after making a hasty study of the position of the enemy, he ordered the entire army to embark on the waiting transports, giving out

that he intended to land at Aboukir, a short way along the In the afternoon of the 19th the ships steamed out of the harbour, and the sun rose next morning revealing to the Alexandrians a deserted sea. Opposite Aboukir a number of battleships anchored and went through the pretence of clearing for action. The Egyptian troops, entirely deceived, concentrated on the sea - shore and in the forts, awaiting anxiously the opening of a bombardment; but when night fell the ships moved off, and hurried after the trausports, which in reality were steaming hard for Port Said.

Now it will be remembered that the French fleet had retired to Port Said before the bombardment of Alexandria; and the presence of these vessels at this headquarters of the French Suez Canal Company, which was presided over by the eminent engineer but violent Anglophobe, Monsieur de Lesseps, had turned the town into a Gallic stronghold. The sympathies of de Lesseps were entirely with Arabi, and the fear that the English might Occupy what he considered as his canal led him to make a very hearty attempt to prevent such an event. The question as to whether the Canal should remain neutral or not was argued with passion in the French newspapers; and the feeling was general that, as an international explosion of the utmost magnitude might be expected if the English appeared at Port Said, such a manoeuvre was alto

gether out of the question. De Lesseps at one time telegraphed to Arabi: "Jamais les Anglais n'y pénétreront, jamais, jamais!" to which Arabi replied: "Sincere thanks;

assurances consolatory, but not sufficient under existing circumstances," and he went on to say that he would probably be obliged to destroy the canal, which communication must have sent the excitable de Lesseps into paroxysms of rage.

But while the British fleet and the transports were steaming on through the darkness of the night of the 19th-20th, those British battleships which had already arrived at Port Said carried out a daring coup, which formed an essential part of Sir Garnet Wolseley's plan of campaign. At 3.30 A.M. two companies of seamen and one of marines from the the Monarch, and a small naval force and a company of marines from the Iris, with two Gatling guns, were landed in the profoundest silence. So stealthily were the boats rowed ashore that the sentries on the French battleship La Gallissonière, moored to the same buoy as the Monarch, did not give the alarm, and did not know till daylight what had happened. The British force surrounded the Egyptian Government barracks, and complete silence the native garrison was made to surrender. The seamen then so planted themselves that they divided the native town from the European, and, by the narrowness of the sand

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