THE BATTLE OF THE PYRAMIDS.
The little party had ridden but a few miles when they saw a party of
five or six hundred Arab horse approaching. The sheik rode to meet them,
and after a short conversation with their leaders, returned.
"We need go no farther for orders," he said. "Mourad Bey, with 3000
Mamelukes and as many Janizaries, is within a few miles. Orders have
been sent to all the Arab tribes to hasten to oppose the march of the
enemy, and from all parts they are riding hither. Doubtless my brother,
who is the great sheik of the tribe of which we are a branch, is already
on his way to join him. We will at once ride and bring back all our
fighting men. The caravan can proceed without guard. Even a hostile
tribe would respect it at the present time, when all are engaged with
the enemy. We shall speedily overtake them. They would not have started
for an hour after we mounted, and cannot have gone many miles before we
come up with them."
Riding at full gallop, they soon overtook the caravan. The Arabs
received with shouts of satisfaction the orders their leader gave them
to retrace their steps. The old men, who were to proceed with the
caravan, were told that in the event of meeting with any parties
hastening towards Ramanieh, to tell them that the orders were to harass
the French as they advanced, and to say that all the sheik's fighting
men were already engaged in the work. Then, after a brief adieu to the
women, the Arabs rode at full gallop towards the river.
It was on the morning of the 29th of June that the French had taken
Alexandria, and on the 6th of July that they commenced their march.
General Dugua, with Kleber's division, had been taken by water to
Rosetta, which they occupied without difficulty, and with a large
flotilla of boats carrying provisions and stores, proceeded up the Nile
as far as Damanhour, at which town the main portion of the army arrived
after two days' painful march.
The French met with no resistance, owing to the fact that almost all
Bedouins near the coast had accepted Napoleon's tempting offers.
Nevertheless the troops were already discouraged. They had expected to
find a rich and fertile country, with palm-trees, lovely towns, and an
abundance of supplies of all kinds; but the Nile was now at its lowest,
and during the previous season it had not, as usual, overflowed its
banks and fertilized the country, consequently their march lay through a
sandy waste. The dust rose in clouds under their feet, the sun beat down
upon them; they suffered agonies of thirst, and many dropped from
exhaustion. And their disappointment was great when they found that,
instead of a rich and prosperous town, Damanhour was but a collection of
huts, affording neither means of subsistence nor booty of any kind.
Beyond the town large bands of Arabs had gathered, and the French army
were obliged to keep their ranks as they marched, to maintain a constant
watchfulness, and to travel at a slow pace in order that they might not
be separated from their baggage. General Muireur was seized with a
serious fever, the result of heat, thirst, and disappointment. He
mounted his horse on the morning after his arrival there, and rode out
beyond the outposts. He had gone but a short distance when a party of
Arabs, hiding among some bushes, sprang to their feet and poured in a
volley. He fell dead, and his body was stripped, and the Arabs, mounting
their horses, rode off before the outposts could arrive on the spot.
From this time the French dared not straggle. Every man who left the
ranks or lagged behind was killed. The Arabs were seldom seen, but they
lay concealed behind every inequality of the ground, every clump of
bushes. Occasionally, when there seemed to be an opening, a horde of
Arabs would sweep down, but these always recoiled from the steady fire
of the French infantry, and on the 10th of July the leading French
division, that commanded by Desaix, reached Ramanieh, on the Nile. Here,
after their terrible march, the French troops were seized with a
delirium of pleasure at seeing the verdure on the banks of the river,
and the water.
Disregarding all orders, they broke their ranks and rushed wildly to the
stream, into which thousands of them plunged in their uniforms. In the
cultivated fields great quantities of melons were found, affording a
delightful food, for since they had left Alexandria there had been
nothing to eat but the biscuits they had brought with them. Many paid
dearly for over-indulgence in the fruit, numbers being prostrated with
colic, while not a few died. Next day the army rested, the horses
needing the halt even more than the men, for they had not recovered from
the long confinement of the voyage when they started from Alexandria,
and the scanty supply of water, the clouds of dust, and the heaviness of
the passage across the deep sand had caused the death of a large number,
and had rendered the rest all but unserviceable.
They had learnt from the natives that Mourad, with a large number of
Mamelukes, was in front of them; and, indeed, on the day of their
arrival there they appeared in such force that the French formed in
order of battle outside the town. The Mamelukes rode backwards and
forwards in front of the line brandishing their weapons and threatening
a charge. A few rounds of artillery, however, speedily taught them the
power of the French guns, and they retired to Chebreisse, and the French
were not disturbed the next day. Here the army had the satisfaction of
being rejoined both by Dugua's division, with its flotilla, and by
another fleet of boats from Alexandria.
The Bedouins under the sheik had taken no part in the irregular
skirmishes. There were already as many Arabs as sufficed for cutting off
stragglers and compelling the French to march in military order, and the
sheik determined to hold his small party together until some opportunity
for a general encounter presented itself. Sometimes from the crest of
the sand-hills he and his followers watched the progress of the dark
masses of infantry.
"They march very slowly," he said to Edgar. "Why do they not go on
quicker?"
"I fancy that they are keeping pace with the baggage-train. Their
animals must be completely exhausted; and last night as we followed them
we came upon many dead horses. They know that their only safety is to
keep together, and I doubt not that the men are well-nigh as exhausted
as the animals. Even on horseback the heat is terrible, and although we
have our water-skins well-filled, I feel it very much, and of course men
on foot carrying their muskets and ammunition and knapsacks must feel it
very much more. I think they will go on faster after they have left
Ramanieh. They will have the Nile by their side, and will have no want
of water. The sand is firmer, too, and moreover they will be able to
obtain what they require from the boats."
On the evening of the 12th the French arrived at a village near
Chebreisse. At sunrise the next morning a battle began between the
flotilla and some Egyptian gun-boats that had come down from Cairo,
together with some batteries that had been established on the banks. The
Mamelukes sallied out from Chebreisse and charged down with such ardour
that it seemed as if they were about to hurl themselves on the French
infantry. When within a short distance, however, they suddenly stopped
their horses, checking them almost instantaneously, then they discharged
their carbines, and retired as rapidly as they had come. This they
repeated several times, but the shells of the French batteries played
havoc among them.
Never before had the Mamelukes encountered a shell-fire, and the
destruction wrought by these novel missiles bursting among them caused
them to retire at full speed, leaving three or four hundred dead behind
them, and abandoning some of the guns they had placed in position before
Chebreisse. A large Arab force had been drawn up in front of the town
when the Mamelukes charged, in readiness to follow the latter as soon
as they had broken the French ranks. This was the first opportunity that
Edgar had had of seeing any considerable body of this famous cavalry,
and he acknowledged that nothing could be more superb than their
appearance. The splendour of their dress, the beauty of their horses,
and magnificence of their arms and trappings excited his admiration to
the highest.
"Now you will see," the sheik said exultingly, "how they will gallop
over the Franks!"
Edgar said nothing, but sat watching the splendid array as they swept
down upon the French line. Each of the French divisions was formed up in
square, with the artillery and dismounted cavalry in the intervals. The
volleys of musketry that received the charging Mamelukes was sufficient
to quell the ardour of the boldest horsemen in the world. In vain,
before drawing off, they circled round and round the French formation,
seeking for some weak spot upon which they could hurl themselves, and
when at length they drew off, the French soldiers ran out from their
ranks to plunder the fallen.
In silence the Arabs followed the Mamelukes, and the chief did not say a
word until they had ridden, at a leisurely pace, some distance beyond
the town.
"You were right," he said at last to Edgar. "I did not think that any
men on foot could have resisted that charge, but the Franks stood as
steadily as if it were a flock of sheep that was approaching them. The
cannon are terrible. Who would have thought that the balls they shoot
would explode and fly into pieces when they reach their mark! How is it
done?"
Edgar explained as well as he was able the nature of shells, and how,
when they were fired, a fuse was lighted of a length just sufficient to
burn down to the powder within the ball at the time it reached the
object at which it was fired.
The fight on the river had been more severe, and had been maintained
with great obstinacy. At one time two gun-boats were taken by the
Egyptians. These, however, were recaptured, and the admiral's ship
burnt. Admiral Perrè, who commanded the first flotilla, was wounded by a
cannon-ball, and the loss on both sides was severe.
For eight days the French continued to march forward. They suffered
terrible hardships, and at times were almost in a state of mutiny. The
interminable extent of sand utterly dispirited them, and they came to
believe that all that they had heard of Egypt was false, and that they
had been deliberately sent there by the directory to die. They doubted
even the existence of Cairo. Some, in their despair, threw themselves
into the river and were drowned. Many died on the march, less from
sunstroke and exhaustion than from despair. At last the Pyramids came in
sight, and their spirits rose again, for here, they were told, the whole
army of Mamelukes, Janizaries, and Arabs were assembled to give battle,
and they hoped therefore to terminate the campaign at a blow.
During the whole march they were harassed by the Arabs, and many were
cut off and killed. Marches were always performed at night, and at ten
o'clock in the morning they halted for the day, preparing themselves for
slumber by a dip in the Nile. On the 21st of July they advanced from
Omdinar, and at ten o'clock made out the enemy drawn up in line of
battle. They had constructed a large entrenched camp, with forty pieces
of ancient cannon incapable of movement. In this camp were 20,000
infantry, Janizaries, Spahis, and militia from Cairo. On the right were
the Mameluke cavalry, some 10,000 strong, with one or two foot-soldiers
to each horseman. To the left of the Mamelukes, and between them and the
Pyramids, were some 3000 Arab horse.
The French army was drawn up in the same order as in their last fight,
in great squares of divisions, the left resting on the Nile, and the
right on a large village. Napoleon, with his staff, reconnoitered the
enemy's entrenched camp, and by means of telescopes discovered that the
cannon were not upon field-carriages, but were simply heavy ship guns
that had been taken from their flotilla, and were served by the sailors.
They, therefore, could not be moved, and it was evident that if the
infantry left the camp they must do so without guns. The entrenchment
itself was not formidable; it had been begun but three days before, and
although it might be impracticable for cavalry, it would offer no
serious obstacle to an attack by infantry.
The discovery that the cannon were immovable, decided Napoleon in his
dispositions for the battle, and he gave orders that his army should
move across to his right, and should thus be concentrated for the attack
upon the Mamelukes and Arabs. Mourad Bey, seeing Napoleon's object, at
once ordered two-thirds of his cavalry to charge the French while they
were in motion, while the others were to remain near the entrenched
camp. So rapidly did they sweep down, that the French squares fell into
some confusion, and Desaix, with his division, which formed the head of
the column, had difficulty in maintaining themselves, their ranks being
somewhat broken by a grove of palm-trees through which they were
passing. They, however, received the Mamelukes with so terrible a fire
of musketry and grape-shot that the charge was not pressed home. The
Mamelukes, however, fought with desperate courage, sweeping round the
French squares, and even endeavouring to back their horses into the
line of bayonets, in hopes of breaking the wall of steel.
At length, however, they could do no more, and Mourad, with 2000 men,
rode off towards Gizeh, while the rest, not noticing the way that he had
taken, owing to the cloud of dust and smoke, rode back to the
entrenchment. The French now pressed forward with all speed, and a
division was thrown across the plain, so as to prevent the horsemen from
retreating by the line that Mourad had taken. The latter, seeing what
had happened, charged again and again with his Mamelukes, to endeavour
to break an opening through the French, by which the rest of his forces
could join him. The divisions of Generals Bon and Menon advanced to the
attack of the entrenchments; but the infantry, panic-stricken at the
defeat of the cavalry, did not await the attack, and after but two or
three rounds of shot had been fired by their cannon, deserted the
position, and fled in wild confusion to the river.
Here some succeeded in making their way across by boats, while many swam
over. The Mamelukes also attempted to swim their horses; a few
succeeded, but more were drowned. The total loss on the Egyptian side
amounted to some 10,000 men, including infantry, cavalry, and the slaves
of the Mamelukes. 1000 prisoners were taken, and some 2000 camels and
horses fell into the victors' hands. Great booty was captured by the
French soldiers, and for days they occupied themselves in recovering the
bodies of the drowned Mamelukes, which amply repaid their trouble, as
four or five hundred pieces of gold were often found upon them, besides
jewels and other valuables. The great bulk of their less portable
property they had, however, placed on board sixty boats, and these, when
the battle was seen to be lost, were set on fire, and their contents
destroyed.
The Arabs had taken little share in the battle. When the Mamelukes
charged, they had been ordered to remain in reserve, and only to charge
when the latter had broken the French squares. Burning with impatience
they watched the mighty torrent of horse sweep across the plain, then
came the roar of artillery and the incessant rattle of musketry. Then
they saw with astonishment the cavalry recoil; they witnessed charge
after charge, and then saw them sweeping round the squares, while the
plain, where they had first attacked, was strewn thickly with the bodies
of men and horses right up to the bayonets of the French line. The Arabs
burst into cries of dismay.
"Nothing can stand such a fire as that," Edgar said to Sidi; "the
musketry and grape from the cannon are mowing them down like grass--it
is terrible!"
For a time the Mamelukes were hidden from sight by the cloud of smoke
and by the dust raised by their horses' hoofs, then they were seen to
emerge.
"There is Mourad's banner!" the sheik exclaimed; "they are making for
Gizeh, but surely all cannot be there--there are not more than 2000 with
him."
Then another body of about equal strength broke out from the dust of the
battle, and went towards the entrenchments.
"Let us join them there," the Arab shouted; and at full gallop they rode
across and joined the Mamelukes. Then, heralded by a tremendous
artillery fire, the French line advanced, pouring heavy volleys of
musketry into the cavalry, and upon the defenders of the entrenchments.
In two or three minutes the infantry were seen to be throwing away their
guns, leaping from the entrenchments, and flying in a disordered crowd
towards the river. Had the French possessed any cavalry, not one of the
fugitives could have escaped. The Mamelukes, seeing that all was lost,
had ascertained that Mourad had ridden towards Gizeh, and now started to
endeavour to rejoin him; while among the Arabs the cry rose, "To the
desert!" and, turning their horses, they galloped away, passed the foot
of the Pyramids, and out into the desert, where they halted, seeing that
once out of reach of the fire of the French guns, there was no fear
whatever of their being pursued.
"It is the will of Allah," the sheik said, as he and his party
dismounted. "Truly you were right, friend Edgar; we know not how to
fight. Who could have dreamt that men on foot could have withstood the
charge of five thousand horsemen? And yet the Mamelukes fought, as
always, bravely."
"They did indeed, sheik," Edgar agreed. "They did all that was possible
for men to do, but against such a fire of infantry and artillery
horsemen are powerless. Had our infantry been as well trained as those
of the French, and instead of remaining in the entrenchments, where they
could render no assistance whatever, marched against the French infantry
and broken their squares, the Mamelukes would then have been able to
dash down upon them, and not a French soldier would ever have reached
their ships again; but without infantry the horsemen could do nothing."
"Then you think that all is lost, Edgar?"
"Assuredly all is lost for the present, sheik. Mourad Bey and the party
with him may get away, but the rest are penned in between the French and
the river, and few of them will escape. As for the infantry, they are a
mere mob, and even if they get away they will never venture to stand
against the French. Napoleon will enter Cairo to-morrow, and there he
will remain. Numbers of horses will fall into the hands of the French.
They will take many more in Cairo, and before long they will have
cavalry as well as infantry, and then no part of the country will be
safe from them."
"Then is Egypt to fall altogether under the rule of the French?"
"Only for a time. Our fleet will soon return, and their troops here will
be cut off from their country. They may remain here for some time, but
at last they will have to go. I think that we shall send an army out to
fight against them. We shall know what their strength is, and that they
cannot be reinforced; and they will find in the long run that although
they may have captured Egypt, they are themselves but prisoners."
"And what would you advise?" the sheik asked. "You understand the ways
and customs of the Franks, while I know no more than a little child.
Thus, you see, in this matter you are the graybeard and I but a boy.
Therefore speak freely what you think will be best."
"Then I should say, sheik, that your best course would be to return at
once to your oasis. The French army will doubtless remain near Cairo.
They will send cavalry and light artillery over the country, to search
out their enemies, and to reduce all to obedience. Around Alexandria all
will be quiet, and so long as French convoys are not attacked, the force
there is not likely to interfere with peaceable people. If you return
there you will live unmolested. You can wait and see how matters go. If
there is any great rising against the French, it will be open to you to
take part in it, but at present hostilities against the French would
only bring down their vengeance. It may be that the Arabs in the great
oasis to the west will continue the war, but in the end they will be
sure to suffer by so doing."
"I think that your advice is good," the sheik said. "Sidi and you shall
return home at once with half my followers. I will ride at daybreak with
the other half. In one long day's ride I shall reach the spot where the
women and baggage have gone, and I will escort them back. The road will
certainly be safe from the Franks, who will, for some time, be occupied
with Cairo, though it is hardly likely that the town will resist.
Ibrahim, after the destruction of the Mamelukes and the defeat of the
army, cannot hope to resist a great attack; for the fortifications, like
those of Alexandria, have been suffered to decay, and the French would
assuredly soon force an entrance. However, after the march that they
have made they will need rest, and for a time the roads will be safe.
But this is not so with regard to the Arabs. The whole country will be
in confusion, and an unarmed caravan might well be plundered by any
party of Arabs who met it, though they would not interfere with it were
it headed by a sheik with armed followers. Therefore I will go to fetch
them. My son will ride fast, and take possession again of our home, lest
some of our neighbours, finding it deserted, should occupy it, and then
trouble would follow."
Accordingly, the next morning at daybreak the troop divided and rode off
in different directions. The greater part of the gathering had scattered
the evening before, and determined to return home and wait events. Four
days' rapid travelling took Sidi and his companions back to the oasis,
which they found exactly as they had left it, the tribes in the
neighbourhood having been all too busy in following the French army, and
picking up baggage left behind by the break-down of the horses, to
attend to other matters.
The next day Sidi and Edgar rode into Alexandria. Everything there was
going on as peacefully as usual; French soldiers lounging about the
streets, a number of labourers, under the direction of French officers,
were at work restoring the fortifications on the sea face of the town,
the shops were all open, the markets were as well supplied as usual. To
Edgar's surprise a good many French sailors were to be seen in the
streets.
"Their fleet cannot have sailed," he said to Sidi. "Let us ride out
through the East gate to Ramleh. It may be, of course, that there is a
despatch-boat lying in the port, though I did not see one. I can hardly
fancy that the French admiral would have kept his fleet here, for Nelson
must sooner or later get the news of what has taken place, and it is
certain that when he does he will hurry back at full speed."
From the elevation of Ramleh, however, the French fleet could be made
out, lying in Aboukir Bay in a long line.
"Hurrah!" Edgar exclaimed; "there they are. I mean to see this battle,
Sidi, if I have to stop here a month. It cannot be long before Nelson
arrives. I cannot think why the French admiral should have risked being
caught in a trap like this, when a defeat would cut the French army off
from Europe altogether."
"But what will you do?"
"I shall go into the town, and buy three or four of your Arab blankets,
and put up a little tent here."
"I will share it with you," Sidi replied. "I will send one of our two
men back and tell him to return with two more. There will be four of
them to look after the horses, and to fetch things out from the town as
we may require them. I should like to see the battle too; it must be
something terrible to hear the noise of so many great cannon."
The inaction of the French has never been satisfactorily explained.
Admiral Brueys bore a high reputation as a sailor. He was a personal
friend and possessed the complete confidence of Bonaparte. The latter
had given him the strictest injunctions to sail for Toulon as soon as he
had completed the discharge of the stores that he had on board. Instead
of doing this, however, he anchored in Aboukir Bay, and there waited. It
may have been that he feared that Napoleon might never reach Cairo, or
that he might be defeated in a great battle there, and that it might be
necessary for him to return to the port and to re-embark his army. No
other explanation is possible of his delay in carrying out the
imperative orders that he had received.
After the despatch of the messenger the two friends rode along the shore
until they could not only make out the exact position of the French
fleet, but count the guns in the broadsides of each vessel. It consisted
of thirteen line-of-battle ships, comprising the flag-ship the _Orient_,
of 120 guns, three of 80, and nine of 74, together with four frigates,
four mortar vessels, and a number of gun-boats, while on an island ahead
of the line was a battery of guns and mortars. Many parties of Arabs
were riding about on the shore, and there were several of their
encampments. Some had been attracted to the spot from a considerable
distance in order to view the great vessels of which reports had reached
them, others again were simply there from the spirit of restlessness
that pervaded the population.
The news of the battle of the Pyramids had not yet arrived, and all were
in suspense. The belief that the Mamelukes would defeat the French was
all but universal. Had this taken place the whole of the Arab tribes
would at once have harassed the retreat of the defeated army, and with
the Mamelukes pressing upon them it is probable that not a single
Frenchman would have reached the sea. As Edgar and his friend were
watching the French fleet a vessel was seen over the spit of sand. She
was some three miles out at sea.
"There is another of their ships of war, Sidi. I wonder whether she has
been scouting along the coast to gather news as to where our fleet may
be at present?"
When she came abreast of the extremity of the bay she changed her course
and bore closer in.
"She is coming in to join the others. I wonder what news she brings?"
When, however, she approached within two miles of the French fleet she
again changed her course, and bore along parallel with the coast.
"I suppose she is going into Alexandria. She hasn't got any colours
flying. That is curious, too; all the ships here are flying theirs.
Look! there are men at the mast-heads of several of the ships examining
her with telescopes. That is curious, too, for she is not signalling.
There she is, turning again and making out to sea. Perhaps she is a
British ship sent on ahead by Nelson to discover the position of the
French. If it is so we shall most likely have the fleet here to-morrow.
Then we shall see a big battle; at least we shall if the French don't
run away. See! there is a twelve-oared boat starting from the admiral's
ship and rowing right away. They must be going to Alexandria. They are
rowing hard, too."
They watched it for some time, and then returned to their tent. Two
hours later a number of ships' boats were seen coming out from
Alexandria.
"They are men-of-war boats," Edgar said. "I think I must have been
right, and that that vessel we saw must have been an English frigate.
That boat has been sent to order all the sailors we saw in the streets
of the town to return at once."
For some hours boats continued to pass, all filled with men, but there
were no signs of movement on the part of the ships.
"If it was one of our frigates the French admiral must have made up his
mind to fight them. They have got a great advantage, covered as they are
by those two land batteries. Besides, I know that there is a spit of
sand running out there which will make it very awkward for an enemy, not
knowing its position, to attack them. There is one thing, the French
will find it difficult to sail out if they want to. You see the wind is
on shore, and they are all riding head to it. There can't be much water
inside them. No doubt they could get out all right if they had plenty of
time and no one to interfere with them, but it would be a difficult
business to manage if the British fleet were upon them."
At ten o'clock the next morning a number of large vessels were seen in
the distance. They bore down towards Alexandria, but the wind was light
and they made but slow way, and it was five in the afternoon before,
having changed their course, they formed into line of battle and headed
for the French fleet. The scene from the shore was intensely exciting.
In each fleet there were thirteen battle-ships, but the French ships
were the larger and more heavily armed. They carried forty-six more
guns, and the weight of their broadside was 14,029 pounds to 10,695
pounds, while they carried 2300 more men, and were 5000 tons heavier.
They had, too, in addition, four frigates, besides the mortar vessels,
gun-boats, and the battery on the island of Aboukir. Soon after six
o'clock, the two leading vessels of the British fleet being within
range, the French opened fire, as did the guns of the battery. Edgar
uttered an exclamation of disgust as one of the largest of the English
ships was seen to stop suddenly in her course.
"She has run on the shoal!" he exclaimed. "Look, our ships are steering
for the head of the French line; they mean to go inside them."
As the British vessels reached the head of the French ships they
anchored one after another, each laying itself broadside to broadside
against an opponent, and the battle commenced with terrible energy, the
tremendous roar of the guns astounding the Arabs who were gathered on
the sand-hills. At first the French reply was feeble. They were taken
entirely by surprise by Nelson's manoeuvre. Believing that he could
only attack them from outside, they had prepared only on that hand for
the fight, and in clearing the decks for action all the useless gear and
fittings had been piled over on the other side, and it was some little
time before this could be cleared away and the guns got ready for
action. Then for a time their fire was as heavy as that of the British.
Nevertheless some of them had suffered terribly before they were able to
return a shot, and this contributed in no small degree to the British
victory.
The loss of the _Culloden_, which was the vessel which struck on the
sands, and of the _Leander_, which went to her assistance, was serious,
and had the French rear-admiral, Villeneuve, who commanded the five
vessels at the rear of the French line, cut his cables and come to the
assistance of his comrades, the eight British ships, engaged with as
many French, would have been in a serious position. He did not do so,
however, possibly fearing to run his ships aground. Consequently the
_Alexandria_ and the _Swiftsure_ came in to the assistance of the
British ships, some of which were being terribly damaged by the greatly
superior weight of the French fire. The _Bellerophon_, dismasted and
disabled by the enemy's fire, dropped out of the line, and the
_Alexandria_ took her place, while the _Swiftsure_ attacked the
_Franklin_. The _Leander_, seeing how hard was the fight, relinquished
her attempt to get the _Culloden_ afloat, and, sailing in, engaged in
the battle.
[Illustration: Battle of THE NILE
1st. August 1798.]
For a time the issue was doubtful. The three English seventy-four-gun
ships were matched against one of a hundred and twenty and two of
eighty-four. Darkness did not put a stop to the engagement, which
continued to rage with unabated fury, the battle being practically
between twelve British ships and eight French ships of the line and
their four frigates and gun-boats. By ten o'clock five of the French van
had surrendered, and the great hundred-and-twenty-gun ship, the
_Orient_, was in flames. The excitement of the Arabs as the battle
continued was unbounded. It seemed to them that mortal men could not
sustain so terrible a conflict, and exclamations of wonder and
admiration rose constantly among them.
The light of the burning vessel enabled the whole of the terrible scene
to be clearly witnessed. Half the ships were partly or wholly dismasted,
the rigging was cut to pieces, and the sails were riddled with balls.
The splintered sides, bulwarks shot away, and port-holes blown into one,
showed how terrible was the damage inflicted on both sides. Higher and
higher rose the flames on board the _Orient_. Men could be seen leaping
overboard into the water from the burning ship, and soon after ten she
blew up with a tremendous explosion, the concussion of which was so
great that many of the Arabs were thrown to the ground. For ten minutes
a dead silence succeeded the roar of battle, not a gun was fired on
either side. The British vessels near the spot where the _Orient_ had
lately floated lowered what boats there were uninjured and set to work
to rescue the survivors, who were either clinging to spars or were
swimming. Several of these, too, were hauled in at the lower port-holes
of the ships.
The French ship _Franklin_ was the first to recommence firing, but after
a few more broadsides from the _Swiftsure_ she hauled down her colours.
The firing continued without any abatement until three o'clock in the
morning. It then died away for a time, but recommenced at six o'clock
with fresh fury, and it was not until two in the afternoon that it came
to an end. Villeneuve, seeing that all was lost, now woke up and cut his
cables. Three of his ships ran aground, but with the _Guillaume Tell_
and the _Genereux_ and two frigates he made off, there being only one
British ship that was in condition to make sail in pursuit. The two
line-of-battle ships and one of the frigates were afterwards captured by
a British squadron.
Thus of the thirteen French ships of the line eight had surrendered, one
had blown up, two had escaped, and two were on shore. If the _Culloden_
could have got into action, it is probable that not one of the French
fleet would have left Aboukir Bay. The British loss in killed and
wounded was 895. 3105 of the French, including the wounded, were
captured, and 5225 perished in the fight. The victory was the most
decisive that was ever won at sea.