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WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN:
A Story of Atbara and Omdurman
by
G. A. HENTY.
Contents
Preface.
Chapter 1: Disinherited.
Chapter 2: The Rising In Alexandria.
Chapter 3: A Terrible Disaster.
Chapter 4: An Appointment.
Chapter 5: Southward.
Chapter 6: Gregory Volunteers.
Chapter 7: To Metemmeh.
Chapter 8: Among The Dervishes.
Chapter 9: Safely Back.
Chapter 10: Afloat.
Chapter 11: A Prisoner.
Chapter 12: The Battle Of Atbara.
Chapter 13: The Final Advance.
Chapter 14: Omdurman.
Chapter 15: Khartoum.
Chapter 16: A Voice From The Dead.
Chapter 17: A Fugitive.
Chapter 18: A Hakim.
Chapter 19: The Last Page.
Chapter 20: A Momentous Communication.
Chapter 21: Gedareh.
Chapter 22: The Crowning Victory.
Chapter 23: An Unexpected Discovery.
Preface.
The reconquest of the Soudan will ever be mentioned as one of the most
difficult, and at the same time the most successful, enterprises ever
undertaken. The task of carrying an army hundreds of miles across a
waterless desert; conveying it up a great river, bristling with
obstacles; defeating an enormously superior force, unsurpassed in the
world for courage; and, finally, killing the leader of the enemy and
crushing out the last spark of opposition; was a stupendous one.
After the death of Gordon, and the retirement of the British troops,
there was no force in existence that could have barred the advance of
the fanatical hordes of the Mahdi, had they poured down into Egypt. The
native Egyptian army was, as yet, in the earliest stage of
organization; and could not be relied upon to stand firm against the
wild rush of the Dervishes. Fortunately, time was given for that
organization to be completed; and when, at last, the Dervish forces
marched north, they were repulsed. Assouan was saved, and Wady Halfa
became the Egyptian outpost.
Gradually, preparations were made for taking the offensive. A railway
was constructed along the banks of the Nile, and a mixed force of
British and Egyptians drove the enemy beyond Dongola; then, by
splendidly organized labour, a railroad was made from Wady Halfa,
across the desert, towards the elbow of the great bend from Dongola to
Abu Hamed. The latter place was captured, by an Egyptian brigade moving
up from the former place; and from that moment, the movement was
carried on with irresistible energy.
The railway was pushed forward to Abu Hamed; and then southward, past
Berber, up to the Atbara river. An army of twenty thousand men, under
one of the Khalifa's sons, was attacked in a strong position and
defeated with immense loss. Fresh British troops were then brought up;
and, escorted by gunboats and steamers carrying provisions, the army
marched up the Nile, crushed the Khalifa's great host before Omdurman,
and recovered possession of Khartoum.
Then, the moving spirit of this enterprise, the man whose marvellous
power of organization had secured its success, was called to other
work. Fortunately, he had a worthy successor in Colonel Wingate; who,
with a native force, encountered that which the Khalifa had again
gathered, near El Obeid, the scene of the total destruction of the army
under Hicks Pasha; routed it with ease, killing the Khalifa and all his
principal emirs. Thus a land that had been turned into a desert, by the
terrible tyranny of the Mahdi and his successor, was wrested from
barbarism and restored to civilization; and the stain upon British
honour, caused by the desertion of Gordon by the British ministry of
the day, was wiped out.
It was a marvellous campaign--marvellous in the perfection of its
organization, marvellous in the completeness of its success.
G. A. Henty.
Chapter 1: Disinherited.
"Wanted, an active and intelligent young man, for general work, in a
commercial house having a branch at Alexandria. It is desirable that he
should be able to write a good hand; and, if necessary, to assist in
office work. Wages, 2 pounds per week. Personal application to be made
at Messieurs Partridge and Company, 453 Leadenhall Street."
This advertisement was read by a man of five or six and twenty, in a
small room in the upper story of a house in Lupus Street, Pimlico. He
was not the only inmate of the room, for a young woman, apparently not
more than eighteen, was sitting there sewing; her work interrupted,
occasionally, by a short, hacking cough. Her husband, for this was the
relation in which he stood to her, put down the paper carelessly, and
then got up.
"I am going out, dear, on my usual search. You know, we have agreed
that it is of no use my trying to live by my pen. I get an article
accepted, occasionally, but it's not enough to provide more than bread
and cheese. I must look for something else."
"But you must succeed, presently, Gregory."
"Yes, dear; but while the grass grows, the horse starves. At any rate,
I will try for something else. If I get anything, it won't prevent my
writing; and when my genius is recognized, I can drop the other thing,
and take to literature regularly, again.
"Well, I won't be away longer than I can help. Anyhow, I will be back
to our midday banquet. I will bring a couple of rashers of bacon in
with me. We have potatoes enough, I think."
So saying, he kissed his wife tenderly, and went out.
Gregory Hartley belonged to a good family. He was the second son of the
Honorable James Hartley, brother of the Marquis of Langdale. He had
been educated at Harrow and Cambridge; and, after leaving the
university, had gone out to Egypt with a friend of his father's, who
was an enthusiast in the exploration of the antiquities of that
country. Gregory had originally intended to stay there a few months, at
most, but he was infected by the enthusiasm of his companion, and
remained in Egypt for two years; when the professor was taken ill and
died, and he returned home.
A year later, he fell in love with the governess in a neighbouring
family. His feeling was reciprocated, and they became engaged. His
father was furious, when his son told him what had taken place.
"It is monstrous," he said, "after the education that you have had, and
the place that I, if I survive him; or, if not, your brother, will take
at the death of your uncle; that you should dream of throwing yourself
away, in this manner. I have looked to your making a good marriage;
for, as you know, I am not what may be called a rich man. Your
brother's tastes are expensive; and what with his education, and yours,
and the allowances I have made you both, it is as much as I have been
able to do to keep up our position. And there are your sisters to be
provided for. The idea of your falling in love with this young woman is
monstrous."
"Young lady, Father. She is a clergyman's daughter."
"I won't hear of such a thing--I will not hear of it for a moment; and
if you persist in this mad folly, I tell you, fairly, that from this
moment I shall have nothing more to say to you! You have to choose
between me, and this penniless beggar."
"I am sorry you put it in that way, sir. My choice is made. I am
engaged to this young lady, and shall certainly marry her. I trust
that, when your present anger has subsided, you will recognize that my
honour was involved in the matter; and that even if I wished it, I
could not, without showing myself to be a downright cad, draw back."
And so, Gregory Hartley married the girl of his choice. She had, for
some time, refused to allow him to sacrifice himself; but when she
found that he was as determined as his father, and absolutely refused
to release her from the engagement, she had given way; and had, after a
quiet marriage, accompanied him to London.
There he had endeavoured to get literary work, but had found it much
harder than he had expected. The market was overcrowded, and they had
moved from comfortable lodgings into small rooms; and so, step by step,
had come to the attic in Lupus Street. He was doing a little better
now, and had hopes that, ere long, he would begin to make his way
steadily up.
But the anxiety had told on his wife. Never very strong, she had
developed a short, hard cough; and he had drawn upon his scanty
reserves, to consult a specialist.
"There is undoubtedly lung trouble," the latter said. "If you can
manage it, I should say that she ought certainly to be taken to a warm
climate. The damage is not extensive, as yet; and it is probable that,
under favourable circumstances, she might shake it off; but I fear
that, if she continues to live in London, her chances are not great."
This, Gregory felt, was almost equivalent to a death sentence; and he
had begun to consult the advertisements in the papers, for some post
abroad. He had, unknown to her, applied for several situations, but
without success.
When he first read the advertisement that morning, he had hardly
thought of applying for the situation. His pride revolted at the idea
of becoming a mere messenger; but his wife's cough had decided him.
What did it matter, so that he could save her life?
"I may not get it," he said to himself, as he went out; "but my
knowledge of Arabic, and the native dialect, is all in my favour. And
at least, in a year or two, she may have thoroughly shaken off the
cough, and that is everything.
"At any rate, I have a better chance of getting this than I had of the
other places that I applied for. There can hardly be a rush of
applicants. When I am out there, I may hear of something better.
"However, I will take another name. Fortunately I have a second one,
which will do very well. Hilliard will do as well as Hartley; and as I
never write it in full as my signature, no one would recognize it as my
name. There is nothing to be ashamed of, in accepting such a post.
"As for the marquis, as he has never been friendly with us, it does not
matter. He is, I have heard, a very tough sort of man; and my father is
not likely to survive him. But I do not think it would be fair to
Geoffrey, when he comes into his peerage, that anyone should be able to
say that he has a brother who is porter, in a mercantile house at
Alexandria. We have never got on very well together. The fact that he
was heir to a title spoilt him. I think he would have been a very good
fellow, if it hadn't been for that."
On arriving at the office in Leadenhall Street, he was, on saying he
wished to speak to Mr. Partridge, at once shown in. A good many of his
personal belongings had been long since pledged; but he had retained
one or two suits, so that he could make as good an appearance as
possible, when he went out. The clerk had merely said, "A gentleman
wishes to speak to you, sir," and the merchant looked up enquiringly at
him, as he entered.
"I have come to see you, sir, with reference to that advertisement, for
a man at your establishment at Alexandria."
A look of surprise came over the merchant's face, and he said:
"Have you called on your own account?"
"Yes; I am anxious to go abroad, for the sake of my wife's health, and
I am not particular as to what I do, so that I can take her to a warm
climate. I may say that I have been two years in Egypt, and speak
Arabic and Koptic fluently. I am strong and active, and am ready to
make myself useful, in any way."
Mr. Partridge did not answer, for a minute. Certainly this applicant
was not at all the sort of man he had expected to apply for the place,
in answer to his advertisement. That he was evidently a gentleman was
far from an advantage, but the fact that he could speak the languages
would add much to his value.
"Can you give me references?" he said, at last.
"I cannot, sir. I should not like to apply to any of my friends, in
such a matter. I must ask you to take me on trust. Frankly, I have
quarrelled with my family, and have to strike out for myself. Were it
not for my wife's health, I could earn my living; but I am told it is
essential that she should go to a warm climate, and as I see no other
way of accomplishing this, I have applied for this situation, hoping
that my knowledge of the language, and my readiness to perform whatever
duties I may be required to do, might induce you to give me a trial."
"And you would, if necessary--say, in the case of illness of one of my
clerks--be ready to help in the office?"
"Certainly, sir."
"Will you call again, in half an hour? I will give you an answer,
then."
By the time Gregory returned, the merchant's mind was made up. He had
come to the conclusion that the story he had heard was a true one. The
way it had been told was convincing. The man was undoubtedly a
gentleman. There was no mistake in his manner and talk. He had
quarrelled with his family, probably over his marriage; and, as so many
had done, found it difficult to keep his head above water. His wife had
been ordered to a warm climate, and he was ready to do anything that
would enable him to keep her there.
It would assuredly be a great advantage to have one who could act, in
an emergency, as a clerk; of course, his knowledge of language would
greatly add to his utility. It certainly was not business to take a man
without a reference, but the advantages more than counterbalanced the
disadvantages. It was not likely that he would stay with him long; but
at any rate, the fact that he was taking his wife with him would ensure
his staying, until he saw something a great deal better elsewhere.
When Gregory returned, therefore, he said:
"I have been thinking this matter over. What is your name?"
"Gregory Hilliard, sir."
"Well, I have been thinking it over, and I have decided to engage you.
I quite believe the story that you have told me, and your appearance
fully carries it out. You may consider the matter settled. I am willing
to pay for a second-class passage for your wife, as well as yourself;
and will give such instructions, to my agents there, as will render
your position as easy for you as possible. In the natural course of
things, your duties would have included the sweeping out of the
offices, and work of that description; but I will instruct him to
engage a native to do this, under your supervision. You will be in
charge of the warehouse, under the chief storekeeper; and, as you say,
you will, in case of pressure of work in the office, take a desk there.
"In consideration of your knowledge of the language, which will render
you, at once, more useful than a green hand would be, I shall add ten
shillings a week to the wages named in the advertisement, which will
enable you to obtain comfortable lodgings."
"I am heartily obliged to you, sir," Gregory said, "and will do my best
to show that your confidence in me has not been misplaced. When do you
wish me to sail? I shall only require a few hours to make my
preparations."
"Then in that case I will take a passage, for you and your wife, in the
P. and O. that sails, next Thursday, from Southampton. I may say that it
is our custom to allow fifteen pounds, for outfit. If you will call
again in half an hour, I will hand you the ticket and a cheque for that
amount; and you can call, the day before you go, for a letter to our
agents there."
Gregory ascended the stairs to his lodging with a far more elastic step
than usual. His wife saw at once, as he entered, that he had good news
of some sort.
"What is it, Gregory?"
"Thank God, darling, that I have good news to give you, at last! I have
obtained a situation, at about a hundred and thirty pounds a year, in
Alexandria."
"Alexandria?" she repeated, in surprise.
"Yes. It is the place of all others that I wanted to go to. You see, I
understand the language. That is one thing; and what is of infinitely
more consequence, it is a place that will suit your health; and you
will, I hope, very soon get rid of that nasty cough. I did not tell you
at the time, but the doctor I took you to said that this London air did
not suit you, but that a warm climate would soon set you up again."
"You are going out there for my sake, Gregory! As if I hadn't brought
trouble enough on you, already!"
"I would bear a good deal more trouble for your sake, dear. You need
not worry about that."
"And what are you going to do?" she asked.
"I am going to be a sort of useful man--extra clerk, assistant
storekeeper, et cetera, et cetera. I like Egypt very much. It will suit
me to a T. At any rate, it will be a vast improvement upon this.
"Talking of that, I have forgotten the rashers. I will go and get them,
at once. We sha'n't have to depend upon them as our main staple, in
future; for fruit is dirt cheap, out there, and one does not want much
meat. We shall be able to live like princes, on two pounds ten a week;
and besides, this appointment may lead to something better, and we may
consider that there is a future before us.
"We are to sail on Thursday. Look! Here are fifteen golden sovereigns.
That is for my outfit, and we can begin with luxuries, at once. We
shall not want much outfit: half a dozen suits of white drill for
myself, and some gowns for you."
"Nonsense, Gregory! I sha'n't want anything. You would not let me sell
any of my dresses, and I have half a dozen light ones. I shall not want
a penny spent on me."
"Very well; then I will begin to be extravagant, at once. In the first
place, I will go down to that confectioner's, round the corner; and we
will celebrate my appointment with a cold chicken, and a bottle of
port. I shall be back in five minutes."
"Will it be very hot, Gregory?" she asked, as they ate their meal. "Not
that I am afraid of heat, you know. I always like summer."
"No. At any rate, not at present. We are going out at the best time of
the year, and it will be a comfort, indeed, to change these November
fogs for the sunshine of Egypt. You will have four or five months to
get strong again, before it begins to be hot. Even in summer, there are
cool breezes morning and evening; and of course, no one thinks of going
out in the middle of the day. I feel as happy as a schoolboy, at the
thought of getting out of this den and this miserable climate, and of
basking in the sunshine. We have had a bad beginning, dear, but we have
better days before us."
"Thank God, Gregory! I have not cared about myself. But it has been a
trial, when your manuscripts have come back, to see you sitting here
slaving away; and to know that it is I who have brought you to this."
"I brought myself to it, you obstinate girl! I have pleased myself,
haven't I? If a man chooses a path for himself, he must not grumble
because he finds it rather rougher than he expected. I have never, for
a single moment, regretted what I have done; at any rate, as far as I,
myself, am concerned."
"Nor I, for my own sake, dear. The life of a governess is not so
cheerful as to cause one regret, at leaving it."
And so, Gregory Hartley and his wife went out to Alexandria, and
established themselves in three bright rooms, in the upper part of a
house that commanded a view of the port, and the sea beyond it. The
outlay required for furniture was small, indeed: some matting for the
floors, a few cushions for the divans which ran round the rooms, a bed,
a few simple cooking utensils, and a small stock of crockery sufficed.
Mr. Ferguson, the manager of the branch, had at first read the letter
that Gregory had brought him with some doubt in his mind, as to the
wisdom of his principal, in sending out a man who was evidently a
gentleman. This feeling, however, soon wore away; and he found him
perfectly ready to undertake any work to which he was set.
There was, indeed, nothing absolutely unpleasant about this. He was at
the office early, and saw that the native swept and dusted the offices.
The rest of the day he was either in the warehouse, or carried
messages, and generally did such odd jobs as were required. A fortnight
after his arrival, one of the clerks was kept away by a sharp attack of
fever; and as work was pressing, the agent asked Gregory to take his
place.
"I will do my best, sir, but I know nothing of mercantile accounts."
"The work will be in no way difficult. Mr. Hardman will take Mr.
Parrot's ledgers; and, as you will only have to copy the storekeeper's
issues into the books, five minutes will show you the form in which
they are entered."
Gregory gave such satisfaction that he was afterwards employed at
office work, whenever there was any pressure.
A year and a half passed comfortably. At the end of twelve months, his
pay was raised another ten shillings a week.
He had, before leaving England, signed a contract to remain with the
firm for two years. He regretted having to do this, as it prevented his
accepting any better position, should an opening occur; but he
recognized that the condition was a fair one, after the firm paying for
his outfit and for two passages. At the end of eighteen months, Gregory
began to look about for something better.
"I don't mind my work a bit," he said to his wife, "but, if only for
the sake of the boy" (a son had been born, a few months after their
arrival), "I must try to raise myself in the scale, a bit. I have
nothing to complain about at the office; far from it. From what the
manager said to me the other day, if a vacancy occurred in the office,
I should have the offer of the berth. Of course, it would be a step;
for I know, from the books, that Hardman gets two hundred a year, which
is forty more than I do."
"I should like you to get something else, Gregory. It troubles me, to
think that half your time is spent packing up goods in the warehouse,
and work of that sort; and even if we got less I would much rather,
even if we had to stint ourselves, that your work was more suitable to
your past; and such that you could associate again with gentlemen, on
even terms."
"That does not trouble me, dear, except that I wish you had some
society among ladies. However, both for your sake and the boy's, and I
own I should like it myself, I will certainly keep on the lookout for
some better position. I have often regretted, now, that I did not go in
for a commission in the army. I did want to, but my father would not
hear of it. By this time, with luck, I might have got my company; and
though the pay would not have been more than I get here, it would, with
quarters and so on, have been as much, and we should be in a very
different social position.
"However, it is of no use talking about that now; and indeed, it is
difficult to make plans at all. Things are in such an unsettled
condition, here, that there is no saying what will happen.
"You see, Arabi and the military party are practically masters here.
Tewfik has been obliged to make concession after concession to them, to
dismiss ministers at their orders, and to submit to a series of
humiliations. At any moment, Arabi could dethrone him, as he has the
whole army at his back, and certainly the larger portion of the
population. The revolution could be completed without trouble or
bloodshed; but you see, it is complicated by the fact that Tewfik has
the support of the English and French governments; and there can be
little doubt that the populace regard the movement as a national one,
and directed as much against foreign control and interference as
against Tewfik, against whom they have no ground of complaint,
whatever. On the part of the army and its generals, the trouble has
arisen solely on account of the favouritism shown to Circassian
officers.
"But once a revolution has commenced, it is certain to widen out. The
peasantry are, everywhere, fanatically hostile to foreigners. Attacks
have been made upon these in various country districts; and, should
Arabi be triumphant, the position of Christians will become very
precarious. Matters are evidently seen in that light in England; for I
heard today, at the office, that the British and French squadrons are
expected here, in a day or two.
"If there should be a row, our position here will be very unpleasant.
But I should hardly think that Arabi would venture to try his strength
against that of the fleets, and I fancy that trouble will, in the first
place, begin in Cairo; both as being the capital of the country, and
beyond the reach of armed interference by the Powers. Arabi's natural
course would be to consolidate his power throughout the whole of Egypt,
leaving Alexandria severely alone, until he had obtained absolute
authority elsewhere.
"Anyhow, it will be a satisfaction to have the fleet up; as, at the
first rumour of an outbreak, I can get you and baby on board one of the
ships lying in harbour. As a simple measure of precaution, I would
suggest that you should go out with me, this evening, and buy one of
the costumes worn by the native women. It is only a long blue robe,
enveloping you from head to foot; and one of those hideous white cotton
veils, falling from below the eyes. I will get a bottle of iodine, and
you will then only have to darken your forehead and eyelids, and you
could pass, unsuspected, through any crowd."
"But what are you going to do, Gregory?"
"I will get a native dress, too; but you must remember that though, if
possible, I will come to you, I may not be able to do so; and in case
you hear of any tumult going on, you must take Baby, and go down at
once to the port. You know enough of the language, now, to be able to
tell a boatman to take you off to one of the steamers in the port. As
soon as I get away I shall go round the port, and shall find you
without difficulty. Still, I do not anticipate any trouble arising
without our having sufficient warning to allow me to come and see you
settled on board ship; and I can then keep on in the office until it
closes, when I can join you again.
"Of course, all this is very remote, and I trust that the occasion will
never arise. Still, there is no doubt that the situation is critical,
and there is no harm in making our preparations for the worst.
"At any rate, dear, I beg that you will not go out alone, till matters
have settled down. We will do the shopping together, when I come back
from the office.
"There is one thing that I have reason to be grateful for. Even if the
worst comes to the worst, and all Christians have to leave the country,
the object for which I came out here has been attained. I have not
heard you cough, for months; we have laid by fifty pounds; and I have
written some forty stories, long and short, and if we go back I have a
fair hope of making my way, for I am sure that I write better than I
used to do; and as a good many of the stories are laid in Egypt, the
local colouring will give them a distinctive character, and they are
more likely to be accepted than those I wrote before. Editors of
magazines like a succession of tales of that kind.
"For the present, there is no doubt that the arrival of the fleet will
render our position here more comfortable than it is, at present. The
mere mob of the town would hesitate to attack Europeans, when they know
that three or four thousand sailors could land in half an hour. But on
the other hand, Arabi and his generals might see that Alexandria was,
after all, the most important position, and that it was here foreign
interference must be arrested.
"I should not be surprised if, on the arrival of the ships, Tewfik,
Arabi, and all the leaders of the movement come here at once. Tewfik
will come to get the support of the fleet. Arabi will come to oppose a
landing of troops. The war in the beginning of the century was decided
at Alexandria, and it may be so, again. If I were sure that you would
come to no harm, and I think the chances of that are very small, I own
that all this would be immensely interesting, and a break to the
monotony of one's life here.
"One thing is fairly certain. If there is anything like a regular row,
all commercial work will come to an end until matters are settled; in
which case, even if the offices are not altogether closed, and the
whole staff recalled to England, they would be glad enough to allow me
to leave, instead of keeping me to the two years' agreement that I
signed, before starting."
"I should hardly think that there would be a tumult here, Gregory. The
natives all seem very gentle and peaceable, and the army is composed of
the same sort of men."
"They have been kept down for centuries, Annie; but there is a deep,
fanatical feeling in every Mussulman's nature; and, at any rate, the
great proportion of the officers of the army are Mussulmans. As for the
Kopts, there would be no danger of trouble from them; but the cry of
'death to the Christians' would excite every Mahomedan in the land,
almost to madness.
"Unfortunately, too, there is a general belief, whether truly founded
or not, that although the French representative here is apparently
acting in concert with ours, he and all the French officials are
secretly encouraging Arabi, and will take no active steps, whatever. In
that case, it is doubtful whether England would act alone. The jealousy
between the two peoples here is intense. For years, the French have
been thwarting us at every turn; and they may very well think that,
however matters might finally go, our interference would make us so
unpopular, in Egypt, that their influence would become completely
paramount.
"Supremacy in Egypt has always been the dream of the French. Had it not
been for our command of the sea, they would have obtained possession of
the country in Napoleon's time. Their intrigues here have, for years,
been incessant. Their newspapers in Egypt have continually maligned us,
and they believe that the time has come when they will be the real, if
not the nominal, rulers of Egypt. The making of the Suez Canal was
quite as much a political as a commercial move, and it has certainly
added largely to their influence here; though, in this respect, a check
was given to them by the purchase of the Khedive's shares in the canal
by Lord Beaconsfield; a stroke which, however, greatly increased the
enmity of the French here, and heightened their efforts to excite the
animosity of the people against us.
"Well, I hope that whatever comes of all this, the question as to whose
influence is to be paramount in Egypt will be finally settled. Even
French domination would be better than the constant intrigues and
trouble, that keep the land in a state of agitation. However, I fancy
that it will be the other way, if an English fleet comes here and there
is trouble. I don't think we shall back down; and if we begin in
earnest, we are sure to win in the long run. France must see that, and
if she refuses to act, at the last moment, it can only be because Arabi
has it in his power to produce documents showing that he was, all
along, acting in accordance with her secret advice."
A week later, on the 20th of May, the squadrons of England and France
anchored off Alexandria. The British fleet consisted of eight ironclads
and five gunboats, carrying three thousand five hundred and thirty-nine
men and one hundred and two guns, commanded by Sir Frederick Seymour.
Two days before the approach of the fleet was known at Cairo, the
French and English consuls proposed that the Khedive should issue a
decree, declaring a general amnesty, and that the president of the
council, the minister of war, and the three military pashas should quit
the country for a year. This request was complied with.
The ministry resigned, in a body, on the day the fleet arrived; on the
ground that the Khedive acquiesced in foreign interference. A great
meeting was held of the chief personages of state, and the officers and
the representatives of the army at once told the Khedive that they
refused to obey his orders, and only recognized the authority of the
Porte.
At Alexandria all trade ceased at once, when it became known that the
troops were busy strengthening the forts, mounting cannon, and
preparing for a resistance. That this was done by the orders of Arabi,
who was now practically dictator, there could be no question. The
native population became more and more excited, being firmly of belief
that no vessels could resist the fire of the heavy guns; and that any
attempt on the part of the men-of-war to reduce the place would end in
their being sunk, as soon as fighting began.
The office and stores were still kept open, but Gregory's duties were
almost nominal; and he and Mr. Parrot, who was also married, were told
by the manager that they could spend the greater portion of their time
at their homes. Part of Gregory's duties consisted in going off to
vessels that came into the port with goods for the firm, and seeing to
their being brought on shore; and he had no difficulty in making
arrangements, with the captain of one of these ships, for his wife and
child to go on board at once, should there be any trouble in the town.
"If you hear any sounds of tumult, Annie, you must disguise yourself at
once, and go down to the wharf. I have arranged with our boatman,
Allen, whom you know well, as we have often gone out with him for a
sail in the evening, that if he hears of an outbreak, he shall bring
the boat to the steps at the end of this street, and take you off to
the Simoon. Of course, I shall come if I can, but our house is one of
those which have been marked off as being most suitable for defence.
The men from half a dozen other establishments are to gather there and,
as belonging to the house, I must aid in the defence. Of course, if I
get sufficient warning, I shall slip on my disguise, and hurry here,
and see you down to the boat; and then make my way back to our place.
But do not wait for me. If I come here and find that you have gone, I
shall know that you have taken the alarm in time, and shall return at
once to the office.
"Of course, if the outbreak commences near here, and you find that your
way down to the water is blocked, you will simply put on your disguise,
stain your face, and wait till I come to you, or till you see that the
way to the water is clear. Do not attempt to go out into a mob. There
are not likely to be any women among them. However, I do not anticipate
a serious riot. They may attack Europeans in the street, but with some
fourteen or fifteen men-of-war in the port, they are not likely to make
any organized assault. Arabi's agents will hardly precipitate matters
in that way. Hard as they may work, it will take a month to get the
defences into proper order, and any rising will be merely a spasmodic
outbreak of fanaticism. I don't think the danger is likely to be
pressing until, finding that all remonstrances are vain, the admiral
begins to bombard the port."
"I will do exactly as you tell me, Gregory. If I were alone, I could
not bring myself to leave without you, but I must think of the child."
"Quite so, dear. That is the first consideration. Certainly, if it
comes to a fight, I should be much more comfortable with the knowledge
that you and Baby were in safety."
The Egyptian soldiers were quartered, for the most part, outside the
town; and for some days there was danger that they would enter, and
attack the European inhabitants; but Arabi's orders were strict that,
until he gave the command, they were to remain quiet.
The British admiral sent messages to Tewfik, insisting that the work
upon the fortifications should cease, and the latter again issued
orders to that effect, but these were wholly disobeyed. He had, indeed,
no shadow of authority remaining; and the work continued, night and
day. It was, however, as much as possible concealed from observation;
but, search lights being suddenly turned upon the forts, at night,
showed them to be swarming with men.
Things went on with comparative quiet till the 10th of June, although
the attitude of the natives was so threatening that no Europeans left
their houses, except on urgent business. On that day, a sudden uproar
was heard. Pistols were fired, and the merchants closed their stores
and barricaded their doors.
Gregory was in the harbour at the time and, jumping into his boat,
rowed to the stairs and hurried home. He found that his wife had
already disguised herself, and was in readiness to leave.
The street was full of excited people. He slipped on his own disguise,
darkened his face, and then, seizing a moment when the crowd had rushed
up the street at the sound of firearms at the other end, hurried down
to the boat, and rowed off to the Simoon.
"I must return now, dear," he said. "I can get in at the back gate--I
have the key, as the stores are brought in through that way. I do not
think that you need feel any uneasiness. The row is evidently still
going on, but only a few guns are being fired now. Certainly the
rascals cannot be attacking the stores, or you would hear a steady
musketry fire. By the sound, the riot is principally in the foreign
quarter, where the Maltese, Greeks, and Italians congregate. No doubt
the police will soon put it down."
The police, however, made no attempt to do so, and permitted the work
of massacre to take place under their eyes. Nearly two hundred
Europeans were killed. The majority of these dwelt in the foreign
quarter, but several merchants and others were set upon, while making
their way to their offices, and some seamen from the fleet were also
among the victims. The British consul was dragged out of his carriage,
and severely injured. The consulate was attacked, and several Frenchmen
were killed in the streets.
The Khedive hurried from Cairo, on hearing the news. Arabi was now
sending some of his best regiments to Alexandria, while pretending to
be preparing for a raid upon the Suez Canal. He was receiving the
assistance of Dervish Pasha, the Sultan's representative; and had been
recognized by the Sultan, who conferred upon him the highest order of
Medjidie.
In the meantime a conference had been held by the Powers, and it was
decided that the Sultan should be entrusted with the work of putting
down the insurrection, he being nominally lord paramount of Egypt. But
conditions were laid down, as to his army leaving the country
afterwards.
The Sultan sent an evasive reply. The Khedive was too overwhelmed at
the situation to take any decisive course. France hesitated, and
England determined that, with or without allies, she would take the
matter in hand.