by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER VI.
THE RISING IN CAIRO.
As soon as a meal had been eaten the Arabs mounted again, rode to aferry two miles above the city, crossed there, and joined a large partyof their countrymen, who were gathered at a short distance from thecity. There was much excitement among them, for one of their number hadjust returned, bringing news that there was fighting in the town.Napoleon had gone in the morning to examine the ruins of Old Cairo. Onhearing that there were armed gatherings in various parts of the town,General Dupres started from the barracks of Birketelfi with a detachmentof dragoons. On his approaching one of these gatherings fire was openedupon him. He and some of his dragoons were shot, and the rest gallopedwith the news to Junot, who was in command, and who at once sent toacquaint Bonaparte with what was taking place.
The latter returned at once, found the first two gates at which hearrived in the hands of the insurgents, and making a detour, entered thetown by that of Boulak, and, joining Junot, he ordered the whole of thetroops to be concentrated in the great open space known as the Square ofEl-Esbekieh, where were the headquarters and barracks occupied by aportion of the troops, and the houses in which the staff-officers,servants, and others lodged. Cannon were placed at the mouth of all thestreets leading from it, and the troops were ordered to remain underarms all night. The Arabs had, soon after the sheik's party joined them,entered the town by one of the gates that had been seized by theinsurgents, and established themselves in one of the large open spacesnear the walls. Parties galloped down into the town, and from time totime brought back news of what was being done.
They reported that no attacks had been made on the troops, but that thewhole town was in a state of insurrection; that the keepers of theFrench restaurants had been, for the most part, killed, and all theirhouses pillaged; and that the insurgents had gathered in great force inthe cemetery, near the Square of El-Esbekieh. The sheik, with hisfollowers and many of the other Arabs, rode down to this spot inreadiness to take part in the attack that would, he supposed, be at oncemade on the French. Finding that nothing was done, the sheik rode to theMosque of Gama El Ashar, where the leaders of the insurrection weregathered. He dismounted and went in. He found a tumultuous debate goingon, a few being ready for instant attack, while the others urged theadvisability of waiting until the next morning, when many more Arabs,and the inhabitants of Old Cairo and other places, would have joinedthem.
The sheik at once took part in the debate, and urged strongly that theattack should be made without an instant's delay.
"You are giving time for the Franks to prepare themselves," he said."You have already lost the advantage of surprise. After the first shotwas fired there should not have been a moment of delay; but no shotshould have been fired until you had given us notice. Then together weshould have flung ourselves upon them when they were confused anddismayed, and had no time to form plans or to gather themselves in oneplace. You have already lost that advantage, but do not give them anylonger time. You may be sure that already swift horsemen have been sentto order the divisions that have just marched to return at once, and byto-morrow evening they may be here."
"You have spoken truly," one of the leaders said, "that no shot shouldhave been fired until all was in readiness, and that we should then haveattacked at once with all our force. But the impatience of individualshas destroyed our plans. The evil has already been done; the Franks aregathered together. They can receive no reinforcements until to-morrownight, while in the morning we shall be joined by fully 10,000 men;therefore nothing would be gained, and much lost, by attacking to-day."
The majority of those present agreed with this opinion, and the sheikreturned to the cemetery.
"You were right," he said to Edgar moodily. "To be successful, such arising should have been prompt. They should have wasted no time inkilling tradesmen and plundering their shops. They should have hurledthemselves at once upon the troops and cut them to pieces before theyhad time to recover from their surprise. Had they acted thus they mighthave succeeded. Now they have allowed the whole of the French to gather,with their guns, and after what happened in the battle, I fear there canbe little doubt of what will occur when we attack them; but this doesnot alter my determination to do my best towards gaining a victory.
"Even if defeated the affair will not be without advantage. The Frankswill begin to see that, easy as was their first victory, the Egyptiansare not a flock of sheep to be maltreated and robbed without evenventuring to murmur, and that they cannot afford to scatter their forcesall over the country. Moreover, the news that Cairo is in insurrectionwill spread through the country and excite a feeling of resistance. Manywill die, but their blood will not have been shed in vain. The Frenchthink that they have conquered Egypt--they have, in fact, but marchedto the capital. They only hold the ground they stand on, and it willnot be long before they feel that even that is trembling under theirfeet."
Some sheep that had been brought, slung across the horses, were cut up,fires lighted, and supper eaten, and when two men had been posted assentinels, the rest wrapped themselves in their burnooses and lay downto sleep. Edgar's reflections were not pleasant, and he sat up for sometime talking to Sidi.
"You think that we shall be beaten," the latter said, after they hadtalked for some time. "There is no reason, brother, why you should takepart in a fight that you think will end badly. Why should you not leaveus, and go out of one of the gates in the morning?"
"I cannot do that, Sidi. I have, of my own free-will, cast in my lotwith your people. It is thanks to them that I have escaped a prison andperhaps death, and I cannot withdraw now because there is danger. Totell you the truth, I am more disgusted at the murder of all theunfortunate shopkeepers than thinking of any personal danger to-morrow.There is nothing brave or patriotic in slaying unarmed men, and thedeeds done yesterday are rather those of street ruffians thirsting forplunder than of men trying to shake off subjection to foreigners. Suchdoings as these bring disgrace upon a cause."
This view of the case was new to Sidi. In the wars that the Arabscarried on with each other, or with the tribes of Morocco, there was nofine distinction between combatants and non-combatants: women as well asmen were killed or carried off as slaves, and that there was anythingwrong in this had never occurred to him.
"But they are enemies," he ventured to protest.
"They were foreigners, but not enemies," Edgar replied. "Many of themwere settled here long before the French landed, and, like my father,lived peaceably among you. They are not in any way responsible for theaction of the French government, or of Bonaparte and his army. Amongcivilized people, save that after the capture of a town by storm, thesoldiers become maddened and behave sometimes like demons, the lives ofpeaceful people are never menaced. Soldiers fight against soldiers, andnot against quiet traders or cultivators of the ground. To me all thathas been done to-day is nothing short of a murderous butchery, andto-morrow I would much more willingly join in a charge on the rabble whohave done these things than upon the French soldiers, who are for themost part honest fellows and have injured no one since they came intothe town, though they may have looted houses which they found desertedby their inhabitants.
"However, as my country is at war with them, and I have an opportunityof fighting them, I shall do so, but I would rather have done it with anArab force alone out on the desert than in conjunction with theseblood-stained ruffians. However, the matter is settled now, and at anyrate it will be a satisfaction to fight by the side of yourself and yourbrave father, who sees as well as I do that defeat is almost certain."So saying he lay down to sleep, but with sore forebodings of what waslikely to take place the next day.
When daylight broke it soon became evident that the insurgents hadneither a leader nor fixed plans. Some were in favour of attacking atonce, while others urged that it would be better for the French to doso. The argument was, that whereas at present the French were allassembled, ranged in order, and ready for an attack, they must be brokenup as soon as they i
ssued from the various streets leading into thesquare. The sheik, after talking the matter over with Edgar, rode withsome of his followers to the spot where the leaders were discussing thematter.
"There is much in what you say," he exclaimed, when one of those whourged delay had spoken; "but if we are to await their attack let usprepare for it. All who have firearms should go on to the roofs of thehouses of the streets through which they will march, and fire down intothem as they pass along. Those who have other arms should take theirplaces in the lanes, running out of them and break into the column as itcomes along, while we Arabs will charge them in front."
Some strongly approved of this advice, others said that the questionmust be referred to the council at the mosque, and things remained asthey were before.
The French had made a move early. Soon after daybreak Captain Sulkouski,one of Napoleon's aides-de-camp, started with two hundred cavalry tomake a circuit of the town, and to reconnoitre the position of theinsurgents. He rashly charged into the middle of a large party of Arabs,but was killed with many of his men. Two hours later scouts rushed intothe cemetery, and announced that the French were in movement along thestreets leading towards it, and almost immediately afterwards severalbatteries, which had been placed during the night on spots commandingthe cemetery, opened fire.
There was no hesitation now on the part of the insurgents; they rushedforward in confused masses to meet the enemy. As they did so the leadingranks of the columns opened, and cannon, which were being dragged alongby the infantry, poured volleys of grape into the crowded mobs. Many ofthe Egyptians ran into the houses, and from there kept up a heavy fire.But pressing steadily forward, the French fought their way into thecemetery, and opening out, poured such heavy volleys into the Egyptiansthat these speedily ran up the streets leading from it, leaving numbersof dead behind. The Arabs had fallen back before the French entered thesquare, as the crowded tombstones rendered it impossible for them to actwith any effect there, and the sheik's party, with several others, tookup their position at some distance up the principal street leadingtowards the mosque.
As soon as a heavy French column entered this street fighting began inearnest. From roof and window a deadly fire was poured into them, bodiesof men armed with sword and dagger rushed out of the narrow lanes andthrew themselves on the flanks of the column. Many French soldiers werekilled, but the bayonet did its work, and the assailants who had piercedthe column fell to a man.
The blood of the French soldiers was now up. The sudden attack uponthem, the killing of many of their comrades, and of severaldistinguished officers who had been caught riding unguardedly throughthe city, had exasperated them to a pitch of fury. They had been underarms all night, and the sight of many shops gutted, and their lateinmates lying dead at their doorway or in the road, filled them with athirst for vengeance, and they moved forward eagerly.
"Now it is our turn!" one of the Arab sheiks said sternly, then raisinghis war-cry he led the way down the street, followed by a hundred of hisfollowers. Behind them rode Ben Ouafy, with Sidi and Edgar beside him,and his own band following closely. There was only room for eight men toride abreast. Although their front ranks were swept away by the fire ofthe leading ranks of the French column, the Arabs charged with splendidbravery, but when within twenty paces of the column there was a suddenmovement, the ranks opened, and two cannon loaded to the muzzle withgrape poured a murderous discharge into them.
The effect was terrible. The greater portion of the band that led thecharge was swept away; the others would have turned, but the Beni Ouafywere racing forward. "Charge," the sheik cried, "before they can loadagain!"
"Forward, forward!" the Arabs' war-cry pealed out loud and shrill from ahundred throats, and the whole then dashed down upon the French column.The leading ranks were cut down, the cannon were for the momentcaptured, and the Arabs pressed forward with shouts of victory; but theFrench in front, pressed upon by those behind, could retreat but a shortdistance. Those in front defended themselves with bayonet and clubbedmuskets, those behind poured their fire into the Arabs, who, beingraised above their comrades' heads, offered an easy mark.
The road was speedily blocked with fallen men and horses, but thestruggle continued until there was a movement from the French column,and pressing their way along, a number of soldiers dragged two more gunsto the front. Then the head of the column opened sufficiently for themuzzles to project between those of the first line, and again the stormof grape swept the street. This was too much for the Arabs, and thosewho survived turned their horses and galloped back. The sheik and hisparty had just reached the French line, all in front of them havingfallen, when the cannon poured their contents down the street. Edgar hadcaught sight of the guns just before, and uttered a warning shout.
"To the right, sheik, to the right!" while he himself, with a sharp pullat the bridle, caused his horse to wheel to the left, and thus when theguns were fired, their contents passed between Edgar and his twofriends. The sheik gave a cry of dismay as he saw that the greater partof his followers were destroyed, and shouted to Sidi and Edgar to flyfor their lives. Riding at a mad gallop they dashed along, but thebullets of the French pursued them vengefully, and half-way down thestreet Edgar felt a sudden sharp pain in his right arm, and at the samemoment his horse gave a sudden spring and then rolled over. He was atthe time somewhat in rear of the sheik and Sidi, and they were for themoment unaware of what happened to him. Fortunately the horse did notfall upon him, and in an instant he was upon his feet again.
Looking round he saw that he had fallen close to the open door of a shopwith an Italian name over it; he ran into it. The shop had beencompletely ransacked, and three bodies, those of the proprietor and twolads, lay on the floor. There was no door leading out behind, and he ranup the stairs. The rooms were littered with the remains of the furnitureand belongings. The bedding, curtains, and everything that could be ofuse to the spoilers were gone, but the European clothes, which could notbe worn by them, were still about. The only windows looked into thestreet. There was no apparent means of escape; the only hope was indisguise. Tearing off his Arab garments and thrusting them into acupboard, he threw on without a moment's delay, trousers, a coat thatbuttoned up, and a pair of European shoes, thrust a cap on his head, andthen ran downstairs again. Fortunately the column, after defeating itsassailants, had paused for two or three minutes, while the soldiersbroke into the houses from which they had been fired upon and slew allthey found in them, and its head was still a hundred yards away whenEdgar looked cautiously out. He had time to throw off his coat and tohastily bandage the wound in his arm, from which the blood had beenstreaming down; then as he heard the tramp of the advancing column heran down to the door, and as the troops came up, waved his hand, dancedas if for joy, and shouted a welcome in Italian, mingled with a fewwords of French, pouring at the same time a voluble string ofmaledictions on the ruffians who had killed his master and his twocomrades. A mounted officer riding at the head of the column shouted tohim to go in and to remain quiet, saying that there was no fear that hewould be molested now. Edgar drew back a little, but remained at thedoor, sometimes shouting encouragement to the soldiers, sometimesapparently weeping convulsively, and acting as if half out of his mindwith relief at his deliverance.
As soon as the column had passed he returned upstairs, bandaged hiswound much more carefully than before, put on a shirt, and chose thebest garments that he could find. All these had no doubt belonged to theproprietor, and he now went boldly out and followed the French column.These met with very slight resistance on their road towards the Mosqueof Gama El Ashar. When they neared this spot they halted until the othercolumns should reach the point of attack. Before they had left thesquare General Gonmartin had moved round from Boulak with ten guns andtaken post on the height near Fort Dupres, and at mid-day thirty gunsfrom this fort and the citadel opened fire on the town. As it was knownto the French that great numbers of the fugitives from the cemetery hadfled to the mosque, where already a strong bod
y of armed men wereassembled, it was deemed imprudent to attack it until secure that therewas no danger of a great mass of the insurgents falling upon them whileso engaged.
Shells fell fast on the mosque, and fires broke out in several parts ofthe town. Edgar joined a group of several civilians, who, having eitherbeen hidden during the massacre or having escaped to the French lines,now came up, deeming that they would be safer near the troops thanelsewhere. All had stories of hairbreadth escapes to relate, but,feigning not to be able to follow their narratives, Edgar, after a fewwords in Italian, joined the troops, who were engaged in eating the foodthat they had brought with them.
At three o'clock a tremendous roar of fire in the direction of FortDupres burst out, as some seven or eight thousand of the insurgents,among whom were a number of Arabs, poured out from the nearest gate toendeavour to carry the battery, while at the same moment a tremendousmusketry fire from the minarets and roof of the Mosque of Hassan, andfrom the houses near the wall, was poured at the French artillerymen, toprevent them from working their guns upon their assailants. Gonmartin,however, had with him three battalions of infantry and 300 cavalry, andwith these he charged the advancing crowd. The Arabs fought bravely, butwere, for the most part, slain, and the insurgents, unable to stand theheavy volleys, followed by a bayonet charge of the infantry, fled backto the gate from which they had sallied out, 400 of them being takenprisoners and sent to the citadel.
A great number of the fugitives fled to the Mosque of Gama El Ashar,which was now crowded. Their reports of the disaster shook the courageof those already there, and when four columns of French infantry emergedsimultaneously from the ends of as many streets, the fire opened uponthem from the roof of the mosque was but feeble. Six guns were instantlyplaced commanding its gate, which was shattered after two or threerounds had been fired, and then, with a shout, the infantry rushed inand commenced the work of slaughter. This was terrible, no quarter wasgiven, and some 6000 Moslems perished there, while 2000 had been killedin the previous fighting.
Satisfied with this terrible act of vengeance, the French troops weremarched back to the square they had left in the morning, Bonaparte beingsure that there would be no more rioting after the terrible lesson thathad been taught the inhabitants. Late in the evening, indeed, the chiefmen waited upon him and implored mercy for the town. Several of them hadbeen members of the council who directed the movement, but theyrepresented that they had been compelled to act against their will, andNapoleon, satisfied that there would be no more troubles, pardoned themon condition of their at once issuing a proclamation condemning therioters, and ordering all to return to their ordinary avocations, and tohand over to the authorities any who should preach mischief.
After the capture of the mosque, Edgar went down to the great squareoccupied by the French, and gathered from the talk of the officers therethe result of the sortie. All agreed that the Arabs had fought bravely,and that few indeed had left the field alive. Edgar made his way out ofthe town by the Boulak gate, which was still open, and found the twoArabs still at the spot where he had left them when he and Sidi rode offto meet the chief at the Pyramids. They were full of excitement at thebattle that had raged all day.
"I have bad news," he said. "I rode with the sheik and his son againstthe French. My horse was killed, and I received a wound in the arm, but,as you see, I obtained a disguise, and have escaped without furtherharm. You heard that there was a great fight outside the walls?"
"Yes, my lord. Many men came running past here, and said that the Frenchhad beaten them."
"I greatly fear," Edgar went on, "that the sheik and his son took partin that fight. Many Arabs went out with those who attacked the battery,and I think it almost certain that the sheik and his son were amongthem. Most of the tribesmen were killed in the fight in which I waswounded. The sheik would have joined his countrymen, knowing that therewould be no mercy shown the Arabs taken in the town. I hear that almostevery one of those who rode out were killed, and I want you to come withme to search among the dead, for doubtless there are many wounded amongthem, and one or other may yet be alive. There will be a bright moon,and we shall have no difficulty in recognizing them. It will benecessary only to search among those in white."
The two men were greatly moved at the thought of the fate of theirchief, his son, and so many of their followers, and assented at once tohis proposal.
"We must wait until it gets quite dark," Edgar said. "Have you any food,for I am faint with hunger and loss of blood?"
After he had finished his meal, the horses were handed over by the Arabsto the care of one of their neighbours, with whom they had madeacquaintance. The rough tent was pulled down in order that they mightwrap the dark blankets over them to conceal their white clothing.
"You had better leave your pistols behind," Edgar said, "but take yourknives; we may come across some ruffians engaged in robbing the dead,and the knives may come in useful. I hope that, as is most likely, theFrench have sent down parties from the forts to watch the gates, so asto prevent any of the leaders in the trouble from making their escape;but some plunderers may well have come across from Old Cairo, so it isas well to be armed. Take your lances also, not for fighting, but tomake a litter with, should we find either the chief or his son."
The sun had set a short time before they started, but the moon would notrise for another hour, and they were unnoticed, or, at least,unquestioned as they went round towards Fort Dupres. Indeed, theyencountered no one on the way. The din of battle had been succeeded by adead silence, no sound was heard from the city, whose population wereawe-stricken by the events of the day, and terrified by the expectationof further acts of vengeance by the French. Those in the suburbs hadheard but vague rumours of the fighting in the streets and of themassacre at the mosque, but they had learned from fugitives of thedefeat of the great sortie, and knew that the insurrection had beencompletely crushed. The moon was just rising when Edgar and hiscompanions reached the spot between Fort Dupres and the city walls,where the fight had taken place.
The bodies lay thickly piled here at the spots where the struggle hadbeen fiercest. For a time they found none save those of the men of thecity, but after two hours' search they came upon a number of Arabs,whose white garments showed up clearly in the moonlight. Lying amongthem were many bodies of French cavalrymen, showing that the Bedouinshad sold their lives dearly. Body after body was carefully examined, afew were found to be still living, and as the Arabs had, at Edgar'sorders, brought water-skins with them, they were able to give somelittle aid to these. Presently they came to a spot where the bodies weremore closely heaped than elsewhere and almost as many French as Arabslay together.
"Now, search most carefully," he whispered, "this is where the laststand was evidently made."
The greatest caution was indeed necessary, for the fort lay a couple ofhundred yards away, and the French sentries could be plainly made outagainst the sky-line as they marched backwards and forwards. Presentlyone of the Arabs uttered a low exclamation. Lying by the side of hisdead horse, and surrounded by the bodies of five or six Frenchcavalry-men, lay the sheik. His white dress was dabbled with blood, oneside of his face was laid open by a sabre cut, and four or five patchesof blood at various points of his dress pointed to the existence ofother wounds. Edgar knelt beside him and placed his ear to his heart.
"Thank God, he still lives!" he exclaimed; "give me your water-skin;Hassan, lift his head." Edgar poured a little water between the sheik'slips, sprinkled some on his face, and then, tearing off a strip of hisgarment, brought together the edges of the wound in the face, from whichblood was still slowly oozing, laid a wad of rag along it, and thenbound it tightly with the bandage.
"We must see to the other wounds after we have got him away," he said."Now, Hassan, do you two bind one of those spare blankets to the shaftof the two spears, wind it round them until the sides are not more thanthree feet apart."
While the men were doing this he continued to allow a few drops of waterto tri
ckle between the sheik's lips. When the stretcher was ready it waslaid on the ground beside him; he was gently lifted on to it, the cloakstrapped to his horse's saddle was placed under his head, and the otherspare blanket thrown over him. Then the two Arabs lifted the ends of thespears on to their shoulders, and, led by Edgar, made their way from thescene of conflict. When they had gone half a mile they laid the sheikdown.
"Do you stay here, Ali; pour a little water between his lipsoccasionally. Hassan and I will go back and look for Sidi."
The sheik was lifted from the blanket, and Hassan, shouldering thelitter, they returned at a rapid pace to the spot where they had foundthe sheik. They had already made a hasty search here before leaving, butwithout success, and now examined with the greatest care the body ofevery Arab who had fallen near the spot, for Edgar made sure that,unless he had been previously stricken down, Sidi would have fallen nearhis father. Again their hunt was unsuccessful. Then they widened theircircle until after three hours' search they became convinced that he wasnot among those who had fallen on the field, that he had either beenkilled in the city, made prisoner, or escaped altogether. When at lastconvinced that further search would be useless, they returned to thespot where they had left the sheik.
"He has opened his eyes," Ali said, "and murmured two or three words,but I could not hear what he said."
"There are hopes at any rate that he is not mortally wounded," Edgarsaid. "Now let us go on again with him; do you two each take one of thespears at his head, I will take my place at his feet; we shall get onfaster so."
Bearing down towards the river, they reached, after an hour's fastwalking, a grove of palm-trees near a village.
"We will leave him here," Edgar said; "it must be five miles from thetown. The French will have enough to do to-day without searching forwounded. Do you two stay with him. If he becomes sensible and wantsanything, here is some money, and one of you can get food from thevillage, but beyond some fresh fruit to make him a cooling drink with,he is not likely to need anything. I shall return at once and enter thetown by the Boulak gate as soon as it is open. I heard in the town thatthere were three or four hundred prisoners taken, and that they wereconfined in the citadel, and would be tried in the morning. The firstthing to do is to find out if Sidi is among them, in which case I shalldo all in my power to save him. Pour a little water over my hands, Ali.Wait a moment," and he took up a double handful of the sandy soil, "nowpour it on to this. I must get rid of these blood-stains."
After a vigorous rubbing with the wet sand his hands were, as far as hecould see in the moonlight, clean, and with a few last words to the men,he started back for the city. It was with difficulty that he made hisway to the spot where the horses had been left. It had been a terribletwenty-four hours, with their excitements and emotions, and he had losta good deal of blood from the flesh wound in his arm. The gray light wasjust stealing over the sky when he arrived there, and he threw himselfdown on a secluded spot a short distance from his old camping-ground,and slept for a couple of hours. Waking, he went to the hut, by the sideof which the horses were tethered. He and Sidi had spoken several timesto the man who lived there, and he possessed two donkeys which workedfor hire in the city.
"You do not recognize me?" he said.
The man shook his head.
"I am one of the young Arabs who were staying in the little tent closeby. You see I am in disguise. It was not safe to be in the cityyesterday in Arab dress, nor is it to-day."
"Of course I remember you now," the man said. "Where are those to whomthe horses belong?"
"They are not likely to come here to-day. A friend of theirs waswounded in the fight at Fort Dupres, and they have found him and carriedhim off. I have been with them. Tell me, is there any blood on my face?"
The man shook his head.
"Now I want you to go to one of the shops near the gate and get food forme. It matters not what it is some kabobs, or a pillau, or anything theymay have, and a large bowl of milk. I am faint and weary. Here ismoney."
In a quarter of an hour the man returned, and Edgar, after eating ahearty breakfast and drinking a quart of milk, felt greatly better.
He now entered the town. There were no signs of renewed fighting, andlistening to the talk of the officers near the headquarters, he gatheredthat Bonaparte had granted a pardon to the inhabitants, but that theprisoners taken in the attack on Fort Dupres, among whom were many ofthose most deeply concerned in the rising, were to be tried at teno'clock by court-martial, and that probably a great part of them wouldbe shot.
