G.A. Henty - With Kitchener in the Soudan - a story of Atbara and Omdurman

" 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.

CHAPTER II

THE RISING IN ALEXANDRIA

THE harbour was full of merchant-ships, as there were at present no means of getting their cargoes unloaded. The native boatmen had for the most part struck work, and had they been willing to man their boats they must have remained idle, as, in view of the situation, the merchants felt that their goods were much safer on board ship than they would be in their magazines. It was settled, therefore, that for the present Annie and the child should remain on board the Simoon, while Gregory should take up his residence at the office.

The fleet in the harbour was now an imposing one. Not only were the English and French squadrons there, but some Italian ships of war had arrived, and a United States cruiser; and on the 7th of July Sir Beauchamp Seymour sent in a decisive message that he should commence a bombardment of the fort unless the strengthening of the fortifications was at once abandoned. No heed was taken of the intimation, and three days later he sent an ultimatum demanding the cessation of work and the immediate surrender of the forts nearest to the entrance to the harbour, stating that if these terms were not complied with in twenty-four hours, the bombardment would commence. Already the greater part of the European inhabitants had left the town and taken up their quarters in the merchant-ships that had been engaged for the purpose. A

few, however, of the bankers and merchants determined to remain. These gathered in the bank and in Mr. Ferguson's house, to which the most valuable goods in other establishments were removed. They had an ample supply of firearms, and believed that they could hold out for a considerable time. They were convinced that the Egyptian troops would not for an hour resist the fire that would be opened upon them, but would speedily evacuate the town, and that, therefore, there would only be the mob to be encountered, and this but for a short time, as the sailors would land as soon as the Egyptian troops fled.

The Egyptians, on the other hand, believed absolutely in their ability to destroy the fleet. Both parties were wrong. The Europeans greatly undervalued the fighting powers of the Egyptians, animated as the}'' were by confidence in the strength of the defences, by their number, and by their fanaticism; while the Egyptians similarly undervalued the tremendous power of our ships. That evening and the next morning the port presented an animated appearance. Boats were putting off with those inhabitants who had waited on, hoping that the Egyptians would at the last moment give in; many of the merchantmen had already cleared out, others were getting up sail; smoke was rising from the funnels of all the men-of-war. An express boat had brought from France orders that the French fleet were to take no part in the proceedings, but were to proceed at once to Port Said.