The Egyptian campaigns, 1882 to 1885 Part 79

[32] The commander of the German gunboat _Hab.i.+.c.ht_, who landed on the 14th, found a dozen bodies of Europeans lying in the streets which he had to pa.s.s through on his way to the German Hospital.

[33] The Hotel Abbat, so well known to European visitors, was only saved by a clever ruse on the part of the Berberine "Bowab," or doorkeeper, who was left in sole charge of the premises. When a mob of native pillagers hammered at the door to obtain admittance, the faithful domestic, from the inside, recollecting some of the choice expressions he had picked up from British tourists, shouted, "You b---- b----s; what the b---- h---- do you want?" &c., &c. The effect was magical. The a.s.sailants said to each other, "Why, the house is full of Inglesi!" and hurriedly made a retreat, leaving the hotel uninjured.

[34] Of the pecuniary loss sustained through the pillage and incendiarism some idea may be formed from the statistics subsequently furnished by the International Commission of Indemnities. The total sum awarded was 106,820,236 francs, or 4,341,011. Of this sum, 26,750,175fr., or 1,070,007, was given for house property destroyed, and 34,635,050fr., or 1,385,402, for furniture, and 43,395,061 fr., or 1,735,806, for merchandise. When one bears in mind that the Decree appointing the Commission expressly excluded claims for money, jewellery, securities, and works of art, it will be obvious that the total value of property stolen or destroyed must have considerably exceeded the sums above quoted.

[35] This wanton and useless work of destruction was repeated at all the forts bearing on the sea. The light guns (6-1/2 inch S.B.) were hove off their carriages, and the rifled guns treated with gun-cotton. Hundreds of tons of gunpowder were ruined, and scores of valuable guns rendered useless. The object of this destruction is hardly evident. It is the more incomprehensible as on the 13th July Admiral Seymour had received a despatch from the Admiralty in the following terms: "Opposition having ceased, do not dismantle forts or disable guns."

[36] The reinforcements which were prepared after the despatch of the first corps amounted to 280 officers and 10,800 men, so that the total force despatched, or in the act of being despatched, to the end of the war from Great Britain and the Mediterranean stations amounted to 1,290 officers and 32,000 men. The Indian contingent, including a small reserve left at Aden, consisted of 170 officers and 7,100 men. Some of these, consisting of depots, and drafts, and one infantry battalion, were stopped at the last moment, but on the whole not far short of 40,000 men were sent. The troops despatched from India were the 1st Seaforth Highlanders and the 1st Manchester, two Bengal and one Bombay battalions of Native Infantry, with one 9-pounder field battery and one mountain battery, each of six guns, and three regiments of Bengal cavalry, with some sappers and miners from Madras. The force was accompanied by about 3,500 followers, including transport drivers, 1,700 horses, 840 ponies, and nearly 5,000 mules, some for regimental and others for general transport purposes. The first battalion left Bombay on the 22nd July. The rest of the force received their orders on the 24th July, and began to leave on August 5th. The Government engaged 71 transports in England and 54 in India.

[37] Mr. Cornish had the decoration of the C.M.G. conferred on him for his conduct on this occasion.

[38] It is only fair to the British army to say that but very little looting was ever proved against them during this period. Isolated cases of breaking into houses and carrying off wines and spirits occurred, but these were almost the only instances. The foreign population of Alexandria and Ramleh have frequently borne testimony to this effect, as well as to the perfect impartiality with which British cellars, as well as those of other Europeans, were requisitioned by individual soldiers and sailors in an informal manner.

[39] Mr. de Chair was sent by Arabi to Cairo, where, a report having been circulated that Admiral Seymour was being brought a prisoner to the capital, great crowds of natives a.s.sembled. Mr. de Chair was lodged in a building at Abdin used as a school for the sons of officers of the army and well treated, and at the conclusion of hostilities he was released.

[40] The picket on this occasion retired with some precipitancy, and the circ.u.mstance was taken advantage of by one of the London newspapers to publish a highly coloured account of the affair, which was afterwards officially contradicted.

[41] The Mahmoudieh Ca.n.a.l, connecting Alexandria with the Nile, was one of Mehemet Ali's greatest works. Whilst it was in course of construction a French engineer was asked by the Pasha what he thought of the plan.

The Frenchman replied, "Your Highness must pardon me if I suggest that your ca.n.a.l will be very crooked." "Do your rivers in France run in a straight line?" asked the Pasha. "Certainly not," said the man of science. "Who made them; was it not Allah?" again questioned the Pasha.

"a.s.suredly," was the reply. "Well then," the Pasha triumphantly exclaimed, "do you think that either you or I know better than Allah how water ought to run?"

[42] One of the three mutinous Colonels.

[43] It will be noticed that Lord Granville's proposal was no longer limited to the protection of the Suez Ca.n.a.l, but pointed to a joint military intervention to put an end to loss of life and anarchy.

[44] Port Sad was held by the s.h.i.+p's marines and bluejackets until 16th September, when they were relieved by 200 Royal Marine Light Infantry and 100 Royal Marine Artillery sent from England.

[45] His relatives received 1,000 by way of compensation from the British Government.

[46] This is absolutely untrue.

[47] But see letter from the Secretary to the Admiralty on the next page.

[48] These dues were, with unnecessary liberality, paid subsequently by the British Government.

[49] On the contrary, the s.h.i.+ps in general were navigated by their own officers and almost without accident.

[50] Despatches from the Captains of the _Orion_ and _Carysfort_.

[51] This vessel was one of the few which had a pilot (formerly in the Ca.n.a.l Company's service) on board.

[52] It is related that the President of the Ca.n.a.l Company subsequently posted himself at the landing-place at Ismailia at the moment when a number of men from the s.h.i.+ps were about to disembark, and emphatically declared that "no one should land except over his dead body." This, however, was without effect, for according to the story he was gently pushed aside by a bluejacket with the observation--"We don't want any dead bodies about here, sir; all you've got to do is to step back a bit." Though the anecdote is probably apocryphal, it serves to ill.u.s.trate exactly the att.i.tude adopted by the British Navy towards the Ca.n.a.l authorities.

[53] It is related that one of the men-of-wars' men, when in working dress and carrying a huge package of stores, was accosted by a smart Commissariat officer, who asked the sailor who he was. Jack stopped in his work, and wiping the perspiration from his brow, replied, "Well, sir, I used to be a British sailor, but now I'm blowed if I don't begin to think I'm a blooming Commissariat mule."

[54] The dam, which by threatening the water supply had necessitated the advance, was found to have been made of bundles of reeds cleverly lashed together with telegraph wire, with sand thrown over each layer. All the next day the bluejackets, a.s.sisted by a fatigue party of soldiers, went to work up to their necks in the water trying to cut through the dam.

Little or no impression, however, was made upon it. It was then operated on with gun-cotton, which had but little effect on the sand. A large hole was made, but it instantly filled up again. Pickaxes and shovels were then set to work, but it was not until the 27th that the dam was at last cleared away and the Ca.n.a.l opened to navigation.

[55] "Egypt in the Nineteenth Century," by A. D. Cameron, pp. 76-77.

[56] Mahmoud Pasha Fehmi, who was captured, was the Chief of the Staff of the Egyptian Army. He missed the train and was found strolling, apparently unconcerned, about the railway station at Mahsameh. As he was in the ordinary Egyptian dress with a "tarboosh" and white umbrella, he would probably have got away un.o.bserved had he not been recognized and denounced by a wounded Egyptian soldier.

[57] Tel-el-Kebir and Kafr Dowar are the two great strategical points to be held in defending Lower Egypt. This will at once be seen on referring to a map of the Delta.

[58] This was turned by the Highlanders, who pa.s.sed to the south.

[59] This work was absolutely useless in the battle, being taken by the Highlanders in the rear and by the 2nd Brigade in the flanks.

[60] As a fact 25,000 rations were served out to the Egyptian force at Tel-el-Kebir on the 12th September.

[61] This order being disobeyed by a drunken soldier, who by his shouting might have betrayed the presence of the force to the enemy, he was promptly seized, bound, and chloroformed into a quiescent state.

[62] 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, Royal Marine Light Infantry, 2nd Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment, 1st Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers.

[63] This firing, which is recorded in the Report of Commander Goodrich, page 153, is in partial contradiction to Wolseley's despatch.

[64] 1st Battalion Royal Highlanders, 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders, 1st Battalion Cameron Highlanders, 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry. This brigade was supported by Colonel Ashburnham's, consisting of the King's Royal Rifles and the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.

[65] 7--1 Royal Artillery (mountain battery), 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, 3rd Battalion Native Infantry, made up of detachments of 7th Bengal Native Infantry, 20th Punjaub Infantry, and 29th Beloochees.

[66] Meanwhile, on the other side of the Ca.n.a.l, the Naval Gatlings were busily employed firing on the Egyptian lines in front and on either hand.

[67] Household Cavalry, 4th Dragoon Guards, 7th Dragoon Guards, Mounted Infantry, Royal Horse Artillery, Bengal Cavalry, Bengal Lancers.

[68] Sir Edward Hamley was of opinion that the alarm was given by mounted scouts who were met on the march.

[69] Arabi subsequently told the late Morice Bey (who conducted him a prisoner to Ceylon) that at the time of the attack he was in bed, and the English did not leave him time enough to get his boots on.

[70] A naval officer who visited the redoubt the following day described it as a perfect "charnel-house."

[71] Dr. Shaw, of the Royal Marines, whilst attending one of the Egyptian wounded, happening to turn aside for a moment, was shot at by his patient. This ingrat.i.tude was too much for the doctor's orderly, who, with a bayonet, at once despatched the a.s.sailant.

[72] An elaborate plan was devised for the repet.i.tion of the Alexandria outrages. According to this scheme Cairo was divided into a number of districts, and fire was to be applied simultaneously to certain houses indicated. This was to take place after the morning prayer on the 15th, the very day after the city was taken by General Drury-Lowe's force.

[73] The cavalry had marched sixty-five miles in two days.

[74] According to "Arabi Pasha," by Mr. John Ninet, already quoted, the majority of the Council were in favour of defending Cairo. The Citadel, it was pointed out, was in good repair, and it would be easy to act as the French did at the beginning of the century to put an end to any revolt. Arabi, however, opposed.

[75] This officer was subsequently tried by court-martial and sentenced to two years' imprisonment.

[76] Whilst the Egyptian arms were being handed over, a somewhat amusing incident occurred at a cafe in the village, where some Europeans and natives were sitting. As they were taking their coffee a respectable-looking old Arab Sheikh rushed in and very excitedly asked if there was any one present who spoke "Inglesi." One of the party replied in the affirmative, and asked what the man wanted. He declared that the soldiers were breaking into his harem, and he wanted some one to go off with him to the General at once. The person addressed then a.s.sured him that he ought not to mind, as it was always like that in war time, and asked the old man to sit down and take a cup of coffee. The man refused, and begged his would-be host to come at once, or it would be too late. The latter again a.s.sured him that the proceeding complained of was perfectly regular in a state of belligerency, and once more pressed the man to take the coffee. The latter again asked if the other was "quite sure," and receiving a reply in the affirmative he allowed himself to be convinced, and then sitting down said, "In that case I will take the coffee."

[77] This sentiment, however, subsided very quickly, and when, on a vote of thanks being proposed in the House of Commons to the British army, Sir Wilfrid Lawson moved as an amendment that "a vote of thanks should be given to the Egyptian army for running away," his observations were received with good-humoured laughter, if not with approval.

[78] Professor Palmer was murdered in the desert after the money was taken from him.

[79] Mr. John Ninet.