With Kitchener in the Soudan: A Story of Atbara and Omdurman Page 2

  Chapter 1: Disinherited.

  "Wanted, an active and intelligent young man, for general work, in acommercial house having a branch at Alexandria. It is desirable that heshould be able to write a good hand; and, if necessary, to assist inoffice work. Wages, 2 pounds per week. Personal application to be madeat Messieurs Partridge and Company, 453 Leadenhall Street."

  This advertisement was read by a man of five or six and twenty, in asmall room in the upper story of a house in Lupus Street, Pimlico. Hewas not the only inmate of the room, for a young woman, apparently notmore than eighteen, was sitting there sewing; her work interrupted,occasionally, by a short, hacking cough. Her husband, for this was therelation in which he stood to her, put down the paper carelessly, andthen got up.

  "I am going out, dear, on my usual search. You know, we have agreedthat it is of no use my trying to live by my pen. I get an articleaccepted, occasionally, but it's not enough to provide more than breadand 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 mywriting; 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 backto our midday banquet. I will bring a couple of rashers of bacon inwith 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 theHonorable James Hartley, brother of the Marquis of Langdale. He hadbeen educated at Harrow and Cambridge; and, after leaving theuniversity, had gone out to Egypt with a friend of his father's, whowas an enthusiast in the exploration of the antiquities of thatcountry. Gregory had originally intended to stay there a few months, atmost, but he was infected by the enthusiasm of his companion, andremained in Egypt for two years; when the professor was taken ill anddied, and he returned home.

  A year later, he fell in love with the governess in a neighbouringfamily. His feeling was reciprocated, and they became engaged. Hisfather was furious, when his son told him what had taken place.

  "It is monstrous," he said, "after the education that you have had, andthe place that I, if I survive him; or, if not, your brother, will takeat the death of your uncle; that you should dream of throwing yourselfaway, 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. Yourbrother'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 beenable to do to keep up our position. And there are your sisters to beprovided for. The idea of your falling in love with this young woman ismonstrous."

  "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; andif you persist in this mad folly, I tell you, fairly, that from thismoment I shall have nothing more to say to you! You have to choosebetween me, and this penniless beggar."

  "I am sorry you put it in that way, sir. My choice is made. I amengaged to this young lady, and shall certainly marry her. I trustthat, when your present anger has subsided, you will recognize that myhonour was involved in the matter; and that even if I wished it, Icould not, without showing myself to be a downright cad, draw back."

  And so, Gregory Hartley married the girl of his choice. She had, forsome time, refused to allow him to sacrifice himself; but when shefound that he was as determined as his father, and absolutely refusedto release her from the engagement, she had given way; and had, after aquiet marriage, accompanied him to London.

  There he had endeavoured to get literary work, but had found it muchharder than he had expected. The market was overcrowded, and they hadmoved from comfortable lodgings into small rooms; and so, step by step,had come to the attic in Lupus Street. He was doing a little betternow, and had hopes that, ere long, he would begin to make his waysteadily up.

  But the anxiety had told on his wife. Never very strong, she haddeveloped a short, hard cough; and he had drawn upon his scantyreserves, to consult a specialist.

  "There is undoubtedly lung trouble," the latter said. "If you canmanage it, I should say that she ought certainly to be taken to a warmclimate. The damage is not extensive, as yet; and it is probable that,under favourable circumstances, she might shake it off; but I fearthat, if she continues to live in London, her chances are not great."

  This, Gregory felt, was almost equivalent to a death sentence; and hehad begun to consult the advertisements in the papers, for some postabroad. He had, unknown to her, applied for several situations, butwithout success.

  When he first read the advertisement that morning, he had hardlythought of applying for the situation. His pride revolted at the ideaof 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 myknowledge of Arabic, and the native dialect, is all in my favour. Andat least, in a year or two, she may have thoroughly shaken off thecough, and that is everything.

  "At any rate, I have a better chance of getting this than I had of theother places that I applied for. There can hardly be a rush ofapplicants. 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 Inever write it in full as my signature, no one would recognize it as myname. 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 notmatter. He is, I have heard, a very tough sort of man; and my father isnot likely to survive him. But I do not think it would be fair toGeoffrey, when he comes into his peerage, that anyone should be able tosay that he has a brother who is porter, in a mercantile house atAlexandria. We have never got on very well together. The fact that hewas heir to a title spoilt him. I think he would have been a very goodfellow, if it hadn't been for that."

  On arriving at the office in Leadenhall Street, he was, on saying hewished to speak to Mr. Partridge, at once shown in. A good many of hispersonal belongings had been long since pledged; but he had retainedone or two suits, so that he could make as good an appearance aspossible, when he went out. The clerk had merely said, "A gentlemanwishes to speak to you, sir," and the merchant looked up enquiringly athim, as he entered.

  "I have come to see you, sir, with reference to that advertisement, fora 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, andI am not particular as to what I do, so that I can take her to a warmclimate. I may say that I have been two years in Egypt, and speakArabic and Koptic fluently. I am strong and active, and am ready tomake myself useful, in any way."

  Mr. Partridge did not answer, for a minute. Certainly this applicantwas 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 wasfar from an advantage, but the fact that he could speak the languageswould 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, insuch a matter. I must ask you to take me on trust. Frankly, I havequarrelled with my family, and have to strike out for myself. Were itnot for my wife's health, I could earn my living; but I am told it isessential that she should go to a warm climate, and as I see no otherway of accomplishing this, I have applied for this situation, hopingthat my knowledge of the language, and my readiness to perform whateverduties 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
myclerks--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 hadcome to the conclusion that the story he had heard was a true one. Theway it had been told was convincing. The man was undoubtedly agentleman. There was no mistake in his manner and talk. He hadquarrelled with his family, probably over his marriage; and, as so manyhad done, found it difficult to keep his head above water. His wife hadbeen ordered to a warm climate, and he was ready to do anything thatwould enable him to keep her there.

  It would assuredly be a great advantage to have one who could act, inan emergency, as a clerk; of course, his knowledge of language wouldgreatly add to his utility. It certainly was not business to take a manwithout a reference, but the advantages more than counterbalanced thedisadvantages. It was not likely that he would stay with him long; butat any rate, the fact that he was taking his wife with him would ensurehis 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 appearancefully carries it out. You may consider the matter settled. I am willingto pay for a second-class passage for your wife, as well as yourself;and will give such instructions, to my agents there, as will renderyour position as easy for you as possible. In the natural course ofthings, your duties would have included the sweeping out of theoffices, and work of that description; but I will instruct him toengage a native to do this, under your supervision. You will be incharge 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 renderyou, at once, more useful than a green hand would be, I shall add tenshillings a week to the wages named in the advertisement, which willenable you to obtain comfortable lodgings."

  "I am heartily obliged to you, sir," Gregory said, "and will do my bestto show that your confidence in me has not been misplaced. When do youwish me to sail? I shall only require a few hours to make mypreparations."

  "Then in that case I will take a passage, for you and your wife, in theP. and O. that sails, next Thursday, from Southampton. I may say that itis our custom to allow fifteen pounds, for outfit. If you will callagain in half an hour, I will hand you the ticket and a cheque for thatamount; and you can call, the day before you go, for a letter to ouragents there."

  Gregory ascended the stairs to his lodging with a far more elastic stepthan usual. His wife saw at once, as he entered, that he had good newsof some sort.

  "What is it, Gregory?"

  "Thank God, darling, that I have good news to give you, at last! I haveobtained a situation, at about a hundred and thirty pounds a year, inAlexandria."

  "Alexandria?" she repeated, in surprise.

  "Yes. It is the place of all others that I wanted to go to. You see, Iunderstand the language. That is one thing; and what is of infinitelymore consequence, it is a place that will suit your health; and youwill, I hope, very soon get rid of that nasty cough. I did not tell youat the time, but the doctor I took you to said that this London air didnot 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 broughttrouble enough on you, already!"

  "I would bear a good deal more trouble for your sake, dear. You neednot worry about that."

  "And what are you going to do?" she asked.

  "I am going to be a sort of useful man--extra clerk, assistantstorekeeper, et cetera, et cetera. I like Egypt very much. It will suitme 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, infuture; for fruit is dirt cheap, out there, and one does not want muchmeat. 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 mayconsider 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. Weshall not want much outfit: half a dozen suits of white drill formyself, and some gowns for you."

  "Nonsense, Gregory! I sha'n't want anything. You would not let me sellany of my dresses, and I have half a dozen light ones. I shall not wanta penny spent on me."

  "Very well; then I will begin to be extravagant, at once. In the firstplace, I will go down to that confectioner's, round the corner; and wewill celebrate my appointment with a cold chicken, and a bottle ofport. I shall be back in five minutes."

  "Will it be very hot, Gregory?" she asked, as they ate their meal. "Notthat 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 ofthe year, and it will be a comfort, indeed, to change these Novemberfogs for the sunshine of Egypt. You will have four or five months toget strong again, before it begins to be hot. Even in summer, there arecool breezes morning and evening; and of course, no one thinks of goingout in the middle of the day. I feel as happy as a schoolboy, at thethought of getting out of this den and this miserable climate, and ofbasking in the sunshine. We have had a bad beginning, dear, but we havebetter days before us."

  "Thank God, Gregory! I have not cared about myself. But it has been atrial, when your manuscripts have come back, to see you sitting hereslaving 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 grumblebecause he finds it rather rougher than he expected. I have never, fora 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 socheerful as to cause one regret, at leaving it."

  And so, Gregory Hartley and his wife went out to Alexandria, andestablished themselves in three bright rooms, in the upper part of ahouse that commanded a view of the port, and the sea beyond it. Theoutlay required for furniture was small, indeed: some matting for thefloors, 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 letterthat Gregory had brought him with some doubt in his mind, as to thewisdom of his principal, in sending out a man who was evidently agentleman. This feeling, however, soon wore away; and he found himperfectly ready to undertake any work to which he was set.

  There was, indeed, nothing absolutely unpleasant about this. He was atthe office early, and saw that the native swept and dusted the offices.The rest of the day he was either in the warehouse, or carriedmessages, and generally did such odd jobs as were required. A fortnightafter his arrival, one of the clerks was kept away by a sharp attack offever; and as work was pressing, the agent asked Gregory to take hisplace.

  "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'sissues into the books, five minutes will show you the form in whichthey are entered."

  Gregory gave such satisfaction that he was afterwards employed atoffice work, whenever there was any pressure.

  A year and a half passed comfortably. At the end of twelve months, hispay was raised another ten shillings a week.

  He had, before leaving England, signed a contract to remain with thefirm for two years. He regretted having to do this, as it prevented hisaccepting any better position, should an opening occur; but herecogni
zed that the condition was a fair one, after the firm paying forhis outfit and for two passages. At the end of eighteen months, Gregorybegan to look about for something better.

  "I don't mind my work a bit," he said to his wife, "but, if only forthe sake of the boy" (a son had been born, a few months after theirarrival), "I must try to raise myself in the scale, a bit. I havenothing to complain about at the office; far from it. From what themanager 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, whichis forty more than I do."

  "I should like you to get something else, Gregory. It troubles me, tothink 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 toyour past; and such that you could associate again with gentlemen, oneven terms."

  "That does not trouble me, dear, except that I wish you had somesociety among ladies. However, both for your sake and the boy's, and Iown I should like it myself, I will certainly keep on the lookout forsome better position. I have often regretted, now, that I did not go infor a commission in the army. I did want to, but my father would nothear of it. By this time, with luck, I might have got my company; andthough the pay would not have been more than I get here, it would, withquarters and so on, have been as much, and we should be in a verydifferent social position.

  "However, it is of no use talking about that now; and indeed, it isdifficult to make plans at all. Things are in such an unsettledcondition, 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, todismiss ministers at their orders, and to submit to a series ofhumiliations. At any moment, Arabi could dethrone him, as he has thewhole army at his back, and certainly the larger portion of thepopulation. The revolution could be completed without trouble orbloodshed; but you see, it is complicated by the fact that Tewfik hasthe support of the English and French governments; and there can belittle doubt that the populace regard the movement as a national one,and directed as much against foreign control and interference asagainst Tewfik, against whom they have no ground of complaint,whatever. On the part of the army and its generals, the trouble hasarisen solely on account of the favouritism shown to Circassianofficers.

  "But once a revolution has commenced, it is certain to widen out. Thepeasantry are, everywhere, fanatically hostile to foreigners. Attackshave been made upon these in various country districts; and, shouldArabi be triumphant, the position of Christians will become veryprecarious. Matters are evidently seen in that light in England; for Iheard today, at the office, that the British and French squadrons areexpected 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 strengthagainst that of the fleets, and I fancy that trouble will, in the firstplace, begin in Cairo; both as being the capital of the country, andbeyond the reach of armed interference by the Powers. Arabi's naturalcourse would be to consolidate his power throughout the whole of Egypt,leaving Alexandria severely alone, until he had obtained absoluteauthority elsewhere.

  "Anyhow, it will be a satisfaction to have the fleet up; as, at thefirst rumour of an outbreak, I can get you and baby on board one of theships lying in harbour. As a simple measure of precaution, I wouldsuggest that you should go out with me, this evening, and buy one ofthe 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 cottonveils, falling from below the eyes. I will get a bottle of iodine, andyou will then only have to darken your forehead and eyelids, and youcould 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, ifpossible, I will come to you, I may not be able to do so; and in caseyou hear of any tumult going on, you must take Baby, and go down atonce to the port. You know enough of the language, now, to be able totell a boatman to take you off to one of the steamers in the port. Assoon as I get away I shall go round the port, and shall find youwithout difficulty. Still, I do not anticipate any trouble arisingwithout our having sufficient warning to allow me to come and see yousettled on board ship; and I can then keep on in the office until itcloses, when I can join you again.

  "Of course, all this is very remote, and I trust that the occasion willnever 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 mattershave settled down. We will do the shopping together, when I come backfrom the office.

  "There is one thing that I have reason to be grateful for. Even if theworst 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 notheard you cough, for months; we have laid by fifty pounds; and I havewritten some forty stories, long and short, and if we go back I have afair hope of making my way, for I am sure that I write better than Iused to do; and as a good many of the stories are laid in Egypt, thelocal colouring will give them a distinctive character, and they aremore likely to be accepted than those I wrote before. Editors ofmagazines like a succession of tales of that kind.

  "For the present, there is no doubt that the arrival of the fleet willrender our position here more comfortable than it is, at present. Themere mob of the town would hesitate to attack Europeans, when they knowthat three or four thousand sailors could land in half an hour. But onthe other hand, Arabi and his generals might see that Alexandria was,after all, the most important position, and that it was here foreigninterference 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. Tewfikwill come to get the support of the fleet. Arabi will come to oppose alanding of troops. The war in the beginning of the century was decidedat Alexandria, and it may be so, again. If I were sure that you wouldcome to no harm, and I think the chances of that are very small, I ownthat all this would be immensely interesting, and a break to themonotony 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; inwhich case, even if the offices are not altogether closed, and thewhole staff recalled to England, they would be glad enough to allow meto leave, instead of keeping me to the two years' agreement that Isigned, before starting."

  "I should hardly think that there would be a tumult here, Gregory. Thenatives all seem very gentle and peaceable, and the army is composed ofthe 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, thegreat proportion of the officers of the army are Mussulmans. As for theKopts, 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 foundedor not, that although the French representative here is apparentlyacting in concert with ours, he and all the French officials aresecretly encouraging Arabi, and will take no active steps, whatever. Inthat case, it is doubtful whether England would act alone. The jealousybetween the two peoples here is intense. For years, the French havebeen thwarting us at every turn; and they may very well think that,however matters might finally go, our interference would make us sounpopular, in Egypt, that their influence would become completelyparamount.

  "Supremacy in Egypt has always been the dream of the French. Had it notbeen for our command of the sea, they would have obtained possession ofthe country in Napoleon's time. Their intrigues here have, for years,been incessant. Their newspap
ers in Egypt have continually maligned us,and they believe that the time has come when they will be the real, ifnot the nominal, rulers of Egypt. The making of the Suez Canal wasquite as much a political as a commercial move, and it has certainlyadded largely to their influence here; though, in this respect, a checkwas given to them by the purchase of the Khedive's shares in the canalby Lord Beaconsfield; a stroke which, however, greatly increased theenmity of the French here, and heightened their efforts to excite theanimosity of the people against us.

  "Well, I hope that whatever comes of all this, the question as to whoseinfluence is to be paramount in Egypt will be finally settled. EvenFrench domination would be better than the constant intrigues andtrouble, that keep the land in a state of agitation. However, I fancythat it will be the other way, if an English fleet comes here and thereis trouble. I don't think we shall back down; and if we begin inearnest, we are sure to win in the long run. France must see that, andif she refuses to act, at the last moment, it can only be because Arabihas it in his power to produce documents showing that he was, allalong, acting in accordance with her secret advice."

  A week later, on the 20th of May, the squadrons of England and Franceanchored off Alexandria. The British fleet consisted of eight ironcladsand five gunboats, carrying three thousand five hundred and thirty-ninemen and one hundred and two guns, commanded by Sir Frederick Seymour.Two days before the approach of the fleet was known at Cairo, theFrench and English consuls proposed that the Khedive should issue adecree, declaring a general amnesty, and that the president of thecouncil, the minister of war, and the three military pashas should quitthe country for a year. This request was complied with.

  The ministry resigned, in a body, on the day the fleet arrived; on theground that the Khedive acquiesced in foreign interference. A greatmeeting was held of the chief personages of state, and the officers andthe representatives of the army at once told the Khedive that theyrefused to obey his orders, and only recognized the authority of thePorte.

  At Alexandria all trade ceased at once, when it became known that thetroops were busy strengthening the forts, mounting cannon, andpreparing for a resistance. That this was done by the orders of Arabi,who was now practically dictator, there could be no question. Thenative population became more and more excited, being firmly of beliefthat no vessels could resist the fire of the heavy guns; and that anyattempt on the part of the men-of-war to reduce the place would end intheir being sunk, as soon as fighting began.

  The office and stores were still kept open, but Gregory's duties werealmost nominal; and he and Mr. Parrot, who was also married, were toldby the manager that they could spend the greater portion of their timeat their homes. Part of Gregory's duties consisted in going off tovessels that came into the port with goods for the firm, and seeing totheir being brought on shore; and he had no difficulty in makingarrangements, with the captain of one of these ships, for his wife andchild 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 atonce, 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 asail in the evening, that if he hears of an outbreak, he shall bringthe boat to the steps at the end of this street, and take you off tothe Simoon. Of course, I shall come if I can, but our house is one ofthose 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 Iget 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, Ishall know that you have taken the alarm in time, and shall return atonce to the office.

  "Of course, if the outbreak commences near here, and you find that yourway 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 theway to the water is clear. Do not attempt to go out into a mob. Thereare not likely to be any women among them. However, I do not anticipatea serious riot. They may attack Europeans in the street, but with somefourteen or fifteen men-of-war in the port, they are not likely to makeany organized assault. Arabi's agents will hardly precipitate mattersin that way. Hard as they may work, it will take a month to get thedefences into proper order, and any rising will be merely a spasmodicoutbreak of fanaticism. I don't think the danger is likely to bepressing until, finding that all remonstrances are vain, the admiralbegins to bombard the port."

  "I will do exactly as you tell me, Gregory. If I were alone, I couldnot bring myself to leave without you, but I must think of the child."

  "Quite so, dear. That is the first consideration. Certainly, if itcomes to a fight, I should be much more comfortable with the knowledgethat you and Baby were in safety."

  The Egyptian soldiers were quartered, for the most part, outside thetown; and for some days there was danger that they would enter, andattack 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 workupon the fortifications should cease, and the latter again issuedorders to that effect, but these were wholly disobeyed. He had, indeed,no shadow of authority remaining; and the work continued, night andday. 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, althoughthe attitude of the natives was so threatening that no Europeans lefttheir houses, except on urgent business. On that day, a sudden uproarwas heard. Pistols were fired, and the merchants closed their storesand 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 hadalready 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 rushedup the street at the sound of firearms at the other end, hurried downto the boat, and rowed off to the Simoon.

  "I must return now, dear," he said. "I can get in at the back gate--Ihave the key, as the stores are brought in through that way. I do notthink that you need feel any uneasiness. The row is evidently stillgoing on, but only a few guns are being fired now. Certainly therascals cannot be attacking the stores, or you would hear a steadymusketry fire. By the sound, the riot is principally in the foreignquarter, where the Maltese, Greeks, and Italians congregate. No doubtthe police will soon put it down."

  The police, however, made no attempt to do so, and permitted the workof massacre to take place under their eyes. Nearly two hundredEuropeans were killed. The majority of these dwelt in the foreignquarter, but several merchants and others were set upon, while makingtheir way to their offices, and some seamen from the fleet were alsoamong the victims. The British consul was dragged out of his carriage,and severely injured. The consulate was attacked, and several Frenchmenwere killed in the streets.

  The Khedive hurried from Cairo, on hearing the news. Arabi was nowsending some of his best regiments to Alexandria, while pretending tobe preparing for a raid upon the Suez Canal. He was receiving theassistance of Dervish Pasha, the Sultan's representative; and had beenrecognized by the Sultan, who conferred upon him the highest order ofMedjidie.

  In the meantime a conference had been held by the Powers, and it wasdecided that the Sultan should be entrusted with the work of puttingdown the insurrection, he being nominally lord paramount of Egypt. Butconditions were laid down, as to his army leaving the countryafterwards.

  The Sultan sent an evasive reply. The Khedive was too overwhelmed atthe situation to take any decisive course. France hesitated, andEngland determined that, with or without allies, she would take thematter in hand.

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