With Kitchener in the Soudan : a story of Atbara and Omdurman Read online

  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.

  This order excited the bitterest feeling of anger and humiliation among the French officers and sailors, who had relied confidently in taking their part in the bombardment, and silently their ships one by one left the port. The Italian and American vessels remained for a time, and as the British ships followed in stately order, their crews manned the rigging and vociferously cheered our sailors, who replied as heartily. All, save the British men-of-war, took up their stations well out at sea, in a direction where they would be out of the fire of the Egyptian batteries. It was not until nine o'clock in the evening that the two last British ships, the Invincible and Monarch, steamed out of port. At half-past four in the morning the ships got under weigh again, and moved to the positions marked out for them. Fort Mex and the batteries on the sand-hills were faced by the Penelope, the Monarch, and the Invincible; the Alexandra, the Superb, and the Sultan faced the harbour forts, Ada, Pharos, and Bas-el-Teen; the Temeraire and Inflexible prepared to aid the Invincible in her attack on Fort Mex, or to support the three battle-ships engaged off the port, as might be required, and the five gunboats moved away towards Fort Marabout, which lay some distance to the west of the town.

  At seven o'clock the Alexandra began the engagement by firing a single gun, then the whole fleet opened fire, the Egyptian artillerymen replying with great steadiness and resolution. There was scarcely a breath of wind, and the ships were in a few instants shrouded in their own smoke, and were frequently obliged to cease firing until this drifted slowly away, to enable them to aim their guns. The rattle of the machine-guns added to the din. Midshipmen were sent aloft, and these signalled clown to the deck the result of each shot, so that the gunners were enabled to direct their fire even when they could not see ten yards beyond the muzzle of the guns. In a short time the forts and batteries showed how terrible was the effect of the great shells. The embrasures were torn and widened; there were great gaps in the masonry of the buildings, and the hail of missiles from the machine-guns swept every spot near the Egyptian guns; and yet Arabi's soldiers did not flinch, but, in spite of the number that fell, worked their guns as fast as ever.

  Had they been accustomed to the huge Krupp guns in their batteries, the combat would have been more equal; and although the end would have been the same, the ships must have suffered terribly. Fortunately the Egyptian artillerymen had little experience in the working of these heavy pieces, and their shot in almost every case flew high—sometimes above the masts, sometimes between them, but in only a few in stances striking the hull. With their smaller guns they made good practice, but though the shot from these pieces frequently struck, they dropped harmlessly from the iron sides, and only those that entered through the port-holes effected any damage. The Condor, under Lord Charles Beresford, was the first to engage Fort Marabout, and for a time the little gun-boat was the mark of all the guns of the fort. But the other four gun-boats speedily came to her assistance, and effectually diverted the fire of the fort from the ships that were engaging Fort Mex.

  At eight o'clock the Monarch, having silenced the fort opposite to her and dismounted the guns, joined the Inflexible and Penelope in their duel with Fort Mex, and by nine o'clock all the guns were silenced except four, two of which were heavy rifled guns well sheltered. In spite of the heavy fire from the three great ships the Egyptian soldiers maintained their fire, the officers frequently exposing themselves to the bullets of the machine-guns by leaping upon the parapet to ascertain the effect of their own shot. The harbour forts were by this time crumbling under the shot of four warships opposed to them; the Pharos suffered most heavily and its guns were absolutely silenced, while the fire from the other two forts slackened considerably. At half-past ten it was seen that the Bas-el-Teen Palace, which lay behind the fort, was on fire, and half an hour later the fire from that fort and Fort Ada almost died out.

  The British admiral now gave the signal to cease firing, and as the smoke cleared away, the effects of the five hours' bombardment were visible. The forts and batteries were mere heaps of ruins, the guns could be made out lying dismounted, or standing with their muzzles pointing upwards. The ships had not come out scatheless, but their injuries were for the most part immaterial, although rigging had been cut away, bulwarks smashed, and sides dinted. One gun of the Penelope had been disabled and two of the Alexandra. Only five men had been killed altogether and twenty-seven wounded.

  No sign was made of surrender, and an occasional fire was kept up on the forts to prevent the Egyptians from repairing damages. At one o'clock twelve volunteers from the Invincible started to destroy the guns of Fort Mex. Their fire had ceased and no men were to be seen in the fort, but they might have been lying in wait to attack any landing-party. On nearing the shore the surf was found to be too heavy for the boat to pass through it, and Major Tulloch and six men swam ashore and entered the fort. It was found to be deserted, and all the guns but two ten-inch pieces dismounted. The charges of gun-cotton that the swimmers brought ashore with them were placed in the cannon and their muzzles blown off. After performing this very gallant service the little party swam back to their boat. The British admiral's position was now a difficult one. There were no signs of surrender; for aught he could tell, fifteen thousand Egyptian troops might be lying round the ruined forts or in the town hard by, in readiness to oppose a landing. That these troops were no
t to be despised was evident by the gallantry with which they had fought their guns. This force would be aided by the mass of the population, and it would be hazardous indeed to risk the loss of fifteen hundred men, and the reversal of the success already gained. At the same time it was painful to think that the Europeans on shore might be massacred and the whole city destroyed by the exasperated troops and fanatical population.

  It was known that the number of Englishmen there was not large, two or three hundred at most; but there was a much larger number of the lower class of Europeans—port labourers, fishermen, petty shopkeepers, and others,—who had preferred taking their chance to the certainty of losing all their little possessions if they left them. Anxiously the glasses of those on board the ships were directed towards the shore in hopes of seeing the white flag hoisted, or a boat come out with it flying; but there were no signs of the intentions of the defenders, and the fleet prepared to resume the action in the morning. Fort Marabout and several of the batteries on the shore were still unsilenced, and two heavy guns mounted on the Moncrieff system (by which the gun rose to a level of the parapet, fired, and instantly sank again) had continued to fire all day in spite of the efforts of the fleet to silence them. Next morning, however, there was a long heavy swell, and the ironclads were rolling too heavily for anything like accuracy of aim; but as parties of men could be seen at work in the Moncrieff battery, fire was opened upon them and they speedily evacuated it.

  All night the Palace of Bas-el-Teen burned fiercely, another great fire was raging in the heart of the town, and anxiety for those on shore for the time overpowered the feeling of exultation at the victory that had been gained. At half-past ten a white flag was hoisted at the Pharos battery, and all on board watched with deep anxiety what was to follow. Lieutenant Lambton at once steamed into the fort in the Bittern to enquire if the government were ready to surrender It was three o'clock before he steamed out again with the news that his mission was fruitless, and that the white flag had only been hoisted by the officer in command of the fort to enable himself and his men to get away unmolested. Lieutenant Lambton had obtained an interview with the military governor on behalf of the government, and told him that we were not at war with Egypt, and had simply destroyed the forts because they threatened the fleet, that we had no conditions to impose upon the government, but were ready to discuss any proposal, and that the troops would be allowed to evacuate the forts with the honour of war.

  It was most unfortunate that the fleet had not brought with them two or three thousand troops. Had they done so they could have landed at once and saved a great portion of the town from destruction; but as he had no soldiers the admiral could not land a portion of the sailors, as the large Egyptian force in the town, which was still protected by a number of land batteries, might fall upon them. At five o'clock the Helicon was sent in to say that white flags would not be noticed unless hoisted by authority, and if they were again shown the British admiral would consider them the signs of a general surrender. It was a long time before the Helicon returned with news that no communication had been received from the enemy, that the barracks and arsenals seemed to be deserted, and as far as could be seen the whole town was evacuated. As evening wore on, fresh fires broke out in all parts of the town, and a steam pinnace was sent ashore to ascertain, if possible, the state of affairs. Mr. Ross, a contractor for the supply of meat to the fleet, volunteered to accompany it.

  The harbour was dark and deserted, not a light was to be seen in the houses near the water; the crackling of the flames could be heard, with an occasional crash of falling walls and roofs. On nearing the landing-place the pinnace paused for two or three minutes for those on board to listen, and as all was quiet, steamed alongside. Mr. Ross jumped ashore, and the boat backed off a few yards. A quarter of an hour later he returned. That quarter of the town was entirely deserted, and he had pushed on until arrested by a barrier of flames. The great square was on fire from end to end, the European quarter generally was in flames, and he could see, by the litter that strewed the streets, that the houses had been plundered before being fired. When daylight broke, a number of Europeans could be seen at the edge of the water in the harbour. Boats were at once lowered, and the crews, armed to the teeth, rowed ashore. Here they found about a hundred Europeans, many of them wounded. When rioting had broken out they had, as arranged, assembled at the Anglo - Egyptian Bank. They were taken off to the merchant steamers lying behind the fleet, and their information confirmed the worst forebodings of the fugitives there.

  When the first gun of the bombardment was fired, Gregory had gone up with the other employees to the top of the house, where they commanded a view over the whole scene of action. After the first few minutes' firing they could see but little,

  for batteries and ships Avere alike shrouded in smoke. At first there had been some feeling of insecurity and a doubt whether a shot too highly aimed might not come into the town, but the orders to abstain carefully' from injuring the city had been well observed, and, except to the Palace and a few houses close to the water's edge, no damage was done. Towards evening all those who had resolved to remain behind gathered at the Anglo-Egyptian Bank or at Mr. Ferguson's. But a consultation was held later, and it was agreed that next morning all should go to the bank, which was a far more massive building, with fewer entrances, and greater facilities for defence. When the town was quiet, therefore, all were employed in transferring valuable goods there, and the house was then locked up and left to its fate. Against a mere rising of the rabble the latter might have been successfully defended, but there was little doubt that before leaving the town the troops would join the fanatics, and in that case a house not built with a special eye for defence could hardly hope to hold out against persistent attack.

  The bank, however, might hope to make a stout defence. It was built of massive stone, the lower windows were barred, and a strong barricade was built against the massive doors. A hundred and twenty resolute men, all well armed, could hold it against even a persistent attack if unsupported by artillery. Early in the afternoon all felt that the critical moment had approached. Throughout the night a fire had raged from the opposite side of the great square, where several deserted houses had been broken into and plundered by the mob; but the soldiers stationed in the square had prevented any further disorder. Now, however, parties of troops from the forts began to pour in. It was already known that their losses had been very heavy and that many of the forts had been destroyed. Soon they broke up, and, joining the mob, commenced the work of pillage. Doors were blown in, shutters torn off, and with wild yells and shouts the native population poured in. The work of destruction had begun.

  The garrison of the bank saw many Europeans, hurrying, too late to reach that shelter, murdered before their eyes. In the Levantine quarter the cracking of pistols and the shouts of men showed that the work of massacre was proceeding there. Soon every door of the houses in the great square was forced in, and ere long great numbers of men, loaded Avith spoil of all kinds, staggered out. So far the bank had been left alone; but it was now its turn, and the mob poured down upon it As they came up, a sharp fire broke out from every window, answered by a discharge of muskets and pistols from the crowd. Here men fell fast, but they had been worked up to such a pitch of excitement and fanaticism that the gaps were more than filled by fresh comers. All the afternoon and evening the fight continued. In vain the mob endeavoured to break down the massive iron bars of the windows and batter in the doors. Although many of the defenders were wounded, and several killed, by the fire from the windows of the neighbouring houses and from the road, their steady fire at the points most hotly attacked drove their assailants back again and again.

  At twelve o'clock the assault slackened, the soldiers had long left, and, so far as could be seen from the roof of the house, had entirely evacuated the town; and as this fact became known to the mob, the thought of the consequences of their action cooled their fury, for they knew that probably the troops would la
nd from the British ships next day. Each man had his plunder to secure, and gradually the crowd melted away. By two o'clock all was quiet; and although occasionally fresh fires burst out in various quarters of the town, there could be little doubt that the great bulk of the population had followed the example of the army, and had left the city. Then the besieged gathered in the great office on the ground floor, and as it was agreed that there would be probably no renewal of the attack, they quietly left the house, locking the doors after them, and made their way down to the shore. They believed that they were the only survivors.

  but when they reached the end of the town they found that the building of the Credit Lyonnais had also been success fully defended, though the Ottoman Bank had been overpowered, and all within it, upwards of a hundred in number, killed.

  Gregory had done his full share in the defence, and received a musket-ball in the shoulder. His wife had passed a terrible time while the conflagration was raging, and it was evident that the populace had risen and were undoubtedly murdering as well as burning and plundering, and her delight was indeed great when she saw her husband with others approaching in a man-of-war's boat. The fact that one arm was in a sling was scarcely noticed in her joy at his return alive.

  "Thank God, you are safe!" she said, as he came up the gangway. " It has been an awful time, and I had almost given up hope of ever seeing you alive again."

  "I told you, dear, that I felt confident we could beat off the scum of the town. Of course it was a sharp fight, but there was never any real danger of their breaking in. We only lost about half a dozen out of nearly a hundred and twenty, and some twenty of us were wounded. My injury is not at all serious, and I shall soon be all right again; it is only a broken collar-bone. However, it has been a terrible time. The great square and almost all the European quarter have been entirely destroyed. The destruction of property is something frightful, and most of the merchants will be absolutely ruined. Fortunately, our firm were insured pretty well up to the full value."