he Arabs followed the Mamelukes, and the chief did not say a
word until they had ridden, at a leisurely pace, some distance beyond
the town.

"You were right," he said at last to Edgar. "I did not think that any
men on foot could have resisted that charge, but the Franks stood as
steadily as if it were a flock of sheep that was approaching them. The
cannon are terrible. Who would have thought that the balls they shoot
would explode and fly into pieces when they reach their mark! How is it
done?"

Edgar explained as well as he was able the nature of shells, and how,
when they were fired, a fuse was lighted of a length just sufficient to
burn down to the powder within the ball at the time it reached the
object at which it was fired.

The fight on the river had been more severe, and had been maintained
with great obstinacy. At one time two gun-boats were taken by the
Egyptians. These, however, were recaptured, and the admiral's ship
burnt. Admiral Perre, who commanded the first flotilla, was wounded by a
cannon-ball, and the loss on both sides was severe.

For eight days the French continued to march forward. They suffered
terrible hardships, and at times were almost in a state of mutiny. The
interminable extent of sand utterly dispirited them, and they came to
believe that all that they had heard of Egypt was false, and that they
had been deliberately sent there by the directory to die. They doubted
even the existence of Cairo. Some, in their despair, threw themselves
into the river and were drowned. Many died on the march, less from
sunstroke and exhaustion than from despair. At last the Pyramids came in
sight, and their spirits rose again, for here, they were told, the whole
army of Mamelukes, Janizaries, and Arabs were assembled to give battle,
and they hoped therefore to terminate the campaign at a blow.

During the whole march they were harassed by the Arabs, and many were
cut off and killed. Marches were always performed at night, and at ten
o'clock in the morning they halted for the day, preparing themselves for
slumber by a dip in the Nile. On the 21st of July they advanced from
Omdinar, and at ten o'clock made out the enemy drawn up in line of
battle. They had constructed a large entrenched camp, with forty pieces
of ancient cannon incapable of movement. In this camp were 20,000
infantry, Janizaries, Spahis, and militia from Cairo. On the right were
the Mameluke cavalry, some 10,000 strong, with one or two f