attle too; it must be
something terrible to hear the noise of so many great cannon."

The inaction of the French has never been satisfactorily explained.
Admiral Brueys bore a high reputation as a sailor. He was a personal
friend and possessed the complete confidence of Bonaparte. The latter
had given him the strictest injunctions to sail for Toulon as soon as he
had completed the discharge of the stores that he had on board. Instead
of doing this, however, he anchored in Aboukir Bay, and there waited. It
may have been that he feared that Napoleon might never reach Cairo, or
that he might be defeated in a great battle there, and that it might be
necessary for him to return to the port and to re-embark his army. No
other explanation is possible of his delay in carrying out the
imperative orders that he had received.

After the despatch of the messenger the two friends rode along the shore
until they could not only make out the exact position of the French
fleet, but count the guns in the broadsides of each vessel. It consisted
of thirteen line-of-battle ships, comprising the flag-ship the _Orient_,
of 120 guns, three of 80, and nine of 74, together with four frigates,
four mortar vessels, and a number of gun-boats, while on an island ahead
of the line was a battery of guns and mortars. Many parties of Arabs
were riding about on the shore, and there were several of their
encampments. Some had been attracted to the spot from a considerable
distance in order to view the great vessels of which reports had reached
them, others again were simply there from the spirit of restlessness
that pervaded the population.

The news of the battle of the Pyramids had not yet arrived, and all were
in suspense. The belief that the Mamelukes would defeat the French was
all but universal. Had this taken place the whole of the Arab tribes
would at once have harassed the retreat of the defeated army, and with
the Mamelukes pressing upon them it is probable that not a single
Frenchman would have reached the sea. As Edgar and his friend were
watching the French fleet a vessel was seen over the spit of sand. She
was some three miles out at sea.

"There is another of their ships of war, Sidi. I wonder whether she has
been scouting along the coast to gather news as to where our fleet may
be at present?"

When she came abreast of the extremity of the bay she changed her course
and bore closer in.

"She is coming in to join the others. I wonder