y could not find subsistence."

"No; I fancy that Constantinople will be the place at which we shall
emerge. A march to Palestine will, of course, be hard, but it is only
three or four days from the Egyptian frontier. I don't fancy that there
will be any difficulty on the way up through Syria and Asia Minor, and
that almost everywhere we shall find cultivated land, and an abundant
supply of provisions for the army. As for the Turks, I have no doubt
that we shall thrash them, if they venture to interfere with us, as
easily as we did the Egyptians. I have no fear for the safety of the
army, and if the Egyptians venture on a rising here, before we start, we
shall give them such a lesson that a few thousand men left here should
have no difficulty in keeping the country in order."

They chatted for some time longer, and then moved off. Edgar repeated to
his friend the substance of their conversation, and they then returned
to their tent. The next day they wandered through the poorer portion of
the town. Groups of men were assembled in many places, talking
excitedly; when, as it sometimes happened, a party of French soldiers
came along, they broke up, only to assemble at another spot. Sidi and
Edgar mingled with them, and gathered that in a short time there would
be trouble. It was agreed that so long as the whole French army remained
there nothing could be done, but it was regarded as certain that it
would soon break up. It was argued that they could not remain at Cairo.
Mourad was gathering a large force higher up on the Nile. The Arabs were
moving again. Damietta and Rosetta would have to be occupied. There were
numbers of the Mamelukes between Cairo and Suez. The French could not
remain quietly until the whole country was in arms against them. No
doubt columns would be sent off, and as soon as they were gone, the time
for a rising would come.

They were going down a quiet lane when two men came out from a house.
One of them looked fixedly at Sidi and exclaimed:

"This is the Arab boy who got us into trouble at Alexandria; now it is
our turn."

Paying no attention to Edgar, who was so entirely altered by his
disguise as to defy recognition, the two men seized Sidi, and began to
drag him into the house. Edgar sprang forward and struck one of them so
heavy a blow in the face that he released his hold of Sidi and staggered
back against the wall. Then with a shout of fury he drew his knife and
rushed at Edgar. The latter