he
cutlasses of the sailors, the pikes of the Turks, clashed against the
bayonets of the French. Soon an important ally arrived. The news had
speedily reached Djezzar that Sir Sidney and his officers were
themselves defending the breach. The old pasha had hitherto taken no
personal part in the conflict, but had, as was the Turkish custom,
remained seated on his divan every day, receiving reports from his
officers, giving audience to the soldiers who brought in the heads of
enemies, and rewarding them for their valour. Now, however, he leapt to
his feet, seized his sabre, and ran to the breach, shouting to the
soldiers to follow him. On his arrival at the scene of conflict he
rushed forward and pulled Sir Sidney and his officers forcibly back from
the front line.

"You must not throw away your lives," he said; "if my English friends
are killed, all is lost."

Fortunately, the shouts of the pasha, as he ran, caused a number of
soldiers to follow him, and these now threw themselves into the fray,
and maintained the defence until Edgar ran up with the soldiers who had
just landed.

The reinforcements, as they arrived, were greeted with enthusiastic
shouts from the inhabitants, numbers of whom, men and women, had
assembled at the landing-place on hearing of the approach of the boats.
The garrison, reanimated by the succour, ran also to the breach, and the
combat was now so stoutly maintained that Sir Sidney was able to retire
with the pasha, to whom he proposed that one of the newly-arrived
regiments, a thousand strong, armed with bayonets and disciplined in the
European method, should make a sally, take the enemy in flank, or compel
them to draw off.

The pasha at once assented, a gate was opened, and the Turks rushed out.
Their orders were to carry the enemy's nearest trench, and to shift the
gabions and fascines to the outward side, and to maintain themselves
there. The new arrivals, however, were not yet inured to fighting, and
as the French batteries opened upon them, and the soldiers, leaping on
to the parapets, poured volley after volley into their midst, they
faltered, and presently turned and fled back to the gate, their retreat
being protected by heavy discharges of grape from the 68-pounders in the
port. The sortie, however, had its effect. The French had suffered
heavily from the flanking fire as soon as they had shown themselves on
the parapet, and the assaulting column, knowing from the din of battle
that