e want to hear all about it. Is Blagrove all
right?"

They were soon gathered in the cockpit. "I have not much time to stay,"
Wilkinson said, "and, before I tell you my story, I want to hear your
news, for beyond a few rumours current at Smyrna and Rhodes, we really
know hardly anything of what has taken place since we left you at Acre."

"We have had rather a dull time," one of them said; "the only excitement
was a fight between the Turks, aided by our boats, and the French. When
we returned here, we found that instead of being fifteen thousand
strong, as promised, the Turks on board their transports under Mustapha
Pasha were but five thousand strong, which was raised to seven thousand
by the two thousand we brought with us from Acre. On the 15th of July
they landed, attacked the redoubt and castle of Aboukir with great
pluck, and carried it by assault. A week later, we heard that Bonaparte
was at Ramanieh, and had no doubt that the Turks would soon have him on
them. Sir Sidney tried hard to get them to erect a strong line of works
across the spit of ground on which the fort stands.

"Had they done so they could, with the assistance of our boats and their
own gun-boats, have maintained their ground. The chief set to work at
once to endeavour to get things into shape. The Chiflick regiment, that
we had brought with us from Acre, was posted in the village at the end
of the spit. The Turkish gun-boats were ordered to take their places
directly the assault began on each side of the isthmus, so as to sweep
it with their fire, but when that time came the beggars would not move,
and did not arrive until it was all over.

"The Turks in the village were attacked several times, but made a
magnificent defence. We helped them with our guns as much as we could,
but could render them very little assistance. At last we saw that an
attack was to be made in earnest; peremptory orders were sent to the
Turkish gun-boats to go in and take up their stations, and our boats all
went in to the west side of the spit. Nothing could be worse than the
arrangements of the Turks. They had sent very little provisions and next
to no water on shore, and their troops were nearly half-mad with thirst,
and more than half-mutinous. However, they moved forward to the village,
and they there repulsed three attacks made by the French columns.
Probably no more attacks would have been made, if it had not been for
their beastly custom of cutting off the head