Page:On the Desert - Recent Events in Egypt.djvu/41

Rh or a prophet, a restorer of Islam or a savior of his country.

The massacre took place on the 11th of June; the bombardment followed on the 11th of July. One whole month England was waiting for some atonement for that horrible outrage, some show of a disposition to punish such barbarity and crime. But instead of that, the military party, which was now in full power, felt not so much shame at this inhuman massacre as annoyance at the continued presence of English ships in the harbor. They had a perfect right to be there, as American ships would have had a right to be there if Americans had been massacred in the streets of Alexandria; and if punishment had been so long delayed that the authorities, instead of punishing, seemed to justify the act, and to make it their own. Instead of seizing and punishing the murderers, they began to plot to drive out the fleet. If they had had torpedoes, they would have blown up the ironclads. As it was, they could only throw up breastworks and plant guns, with the plain intent, as soon as they were strong enough, to open fire. Now it is not in human nature, least of all in the military nature, to see such preparations for attack with a tranquil mind; and Arabi Pacha was politely requested to desist. Not only did the English Admiral request this, but the Khedive and the Sultan commanded it. The wily Arab professed compliance, and declared that all mounting of guns had been stopped; but when an electric light from the fleet was turned on the forts, the men were found as busily at work as ever. After this discovery of falsehood and treachery, the Admiral thought it prudent to take some other security than the word of a Moslem.

And so at last the war was begun. On Tuesday morning, the 11th of July, the English fleet commenced the bombardment of Alexandria, and in a few hours silenced the forts, and that afternoon or the next morning took