Page:On the Desert - Recent Events in Egypt.djvu/43

Rh she fulfilled her obligations to her ally, the world knows. The pretence of a great patriotic movement in Egypt, and a show of military power, were kept up until the troops could arrive from England and from India, when, on the 13th of September, starting a little after midnight, they stole silently across the sands up to the strongly-fortified position of the enemy, and as soon as daylight began to appear, in the gray of the early morning, stormed the intrenchments, and in one hour destroyed the whole Egyptian army. The collapse was complete; the defeat became a rout; men and horses fled in wild dismay on the road to Cairo, which the British troops entered the next day, cheered and welcomed by the very mob that, if it had felt strong enough, would have revelled with fiendish delight in the massacre of every man of the regiments that now marched through their streets. The Khedive was brought back, and received with every demonstration of enthusiastic loyalty; while the conquering army camped in the public squares.

The English being thus established in Egypt, the public feeling of Europe and America is much exercised as to how long they are to stay there. Hardly had they entered Cairo before the Porte addressed a letter to Lord Dufferin, intimating that as the object of their expedition was accomplished, there was no use for them to remain any longer, and asking how soon they would leave the country and return to England? To this modest inquiry, the accomplished diplomatist returned an answer, which it is to be hoped gave satisfaction, to the effect that England had no wish to prolong her occupation, but that she had made great sacrifices to restore order in Egypt, and could not leave the country until she had taken ample security against a recurrence of the same state of anarchy — which, being interpreted, signifies that the troops will remain just