252 



EGYPT. 



sailed away in five ironclads and sixteen trans- 

 port-ships. 



General Wolseley gave out that he meant to 

 force the enemy's stronghold at Aboukir, and 

 from there assail his right at Kafr-Dowar. It 

 would greatly simplify the difficulties of the 

 campaign if the British should occupy a point 

 on the Suez Canal, and advance from there 

 upon Cairo. But they were supposed to be 

 bound to respect the neutrality of the canal. 

 They were especially bound, since they had 

 given solemn assurances to De Lesseps that 

 they would not extend their operations to the 

 canal, and on the strength of these promises 

 Arabi had been prevailed upon to spare the 

 canal, when he would otherwise have closed 



ter by damming the Mahmoudieh Canal. The 

 lowering of the water in the canal forced Sir 

 Garnet to try the mettle of the enemy, although 

 he had not sufficient force to take the field yet. 

 On the 24th of August he advanced to Ramses 

 with the Household Cavalry, a detachment of 

 mounted infantry, two field-guns and two Gat- 

 lings, and one thousand infantry, all under the 

 immediate command of General Willis. The 

 Household Cavalry, by a dashing charge, gained 

 possession of the dam between Magfar and Ma- 

 huta. The position of the small force became 

 critical when re-enforcements, pouring in from 

 Tel-el- Kebir, increased the Egyptian army to 

 about ten thousand men, with twelve guns. 

 Sir Garnet, as he reported boastfully in his 



the passage to prevent the British from making 

 it their base. Accordingly, when the fleet left 

 Alexandria and steamed into Aboukir Bay, 

 neither the Egyptians nor any one else sus- 

 pected any deception until, after this feint 

 upon Fort Aboukir, Port Said and Ismailia 

 were occupied, and the whole canal was in the 

 hands of the British. The English troops and 

 Sir Herbert McPherson's Indian contingent 

 united at Ismailia. 



The Egyptians cut off the supply of fresh wa- 



dispatches, " did not think it would be in con- 

 sonance with the traditions of the Queen's 

 army that it should retire before any number 

 of Egyptians." The English held their posi- 

 tion all day against the persistent attacks of 

 the enemy, and by skillful artillery-fire kept 

 him from closing with them. With the re-en- 

 forcements which came up in the night they 

 were able to take the offensive in the morning, 

 assailing the enemy's left and drove them to 

 flight, while at the same time Drury Lowe, 



