330 
E G Y V T. 
country, {paring neither man, woman, nor child. Mou- 
rad Bey, aided by his fnperior knowledge of the roads, 
and by the expertnefs of his numerous mamaluke cavalry, 
was conftantly able to harafs the rear of the French, and 
would often feize and carry off their ftragglers and fo¬ 
raging parties, even within fifty yards of the main body. 
But Mourad now began to act principally on the defen- 
five, not only by harafiing the enemy’s rear, but alfo by 
lying in a'mbu(h, laying wade the country, driving off 
the cattle in the line of his march, and weakening his 
force by fudden and repeated (kirmifnes. In this manner 
Defaix purfued the Egyptian Fabius, until he reached 
the city of Girgeh, the capital of Upper Egypt, fituated 
half way between Cairo and Syene. Mourad now refolved 
again to difpute his furtlier progrefs; and with that in¬ 
tent pitched his camp near Samanhut, a confiderable vil¬ 
lage in the neighbourhood of Girgeh. In this city, which 
Hands on the Nile, Defaix waited from the 30th of De¬ 
cember to the 20th of January, 1799, for the arrival of 
their flotilla, which had alfo been harafled and attacked 
by the mamalukes and Arabs, and one of their veflels 
taken. On the 21ft the fupplies were got on fhore ; and 
Defaix quitted Girgeh on the 22d, marching direftly to 
Samanhut. On the 24th the mamalukes appeared, dif- 
clofing a front of an immenfe extent. Defaix formed his 
army in three compaft fquares; two of infantry for the 
wings, and one of cavalry in the center, with the artillery 
on the angles. Mourad Bey began the battle with his 
ufual impetuofity, and the mamalukes at once affailed 
the whole body of the French, prancing around them 
with uplifted fcymeters, making a mod brilliant difplay 
of their glittering accoutrements, and of their fkill in 
horfemanthip, as well as of their contempt of danger, 
and boldnefs of attack. But the rigid feverity of the 
northern tadtics prefented a fpcctacle equally command¬ 
ing, and more formidable. Numbers of the French fell 
in the adtion ; but their lines could not be broken. The 
■artillery was likewife a bulwark of defence, mowing down 
the mamalukes and Arabs in all directions. One of their 
chiefs fell fo near the French lines, that lie could not be 
recovered by his own people ; and while his foot hung in 
the ftirrup, the Iforfe, without abandoning his rider, 
would not let the French foldiers approach him, not- 
withftanding all their endeavours to feize the rich gold 
which glittered on the drefs of this unfortunate chief, 
who was thus dragged back by his horfe, and made to 
fulfer the horrors of death in many forms. Mourad now 
retreated into the bofoin of the defert, conceiving that 
this would prove an infuperable barrier againft the fur¬ 
ther purfuit of his enemy, unprepared for, and unaccuf- 
tomed to, fuch a frightful wade, which eternally prefents 
a difconfolate idea to all who have once beheld it—a 
boundlefs horizon of barrennefs, which oppreffes the 
mind by immenfity of diftance, and whofe appearance, 
where level, is only a dreary expanfe; and where broken 
hills intervene, they only (hew-another feature of decay 
and decrepitude ; whilft the ftill filence of inanimate na¬ 
ture is never broken but in the dead of night, by the fear¬ 
ful bowlings of ferocious beads. But tliefe held out no 
terrors to the indefatigable Defaix. 
The French army entered the defert on the 28th of Ja¬ 
nuary, 1799, palled the ancient cities of Tentyra, Thebes, 
Efneh or Latopolis, and Etfu the ancient Hieraconpolis; 
following as clofe as poflible on the heels of Mourad Bey 
and his mamalukes, until it reached its deftination at 
Alihan or Syene, the frontier town of Upper Egypt, where 
the fertile Nile enters the Egyptian territory, by flowing- 
over the laft of the cataracts at the beautiful illand of 
Elephantina. Here the French infcribed the termination 
of their march through Egypt upon a rock of granite; 
and then returned to organize the new government of 
Syene, which was in no condition to oppofe tliefe novel 
usurpers. Defaix immediately formed a plan of fortify¬ 
ing the town, conftructed a citadel or fort which com- 
Blinded all the approaches, and, with the profelTed vanity 
of imitating Probus, actually converied his army into ar¬ 
tificers, architects, and labourers. In the mean while, 
general Dahouft was fent in quell of Allan Bey, on the 
right bank of the river oppofite Etfu, where lie was in 
confiderable force with fupplies, ready to co-operate w ith 
Mourad. The eagernefs of the French to get poffcflion 
of the- (tores, expofed them to a terrible conflict for about 
half an hour. The field of battle remained with the 
French ; but Allan Bey obtained his main point, that of 
carrying off his baggage and (lores; fo that neither party 
had much to boaft, though Affan was wounded in the 
leg, and many of the mamalukes killed. 
After having thus rapidly advanced through the whole 
extent cf Upper Egypt, and placed the inhabitants of 
Syene under the temporary controul of the French nation, 
Defaix, on the 25th of February, after a campaign of fix 
months, commenced his return to Cairo ; but this was a 
work of more difficulty and danger than was at firlt fuf- 
pected. To foften the rigour of the march, as well as 
to fcour the country of the mamalukes and Arabs, who 
now afted in detachments, and were difperfed in various 
directions on both fides the Nile, Defaix divided his army 
into two parts: with one divilion he ftill purfued the vi¬ 
gilant Mourad Bey; while the other, under the command 
of general Beliard, was fent, on the other fide the river, 
in quell of Ofman Bey A-fcar, who having been joined 
by a numerous body of Meccan foldiers, had entrenched 
themfelves at Benhute, in order to co-operate with Mon¬ 
rad, and way-lay the Frenclt troops on their return to 
Lower Egypt. General Beliard attacked thefe entrench¬ 
ments, which after a molt bloody and defperate conflict 
of three days, he carried ; and in which the molt heroic 
achievements appear to have been performed on both 
fides, with the confequent lofs of innumerable lives. On 
the next day, the 23d of March, general Beliard, per¬ 
ceiving the folly of purfuing tliefe people in a country 
where they had every advantage, haftened to meet the 
commander Defaix at Keneh, where he arrived on the 
nth of April. Defaix in the mean time had compelled 
Mourad Bey to take fhelter in the Oafis, and had de¬ 
tached general Friant to the right bank of the Nile, to 
preferve a line parallel to bis own, and to clear the coun¬ 
try of Elfi Bey and his remnant of mamalukes. After 
thefe operations the two French generals met at Keneh, 
which for a time they made their head quarters. 
General Defaix now conceived the plan of blocking up 
the mamalukes in the defert, or at lead of cutting off 
their communication with the Nile, and of impeding their 
movements, by preventing tliem from feparating their 
forces without the rillc of being cut off, and of finally re¬ 
ducing them by famine. In the valley which leads from 
Coffeirto the Nile, there are four wells or fountains, the 
latter of which is of great importance when the defert is 
to be occupied by an invading army, fince it is fituated 
at the confluence of three roads, which are fo many paffes 
from the defert into Egypt. The firft of thefe roads, 
which runs to the fouth-weft, leads to Redifi, where it 
terminates. The fecond, which rims almoft due weft, 
terminates at Nagadi; and the third, which takes a north- 
weft direction, leads to Birambar. From Biramber three 
roads lead to Kous, to Coptos, and to Keneh. Defaix, 
after having left a garrifon at Keneh, took up his pofition 
at Birambar; and Beliard was fent with his divifion to 
occupy the palfage of Nagadi; while that of Redifi was 
incautioufly negledted ; for if the ftrait of Redifi could 
have been occupied, all the beys on the right bank of 
the river mu ft have furrendered, or ftarved in the defert; 
in which cafe, Mourad Bey, who was in force on the left 
batik, would have been the only army he could have had 
to contend with. Beliard repaired to Nagadi, where his 
troops were compelled to take up their quarters in the 
fubterraneous tombs or burial places of the dead, while 
fcouting parties were employed to learn the motions of 
the enemy. Befides the mamalukes, a confiderable body 
of Meccans were in force, with fome or other of whom 
