But even had such a march been possible, the extreme danger in which an army landed in Egypt would be placed of being cut off, by the superior strength of the British navy, from all communication with France, should alone have deterred them from so wild a project. The fate of the campaign was indeed decided when the first gun was fired in the Bay of Aboukir, and the destruction of the French fleet sealed the fate of Napoleon's army. The noble defence of Acre by Sir Sidney Smith was the final blow to Napoleon's projects, and from that moment it was but a question of time when the French army would be forced to lay down its arms, and be conveyed, in British transports, back to France. The credit of the signal failure of the enterprise must be divided between Nelson, Sir Sidney Smith, and Sir Ralph Abercrombie.

CONTENTS

Chap.Page
I.Making a Friend[11]
II.A Bedouin Tribe[31]
III.Left Behind[49]
IV.The Battle of the Pyramids[66]
V.A Street Attack[86]
VI.The Rising in Cairo[105]
VII.Saved[122]
VIII.An Egyptian Tomb[142]
IX.Sir Sidney Smith[162]
X.A Sea-fight[182]
XI.Acre[199]
XII.A Desperate Siege[217]
XIII.An Independent Command[234]
XIV.A Pirate Hold[251]
XV.Cruising[270]
XVI.A Visit Home[287]
XVII.Abercrombie's Expedition[304]
XVIII.The Battle of Alexandria[322]
XIX.Quiet and Rest[340]

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Facing Page
["Well, my lad, who are you?"]Frontispiece
[Ali and Ayala appeared]144
[Edgar hits out]184
[With a tremendous Cheer, flung themselves upon the Pirates]256
[Giving a Yell of Derision and Defiance]328
[Plan of the Battle of the Nile]84
[Plan of the Siege of St. Jean D'Acre]209
[Plan of the Battle of Alexandria]329