do not give them any
longer time. You may be sure that already swift horsemen have been sent
to order the divisions that have just marched to return at once, and by
to-morrow evening they may be here."

"You have spoken truly," one of the leaders said, "that no shot should
have been fired until all was in readiness, and that we should then have
attacked at once with all our force. But the impatience of individuals
has destroyed our plans. The evil has already been done; the Franks are
gathered together. They can receive no reinforcements until to-morrow
night, while in the morning we shall be joined by fully 10,000 men;
therefore nothing would be gained, and much lost, by attacking to-day."

The majority of those present agreed with this opinion, and the sheik
returned to the cemetery.

"You were right," he said to Edgar moodily. "To be successful, such a
rising should have been prompt. They should have wasted no time in
killing tradesmen and plundering their shops. They should have hurled
themselves at once upon the troops and cut them to pieces before they
had time to recover from their surprise. Had they acted thus they might
have succeeded. Now they have allowed the whole of the French to gather,
with their guns, and after what happened in the battle, I fear there can
be little doubt of what will occur when we attack them; but this does
not alter my determination to do my best towards gaining a victory.

"Even if defeated the affair will not be without advantage. The Franks
will begin to see that, easy as was their first victory, the Egyptians
are not a flock of sheep to be maltreated and robbed without even
venturing to murmur, and that they cannot afford to scatter their forces
all over the country. Moreover, the news that Cairo is in insurrection
will spread through the country and excite a feeling of resistance. Many
will die, but their blood will not have been shed in vain. The French
think that they have conquered Egypt--they have, in fact, but marched
to the capital. They only hold the ground they stand on, and it will
not be long before they feel that even that is trembling under their
feet."

Some sheep that had been brought, slung across the horses, were cut up,
fires lighted, and supper eaten, and when two men had been posted as
sentinels, the rest wrapped themselves in their burnooses and lay down
to sleep. Edgar's reflections were not pleasant, and he sat up for some
time talking to Sidi.

"You