most brilliant in our military history, and redounds equal
credit upon the gallant soldier who died in the hour of victory, on his
successor whose operations were most skilfully conducted, and on the
British officers and soldiers who endured no ordinary amount of
privation and labour under a burning sun.

Upon the advance to Cairo Edgar had been accompanied by the sheik and
his son with a score of their followers. The information that they were
enabled to give the general was of the greatest importance and value.
The sheik was intimately acquainted with every foot of the ground, and
on the force halting in the afternoon he was able to inform the
quartermaster-general of the most likely spot for the next
camping-ground, and of the distance and nature of the country to be
traversed. At daybreak he would start ahead with his party, ascertain
from the inhabitants of the villages whether any bodies of the enemy
were in the neighbourhood, and arrange with them to forward such
supplies of food and vegetables as remained at their disposal for sale,
to the spot selected for the camping-ground that afternoon.

The supplies were but small, for the French had well-nigh made the whole
country below Cairo a desert. Nevertheless, such as could be produced
were gladly purchased by the commissariat for the use of the troops, and
owing to the custom prevalent throughout the East of storing grain in
covered pits, the supply obtained as forage for the horses largely
exceeded expectations, for the peasants regarded the British as
deliverers from their oppressors, and upon being assured by the sheik
that they paid well for everything that they required, the pits that had
escaped the French searchers were thrown open at once. General
Hutchinson, on his return to carry out the siege of Alexandria to a
conclusion, reported to Admiral Keith his very warm appreciation of the
services that Lieutenant Blagrove had rendered him. Long before that
time the admiral had received from England a confirmation of the acting
rank he had given Edgar. As soon as the capitulation was signed,
although it had been stipulated that the British troops were not to go
into the town until the French took their departure, many officers did
so, as General Menou freely gave permission to enter to anyone who
applied for it. Edgar was one of the first of these, and, riding in,
alighted at his father's house.

CHAPTER XIX.

QUIET AND REST.

Mr. Muller came forw