ed in scattering his
troops over the surrounding hills, and in ordering his artillery to play
upon the town, which did not displace a single stone; the guns of the
castle were also so badly pointed that the Turkish horsemen galloped
up to the very houses, and were only beaten off by a brisk fire of
musketry, which, galling them severely, drove them across the heights.
Night put an end to the affair.

A few days after this skirmish, Ibrahim Pasha, having left to one of his
lieutenants the direction of the siege of Saint Jean d'Acre and wishing
to reconnoitre the country, appeared at the head of 800 men, with six
field-pieces, before Osman's camp, who, seized with a panic, immediately
abandoned it to the enemy, and hastened to form a junction with the
Pasha of Aleppo, who was posted near Hameh. The Egyptian general
immediately pursued him, and took up a position at Horn. But, threatened
upon this point by three brigades of the Seraskier Mehemet Pasha, he
retired, after some skirmishes, to Bolbeck, where he established his
camp, and was joined by Abaz Pasha, his nephew, at the head of 800 men.
But his presence was required in other quarters. Divisions had broken
out at several points, and the slowness with which the operations of the
siege of Saint Jean d'Acre was carried on had damped the ardour of his
partisans.

At Tripoli a conspiracy was discovered, in which were implicated the
Cadi, the Mufti, and the principal Turks. After receiving a considerable
reinforcement of troops from Candia, and making some defensive
dispositions to the south of Bolbeck, Ibrahim encamped before Saint Jean
d'Acre, to bring the siege to a conclusion by a decisive attack. On the
19th of May the fire was recommenced with great vigour; the Egyptians
made the most extraordinary efforts to get into the city, and
experienced a heavy loss; but no sooner was a breach effected than it
was again closed up. Nothing was left standing in the town. The palace
was destroyed, and Abdullah Pasha obliged to retire to the caves dug by
Djezzar. The garrison was reduced to less than 2,000 men. At last,
on the 27th of May, a general assault was made. Three breaches were
practicable, one on the tower of Kapon Bourdjon, the other two at Nebieh
Zaleh, and at Zavieh. Six battalions had the horrors of the attack,
which commenced at daybreak and lasted twelve hours.

At Kapon Bourdjon the Arabs were on the point of giving ground, but
Ibrahim having with his own hand