shifting sand beneath their feet, a scorching sun over their
heads, without water, without shade, with nothing for the eye to rest
upon but rare clumps of palm-trees, seeing no living creatures but small
troops of Arab horsemen, who appeared and disappeared at the horizon,
and sometimes concealed themselves behind sand-hills to murder the
laggards, they were profoundly dejected. They found all the wells, which
at intervals border the road through the desert, destroyed by the Arabs.
There were left only a few drops of brackish water, wholly insufficient
for quenching their thirst.

[Illustration: 097.jpg STREET DOGS]

They had been informed that they should find refreshments at Damanhour,
but they met with nothing there but miserable huts, and could procure
neither bread nor wine; only lentils in great abundance, and a little
water. They were obliged to proceed again into the desert. Bonaparte saw
the brave Lannes and Murat take off their hats, dash them on the sand,
and trample them under foot. He, however, overawed all: his presence
imposed silence, and sometimes restored cheerfulness. The soldiers would
not impute their sufferings to him, but grew angry with those who took
pleasure in observing the country. On seeing the men of science stop to
examine the slightest ruins, they said they should not have been there
but for them, and revenged themselves with witticisms after their
fashion. Caffarelli, in particular, brave as a grenadier, and
inquisitive as a scholar, was considered by them as the man who had
deceived the general and drawn him into this distant country. As he had
lost a leg on the Rhine, they said, "He, for his part, laughs at this:
he has one foot in France." At last, after severe hardships, endured at
first with impatience, and afterwards with gaiety and fortitude, they
reached the Nile on the 10th of July, after a march of four days. At
the sight of the Nile and of the water so much longed for, the soldiers
flung themselves into it, and, bathing in its waves, forgot their
fatigues. Desaix' division, which from the advance-guard had become the
rear-guard, saw two or three hundred Mamluks galloping before it, whom
they dispersed by a few volleys of grape. These were the first that had
been seen, which warned the French that they would speedily fall in with
the hostile army. The brave Murad Bey, having received the intelligence
of the arrival of Bonaparte, was actually collecting his forces around
Cairo