the forty who had fallen in
the attack on Alexandria; and the names of these men, sprung from the
villages of France, were thus associated with the immortality of Pompey
and Alexander.

Bonaparte, after the battle of the Pyramids, found himself master of
Egypt. He began to establish himself there, and sent his generals into
the provinces to complete their conquest. Desaix, placed at the entrance
of Upper Egypt with a division of about three thousand men, was directed
to reduce the remnants of Murad Bey's force in that province. It was in
the preceding year (October, 1798), at the moment when the inundation
was over, that Desaix had commenced his expedition. The enemy had
retired before him, and did not wait for him till he reached Sediman;
there, on October 7th, Desaix fought a sanguinary battle with the
desperate remainder of Murad Bey's forces. Two thousand French had to
combat with four thousand Mamluks and eight thousand fellahs, intrenched
in the village of Sediman. The battle was conducted in the same manner
as that of the Pyramids, and like all those fought in Egypt. The fellahs
were behind the walls of the village, and the horse in the plain. The
field of battle was thickly strewn with slain. The French lost three
hundred men. Desaix continued his march during the whole winter, and,
after a series of actions, reduced Upper Egypt as far as the cataracts.
He made himself equally feared for his bravery and beloved for his
clemency. In Cairo, Bonaparte had been named Sultan Kebir, the Fire
Sultan. In Upper Egypt, Desaix was called the "Just Sultan."

Bonaparte had meanwhile marched to Belbeys, to drive Ibrahim Bey into
Syria, and he had collected by the way the wrecks of the caravan of
Mecca, plundered by the Arabs. Returning to Cairo, he continued to
establish there an entirely French administration. Thus passed the
winter between 1798 and 1799 in the expectation of important events.
During this interval, Bonaparte received intelligence of the declaration
of war by the Porte, and of the preparations which it was making against
him with the aid of the English. Two armies were being formed, one at
Rhodes, the other in Syria. These two armies were to act simultaneously
in the spring of 1799, the one by landing at Abukir near Alexandria, the
other by crossing the desert which separates Syria from Egypt. Bonaparte
was instantly aware of his position, and determined, as was his custom,
to disconcert the enemy and to for