parte
decided on a terrible measure, the most cruel act of his life.
Transported into a barbarous country, he had adopted its manners, and he
ordered all the prisoners to be put to death. The army consummated with
obedience, but with a sort of horror, the execution that was commanded.

Bonaparte then advanced upon St. Jean d'Acre, the ancient Ptolemais,
situated at the foot of Mount Carmel. It was the only place that could
now stop him. If he could make himself master of this fortress, Syria
would be his. But the ferocious Djezzar had shut himself up there, with
all his wealth and a strong garrison, and he also reckoned upon support
from Sir Sidney Smith, then cruising off that coast, who supplied him
with engineers, artillerymen, and ammunition. It was probable, moreover,
that he would be soon relieved by the Turkish army collected in Syria,
which was advancing from Damascus to cross the Jordan. Bonaparte
hastened to attack the place, in hopes of taking it, as he had done
Jaffa, before it was reinforced with fresh troops, and before the
English had time to improve its defences. The trenches were immediately
opened. The siege artillery sent by sea from Alexandria had been
intercepted by Sir Sidney Smith, who captured seven vessels out of the
nine. A breach was effected, and dispositions were made for the assault,
but the men were stopped by a counterscarp and a ditch. They immediately
set about mining. The operation was carried on under the fire of all
the ramparts, and of the fine artillery which Sir Sidney Smith had taken
from the French. The mine was exploded on April 17th, and blew up only
a portion of the counterscarp. Unluckily for the French, the place had
received a reinforcement of several thousand men, a great number of
gunners trained after the European fashion, and immense supplies. It was
a siege on a large scale to be carried on with thirteen thousand men,
almost entirely destitute of artillery. It was necessary to open a new
mine to blow up the entire counterscarp, and to commence another covered
way.

Bonaparte now ordered Kleber's division to oppose the passage of the
Jordan by the army coming from Damascus. The enemy was commanded by Abd
Allah Pasha of Damascus, and numbered about twenty-five thousand men
and twelve thousand horse. A desperate battle was fought in the plain of
Fouli, and for six hours Kleber, with scarcely three thousand infantry
in square, resisted the utmost fury of the Turkish cava