Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-06-23
THE DESERT MARCH.


On the 18th of July, 1898. as the DYING dsy
with golden splendor tipt the mosques and mi.
narets of Alexandra, spirit stirring bupe
sounded from large encampmen. beside the
city wallis and al the same time the heavy boom
Of the evening gun from the Kaliph's tower an.
nounced to the lazy Turk that the eagles of
France had folded their slken wings upon the
shores Of Egypt. The drums of France now
beat to arms. The army Of the east started to
its feet.
TO Cairo and the pyramids !! cried Savan.
TO beard the Beys of Mamaluke A.! cried the
impatient Murat.
To find home for the citizen.soldier = cried
the mustached grenadier.
| 80 found an empire upon the ruin of centu-
RES cried Napoleon, as he mounted his war
steed.
Soldiers Of the republic, advanced
Long live the republic! = Numbered along
the martial line, as it broke into open columns,
and moved onward, preceded by the guides.
| Soon the sentinels, looking toward Daman.
mour, from the moss. decked tower of ages, saw
the terng files fade into the dim shadows of
evening faint strain of martial music struck
upon the ear, hum as though multitude had
spoken, passed upon the breezs-Napoleon en-.
tered the desert! Who can tell the sufferings
of that weary march. The night soon passed
away, and the vertical sun, undmmed by clouds
without tree or shrub to offer momentary
shade' looked down upon the serried ranks Of
the army Of the east. The leader and his gen.
erals now dismounted and endured the soldiers
| sufterings. Onward they march, band fierce
and indomtable spirits-led by the conqueror
| of the Alps.
Thirst could not tame them-the scorchng
sands offered them no hindrance. Clouds Of
tormentng insects waited from the Shiny Nile
deferred them nor. The Arabs yell at midnight
was music to their ear. Onward, shouted the
leader from the boundless highway of the desert
and onward rushed the tide of life. Around
them what prospect They were fresh from
the plains of sunny Italy-from the orange bow.
ers upon the hill sides. gemmed with temples
hallowed by genius, and cottages redolent with
every side the desert, like an ocean, waved in
voceless tide. The crystal mountaineering
fed from the glimmerng peak of Jura, flashed
before their thirsty eyes no more. The chest
nut of Languedoc and province wuoed them no
longer to its whispering shade. All was sad
scorching, whitening, searching sand, with here
and there the mirage looming ahead like the
breast Of an inland lake to tantalise their long.
ing visions. Night came without twilight. cold
and piercing, but brought no relief Far in the
distance, looming in giant proportions against
the sunset west, the desert ship pursued its ia.
vorite course. And now the shverihg soldier
laid down by his toll. worn general to die. Black
bread, teeming with vermin, sickened the vora-
cious appetite, and the bracksh water of the
stagnant pool made the thirst still greater.
It is said that Lannes and Murat occasional.
| ly lost command of themselves, and once, when
boiling with rage they dashed their laced hats
on the sands and trampled upon them before the
soldiers. Napoleon dashed amid the throng
with his mighty spirit flashing from his eagle
eyes Generals said he, traitors you have
used mutnous language take care that ! do
not fulfil my duty. II is not your being six feet
high that should save your being shot in cou.
pie of hours The naughty Generals trembled
before the master spirit, and shrunk away ash
AIMED.
The soldiers. like all French soldiers, were
light Of heart. They soon forgot past suffer-
ings. The present alone existed with them,
and il the guides saw evidence Of an Arab well
tale awoke the sleepers from their dreams on
the sands and the hope of glory banished
gloomy forebodng from the ranks. Coffarell,
who it was supposed advised Napoleon to en-.
bark in this wild crusade against the Mamaluke,
was a wooden. legged General and as he hob
bled past the soldiers joked freely.
He is sure Of having foot in France said
they. let what will happen
When their General was seen, as the col.
umns wound round the hills Of sand, they pleas
antly said
lie promised us seven acres of land. the
rogue; how moderate! he might have safely
promised us a township; we would moi hhass
abused his good nature
The learned commission did not escape the
satire Of the lght-hearssd soldisry, and the
: jackasses that bore the Philosophers camp ket
ties and the scientific instruments. we're cslle'