The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1895-04-11

Meanwhile the soldiers had GO miles to
march in the burning summer season
over the dTeary desert, barren, water
less and sui parched. There, too, they
encountered in all their barbaric fierce
ness and strength tho hordes of Name
lukes
The Manelukes at the close of the
eighteenth century resembled the terri
Bile Janizaries of Turkey--except that
the former We're mounted - and the
Prntorian bands of Rome. They We're
at once the protectors and the terror OF
the soyereigns. At the timo of the inva-
sion Egypt was divided into 24 districts,
each ruled by hey The boys each
maintained force of 500 or 600 horse
men, originally bought as slaves from
Che borders of tne Caspian and Black
seas and trained to war, aftor embracing
Moha1nmedanisn. They always fought
Oh horseback and in line. Being COM
pletely armed, intrepid and slSillful,
they formed the best cavalry in the
world, while their gross and nerconary
natures and unsparing cruelty made
| hllbll IllG ICIl lDl LIS ol ELf-l Jh, Gllo y
pressors of the people. Sir Walter Scott
thus describes thoir meeting with the
| French on the march from Alexandria
50 Cairo: "The whole plain was covered
with Mamelukes, mounted OH too finest
Arabian steeds and armed with pistols,
carbines and blunderbusses Of the best
English workmanship, their plumed
turbans waving in the air, and their
rich dresses and arms gittering i'll tho
sun. Entertaining high contempt for
the French force as consisting almost
entirely of infantry, this splendid bar
Laric cavalry watched every opportun-
ity fer charging them, nor did single
straggler escape tho uEEclouting edge
oIi their sabera. Their charge was al
most as swift as tho wind and as their
savqro bits enabled thesa TO halt or wheel
their horses at full ga.iop tEoir retreat
was as rapid f.cs rheir advance. Even tho
Eracticod Veterans Of Italy were e1nbar-
rassed by this 1nodo Of fighting. -
Napoleon promptly adapted his for
nation Of lines to tho Mamoluko style
of warfare. Tho five divisions wore drill
cd to throw themselves into five squares,
six ranks deep on tho fronts, with the
artillery at angles and cavalry, with
baggage in the center These squares
moved across the desert intact, all fac
ing in ono direction, tho sido columns
marching by the flank. When charged
by the Mamelukes, the masses came to
&. halt and the side and rear lines 'front.'
cd, thus facing the foe III all directions.
! T@,o oil ,,l-c Lna1t
that the rear rank could fire over them.
Several small encounters On tho way to
Cairo brought the army to high ef1icien-
cy in repelliny or attacking the Name
lukes
On the tedious march Napoleon strobe
Oh ahead giving his men an example
Of hardihood and determination. Though
his face was habitually gloomy and
sphinxliSo his restless activity could
but arouse enthusiasm, and enthusiasm
was nooded. Tho soldiers grumbled at
their hardships, and the officers openly
expressed disgust Marat and Lannes,
the future favorites of their chief, trod
their cockades in the sand and rallied at
the mad folly of tho expedition.
Finally the column reached the Nile
and united with the fotilla. Seven days
later it reached Cairo, where Murad
Bey, the chief of the Mameluke horde,
had assembled 10, 00O followers, each
having two armed slaves to fight on
foot. The latter, numbering "a, 900, were
placed behind intronchments Oh the
western bank Of the Nile, covering the
city opposite. After deploying his
squares en- echelon, or like steps, with
the right flank OF each refused, Napo-
leon marched upon the trenches, but
discovering that the cannon of the
Egyptians wero in stationary rests and
not on carriages, to be turned right or
left, he directed flank movement to
escape their direct front fire.
Murad Bey instantly saw the danger
and gave the order to charge. With o
yell the Mamelukes swept from their
places on the fanks of the batteries and
circled around the advancing limos. Ma
poleon allowed them to ride up within
half pistol shot before opening fire.
Meanwhile he harangued the legions
calling upon them to stand fast. TO the
division in front of the pyramids he ex-
claimed, "Soldiers, from yon lofty sum-
mits 40 centuries look down upon you. y
His face beamed with the ardor of COM
bat as the veterans remembered it from
Italy, and the squares stood the shock
like invincibles. Musketry, grapeshot
and shells from the lines and tho angles
moved down the fierce riders of the des-
ert, and with unparalleled desperation
they forced their horses through the
Continued on 18th pdge,)