Omaha daily bee., 1896-04-25
SOUNDING THE LOUD TIMBREL
Over Egypts Dark River Echoes the Mar
tial Airs of Marching Troops,
MILITARY ACTIVITY AND LIFE IN CAIRO
Advance on the soudnnese and It's
Probable Consequences-Sccnc
and Incidents In the shnd-
oyys of the Pyramids.

JOnn n. OOCkeIlll was WTllleH u lew udgS bt-
fore his sudden and mournful death in Cairo,
Egypt 1t deals in an interesting way with
the war feeling in Egypt and incidents of life
In Cairo, and was published in last Sundays
New York Herald
CAIRO, Egypt, March 30, 1S96.-To say
that Egypts capital is a stirring spot these
days is to convey but FAINT idea of the
activity, excitement and suspense prevailing
upon every hand. ! arrived here two days
after the issuance Of the decree setting on
foot the Dongola expedition. The city was
alive with moving soldiers, supply trains,
camel herds and marching recruits-ragged
children of the desert, ranging from swarthy
Soudanese to pale, cadaverous fellaheen-all
bending to the point Of INTERESTINGLY Haita'
No thunderclap ever came from a clear SKY
with more suddenness than did this order
from England for the advance up the Nile.
few officials may have known that the move
was contemplated, seeing the threatening at
titude of the dervishes ana the melancholy
condition Of the Italians in Erythrea. but to
the masses the order to advance upon Dom
COLA was crushing surprise Lord Cromer,
the British representative, had no mixing
of the stroke, and l can say, upon the au-
thority Of gentleman entitled to speak Tor
him, that he does not now approve OF the
British policy. He has steadily worked for
something ike lOuTleeu years WIN w" W
the ultimate withdrawal of British influence
and protection from Egypt-leaving Egypt to
the Egyptians-and he feels now that all his
labor directed to that end is to be wasted.
with the masses of Englshmen here the
war for tie subjugation of Soudan is i'm
mensely popular. They are glad to know
that England is manifesting something OF her
old spirit They have contemplated the
hostility of Russia and France and the mani
fest unfriendliness of Germany with the Gus
&c t1,nI rtt a u
our backs to the wall, now," said an English
officer Of the army to me the other morning,
land let 'em all come on
The realization that Russia has been and
still is backing the Negus Menelik In his
war upon the Italians solely from desire
TO cripple one Of England's friends fills Eng
lish hearts with the old bitterness born OF
the Crimea AS for France, the ally OF
autocratic Russia, when did an Englishman
have anything but contempt Tor her?
DEFEAT ANTICIPATED.
The policy of sending the Egyptian forces
TO the front to draw the fire of Khalifa Abb
duIlnhi the successor of the Mahdi, and
present ruler of Soudan, is regarded as wise
one If they push on far enough Tn spring
they are certain to meet strong opposition
perhaps defeat In the meantime, England
is carefully preparing, and when the autumn
arrives her invincible battalions Will move
on to Khartoum, and the Soudan and Egypt
will remain dependencies OF Great Britain
for oil time When c0ntemplateS the
good that England has achieved for EGYPT
in very few years the thought must come
that no other nation could have done better.
To the disinterested Anglo-Saxon the feeling
of nride must follow the consideration OF
things achieved The hopeessly bankrupt
and demoralized empire has been iifted INTO
nrosperity the financial status has peeh
steadily raised until 1t Is better today thah
that of two-thirds of the European nations,
and here today one finds order, security anu
honefulness. The burdens of taxation nave
never been so light and all the world may
come and go. -,
Tbe French have an idea that they could
do great things in Egypt but their record
of deeds performed away from nome 40 not
Justify their assumption In Algeria we
find a close French corporation, win spe-
cial privileges for French commercial people,
while in Egypt all traders and all peoples
stand alike A short time ago Frenchmah
residing in Cairo wrote and published let
ter in the newspaper, lie PROGRESS la'oiins
the continued occupation of EGYPT by the
Eno,;sh M He was called before his consul
a. once sternly rebuked and ordered to QUIT
the country And he went-this cItizeh VI
the French republic. AT the same tlitle
the French press of Alexandra ana Ca!ro
goes on peevshly finding 1auit WIN iI"s,'i ~, ,iIr
ee5ministrat!on day after day, and Vii1yns
tbo british race as in the days OF the
rmntured treaty of Amiens, and NOBODY pays
the slightest attention to the racket.
That there will be hard fighting ana oes-
perate campaigning up the Niie eFei isuouS
t,on That a general European war may
crow out of England's aggressive move is
rot improbable. l have gwen some cohsiuei
alton to the fighting material being sent 10
the front from Cairo.
EGYPTIAN TROOPS DOUBTFUL.
have very little confidence IN the EsyP-
,,an troops no matter how well led Ihe ma
tive repiments that / have seen are wen
drilled and well armed and equipped, ana the
men are not lacking in physique But the
EGYPTIAN is not fighting animal. he iachs
the ighting instinct. ! saw something OF the
worthless force sent to Turkey In 1877, ana
have read the pitiful story OF General Lorlns
concerning the expedition sent against Apys-
sinla by Khedive Ismail In 1876. That army
had been trained and organized py splehulu
American oficers-Mott, Loring' stone
ITieId Dennison-and great things were ex-
nected Of IT, AS we'll might an army or
sheen have been led into King John do
minions as this host of Egypts alleged war,
riors No sooner did they come In sight OF
Johns barbarians than they began TO eVlhce
sickening signs OF coWaraice. t Nu.mr"s . that
induce them to fight, and the retreat OF that
army on Massouah was hideous burlesque
on war. That the expeditionary force was not
entirely annhilated was certainly que 10 the
forbearance and indifference OF klne Johh.
The Soudanese troops at the front are nne
fellows They are barbaric, but they are
under good discipline Although mercenaries
I'm the sense that they are serving Egypt
where they ought to be serving Soudan, they
are thought to be ready to hght anything
and anybody. Much is expected OF them In
the hands OF English officers. slatin Pacha
expressed the opinion to me the other day
that no army contained today better fighting
troops than these trained Soudanese in the
service of Egypt. We shall know more later
on.
Mr.. Curzon. | observe, has made the state
ment that England does not contemplate
rendlng an expedition to Soudan in the au-
tumn. The plan is TO make the rising Of the
deryishes an excuse for sending out the
Egyptian force now moving on Dongola and
when II receives a check-as is pretty GER
tain to be the case-to follow with formi-
dable British force upon the ground that
Egypt must be protected The affair will end
In the conquest Of Soudan and the annexa-
tion of Dongola 10 Egypt unless, in the
meantime, England becomes involved nearer
home.
BY refusing their consent to the use OF the
reserve fund of Egypt in defraying the eX-
penses OF the campaign both France and
Russia have shown useless stupidity The
sum is only 100000, a mere bagatele to
England. The expense OF the forthcoming
war will be mainly borne by Great Britain,
and In the end her claim upon Egypt will be
Ornnnucv incrpaspd Her right tho