Public-domain ebook
by G. A. Henty
Language: en4,987 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Egypt·Children's Fiction·Historical Novels
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #22224.
The work is a historical adventure aimed at younger readers, set against the backdrop of Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. It opens with a sweeping commentary on the strategic folly of the French plans, then moves into a vivid scene on a fort’s rampart where two boys, Edgar Blagrove, the English‑born son of an Alexandria merchant, and his Arab companion Sidi, discuss the might of British artillery and the looming French threat. Their conversation, rendered in a mix of English and Arabic, leads into a detailed portrait of Edgar’s multicultural upbringing, his schooling in England, and the rigorous boxing training his uncle arranged to turn him into a capable gentleman‑fighter. The narrative promises a series of episodes, battles, sieges, pirate encounters, mapped out in the chapter list, all anchored in the real events of Aboukir, Acre and the wider war.
Written in the brisk, descriptive style of late‑Victorian juvenile fiction, the novel blends factual military detail with the spirited exploits of its youthful protagonists. Henty’s prose is straightforward yet richly atmospheric, peppered with period terminology and occasional dialogue in foreign tongues. Readers who enjoy fast‑moving historical sagas, especially those that combine real Napoleonic battles with a coming‑of‑age hero’s growth, will find this book engaging. It particularly appeals to fans of classic adventure tales where a resourceful teen navigates exotic lands and confronts the great powers of his era.
The opening · free to read
With the general knowledge of geography now possessed we may well wonder at the wild notion entertained both by Bonaparte and the French authorities that it would be possible, after conquering Egypt, to march an army through Syria, Persia, and the wild countries of the northern borders of India, and to drive the British altogether from that country. The march, even if unopposed, would have been a stupendous one, and the warlike chiefs of Northern India, who, as yet, were not even threatened by a British advance, would have united against an invading army from the north, and would, had it not been of prodigious strength, have annihilated it. The French had enormously exaggerated the power of Tippoo Sahib, with whom they had opened negotiations, and even had their fantastic designs succeeded, it is certain that the Tiger of Mysore would, in a very short time, have felt as deep a hatred for them as he did for the British.
But even had such a march been possible, the extreme danger in which an army landed in Egypt would be placed of being cut off, by the superior strength of the British navy, from all communication with France, should alone have deterred them from so wild a project. The fate of the campaign was indeed decided when the first gun was fired in the Bay of Aboukir, and the destruction of the French fleet sealed the fate of Napoleon's army. The noble defence of Acre by Sir Sidney Smith was the final blow to Napoleon's projects, and from that moment it was but a question of time when the French army would be forced to lay down its arms, and be conveyed, in British transports, back to France. The credit of the signal failure of the enterprise must be divided between Nelson, Sir Sidney Smith, and Sir Ralph Abercrombie.
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