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the final blow. An adventurous night march enabled the
British to surprise the Egyptian army lying inert in
its lines at Tel-el-Kebir, The surprise, and possibly
treachery, brought the British bayonet attack right
through the Egyptian camp (September 2). "The
actual fighting ended thirty-five minutes after the first
gun was fired," writes Sir William Butler, who was an
eyewitness. He goes on to describe how, "complete
surprise though it was, the Egyptians, nevertheless,
fought with the greatest determination against over-
whelming odds. The assault fell on them as a thunder-
bolt might fall on a man asleep. They were betrayed on
every side. Peace be to them—ten thousand, it is said—
they died the good death/'
The shock shattered the Nationalist army into a mere
mob that streamed across the desert in all directions.
There was no attempt to rally it. Arabi flung himself
upon a horse, and then fled on an engine into Cairo. Two
squadrons of British dragoons, riding hard all day through
the stream of fugitives, reached Cairo close on his heels,
and accepted the surrender of the city and of Arabi. A
week later a laconic decree formulated what was already
a fact.
<(Nous, Khedive d'Egypte, considerant la rebellion
militaire. Decr^tons—
Art. L l/arm£e £gyptienne est dissoute,
Sign6 MEHEMET TEWFIK,
September i, 1882."
But the Khedive had done more than that, It was
Wolseley who had dissolved the Egyptian army, Tewfik
had dissolved the Egyptian nation.
The Nationalists had, after Tel-el-Kebir, only two