176 Egypt
punishment. A "Special Tribunal" of three British
officials and two Egyptians, presided by Boutros Pasha,
a Copt, thereupon condemned four of the villagers to
death and others to severe sentences of hard labour,
flogging, etc. These sentences were executed, and the
atmosphere which led to this crime can be appreciated by
reading the contemporary Press. Thus the Daily
Chronicle of June 21, two days before the trial, reports :
'' Everything indicates that the outrage was much more
serious than at first supposed, and that it was pre-
arranged. Fortunately, this time Lord Cromer is con-
vinced of the bad faith of the natives. They will be
severely dealt with, and sentences will be carried out
immediately, those condemned to death being shot in
public. There will be no appeal." And, unfortunately,
Lord Cromer was convinced, if not of the bad faith of the
natives, at least of the bad funk of his own nationals.
Whereby a cruel wound was inflicted on the relations
between the English and Egyptian peoples that was never
healed. Moreover, the incident was politically important
as showing that Cromerism, after crushing all Egyptian
opposition from the Khedive downwards, had at last come
into collision with that peasantry which it had so long
and laboriously protected.
This disaster darkened the last days of Lord Cromer
in Egypt and hastened his final departure. Cairo, that
had so often acclaimed the great proconsul, now let him
drive away through deserted streets, protected by hedges
of British bayonets, from the people he had so dis-
interestedly and devotedly served. It is to be hoped that
future Egyptian historians will treat this last, but not
least, of the alien autocrats of Egypt with greater
generosity than we can reasonably expect from Egyptian
writers to-day.