220 Egypt
question of their efficiency. Nor was the new contempt
for the British official counteracted by any new respect
for the British officer. The Egyptian had been
accustomed to officers carefully selected by Kitchener
and Wingate. Any impression that might have been
made on him by the immense masses of British troops
in Egypt was injured by the absurdities and abuses
perpetrated by the inevitable percentage of fools and
frauds. He could not appreciate the amazing feat of this
immense military improvisation by a peaceful people.
On the other hand, he was very unfavourably impressed
by our failure at Gallipoli and by the passive apathy of
our armies against the Turco-German attacks on the
Canal front, as well as by the foolish attempt to conceal
our reverses at Gaza. The submarine challenge to our
sea-power was sinking convoys in sight of Egyptian
ports. The new factor of air-power was bringing German
airships to bomb London and German aeroplanes to
bomb Cairo. Egyptians might well assume that British
supremacy in the pre-war world might not survive in
post-war conditions.
Then there was the growing realisation that a war
proclaimed for the liberties of lesser nations was being
pursued in order to partition the lesser nations of the
East among the Western Powers. Egypt had received
no promise of further liberty in return for its loyalty.
On the contrary, its dependence had been more clearly
defined by the protectorate ; whereas India had received
an appropriate reward. The Indian Legislative and Pro-
vincial Councils had been taken into consultation by the
Imperial Government, and a larger measure of self-
government was formally promised (August 20, 1917).
Later, India was admitted to an equality with the
Dominions in the Imperial War Conferences (November,