CHAPTER XIX.
QUIET AND REST.
Mr. Muller came forward to meet his visitor as he entered, thinking itprobable that this naval officer had come in reference to somearrangements to be made with regard to the transports that would carrythe French army away. It was three years since he had last seen Edgar,and the latter had grown from a boy into a young man, and the uniformhad altered him beyond recognition, for no news had been received fromEngland since he had left, and Mr. Muller had supposed that he was allthis time there with his father. Edgar smiled as he saw the absence ofrecognition in his face.
"Don't you know me, Mr. Muller?" he asked. "I have no doubt changed agood deal since you saw me last in the dress of an Arab."
"Mr. Edgar Blagrove!" the latter exclaimed in astonishment. "Yourdisguises are endless, sir, and I think that this is the best of them,though why you should have adopted it I do not know."
"It happens that it is not a disguise at all this time. I am what I seemto be, a naval lieutenant. I have been serving in the navy ever since Ijoined it, ten days after I sailed from here, and was through the siegeof Acre with Sir Sidney Smith. As you see, I have had the good fortuneto be promoted. I have been serving ashore since we first landed here,and have been up to Cairo with the force that marched there as a sort ofguide and interpreter."
"I am sure I congratulate you heartily. But you don't intend to stop inthe navy, do you?"
"No, I think not. Of course I like the life, and have been so fortunatein getting early promotion and in being mentioned in despatches that Iought to rise very rapidly if I stayed in it, and I am sure that SirSidney Smith would interest himself for me. But I do not think that itwould be fair to my father. He has reckoned on taking the management ofthe business at home, and that I should be established here with you,and probably it would be the best thing for me in the long run. The warwith France cannot last many years, and when peace comes there will, ofcourse, be a great reduction of the navy, and an immense number ofofficers put upon half-pay, without much chance of again obtainingemployment. My time during the last three years will not have beenmisspent. As a lieutenant in the service who had obtained exceptionallyrapid promotion I should be able to secure orders for stores or repairsto any men-of-war who might put in, and the knowledge I have gained ofships, their fittings, rigging, and so on, would render me far moreuseful to you in superintending the harbour work than I would have beenhad I not had that experience."
"Certainly, Mr. Blagrove. I myself have, as you know, always been incharge of the office here, and as far as books and accounts go I think Iknow my work thoroughly, but in the last three years I have felt that mywant of knowledge of the practical side of the business has been aserious drawback. I have been able to have the repairs necessary toFrench transports and so on carried out, for the two shipwrights aregood workmen, and after it was done I could, of course, calculate whathad been the cost, and charge it with a percentage for profit; but, as arule, captains want an estimate before we begin, and I was unable togive one.
"On a few occasions I did so after consulting the shipwrights, but Iburnt my fingers badly in each case, for it turned out that the defectswere much more serious than met the eye; so after that, I refused togive an estimate at all, and lost some business in consequence, for aFrench firm here snapped up all the work they could get, and were alwaysready to give an estimate, though I believe in nine cases out of tenthey either did not carry out their work thoroughly or else whenhalf-way through were obliged to ask for considerable increase on theground that the amount to be done far exceeded what they supposed. Thishas been so notorious that for the past year we have had our hands full,and I believe that they intended to leave even if the French occupationhad continued. Indeed, they came to me three months ago and asked if Ishould be inclined to buy their yard and appliances and stock. I refusedat that time, but I am of opinion that the matter is well worththinking over. Since trade increased again we have been very cramped forroom. Of course it formed but a small portion of your father's business,but I think that in future it could be made at least as important a partas the inland trade, and certainly with you at the head it could belargely extended."
"That would quite suit me. As you know, I have always been fond ofships, and now, after being three years at sea, am naturally more fondof them than before; and although I could make myself very happy inlooking after the work of a ship-yard and superintending the businessafloat, I should feel altogether like a fish out of water if I were tobe kept to book-keeping inside. I know that there is a ship sailing forEngland to-night with despatches. I will sit down at once and write tomy father, and say that I am ready to leave the navy at once and fall towork here. He is certain to come out as soon as he hears the news thatthe place has surrendered, and that the French are going.
"I will tell him what you say about the other ship-yard, and ask him togo to the Admiralty. I have no doubt that the president of the prizecourt, who had some business with my father, and has since been on veryfriendly terms with him, will give him a good introduction, and maypossibly go with him to urge that as I am going to undertake thesuperintendence of a ship-yard here, and that we hope to be of serviceto ships of war putting in for repairs, they will consent to my going onhalf-pay instead of retiring altogether. It would certainly strengthenmy position here so far as our ships of war are concerned. I daresaythat you will be sending off too."
"Yes; I have kept everything written up and copies made so that I couldsend them off should an opportunity offer; and a couple of hours' workwill enable me to bring matters pretty well up to date."
"I suppose, except for the ship work, everything has been of late verydull?"
"Very dull indeed. We have had literally no goods whatever from theinterior. Of course production has fallen off very greatly, and the saleof Egyptian products at Cairo, to the troops, has been considerable.Then, too, the disturbed state of the country has prevented themanufacturers from sending valuable goods down here, so that practicallythat part of the business has been at a standstill, and I have notattempted to accumulate a stock. However I have lately purchased manylarge lots from native traders here who feared that their shops might bepillaged in the event of a riot, and especially lately when they wereafraid that if your people took the town by storm there might be ageneral sack. So as I was certain that the French must go before long,and I got all these goods at a bargain, I have bought freely. Then Ihave not done badly with goods run in by French ships that managed toslip through the blockade, and which were laden with speculative cargoesof luxuries for the army. As we are almost the only European house open,and I was able to pay cash, I bought things up largely, and realizedvery good profits by supplying the native shops here and the officers ofthe garrison, and also sent a great deal of wine and goods of that sortup to Cairo, getting leave from the commandant here for them to go upunder the guard of any body of troops that happened to be proceedingthere, so that altogether the firm had not done badly, all thingsconsidered."
"Are you short of cash now, Mr. Muller? for if so I can give you a drafton my father, who has some money of mine in his hands, for a thousandpounds, the result partly of prize-money, partly of a speculation Imade in the purchase of a prize which I went home in. I bought it in hisname, but he insists that as it was purely my speculation he should putthe profit to my account."
"Thank you; I do not require it. I have had no opportunity of sendingthe money home for the last three years, and have therefore an abundanceof funds for all purposes."
"I suppose that you must be very short of timber, cordage, and shipstores?"
"Not so much so as you would think. I am indeed very short of timber,and would gladly take the whole cargo of a ship laden with it should itarrive, but in other respects I am well off, for I boarded everytransport and merchantman before they left the port, and bought up alltheir spare stores, which they were glad enough to part with onreasonable terms, for there was no advantage in carrying them back toFrance, and of course I could
well afford to pay a considerable advanceon the prices they would obtain there. I hope that you will stay herefor the night, Mr. Blagrove, for I am anxious to hear all that you havebeen doing. I can offer you nothing but horse-flesh for dinner, for thetown is in a state of starvation."
"I cannot do that. I have only leave till five o'clock, and indeed Ionly obtained permission to enter the town for two hours, and the Frenchmight object were I to stop here to-night."
Edgar wrote a long letter to his father. An hour after he had done so heleft, taking it and the trader's packet away with him. These he placedin the headquarter-staff mail-bag. The letters were to be taken the nextmorning by the _Carmine_, which carried Sir Sidney Smith and ColonelAbercrombie, who were in charge of the naval and military officialdespatches, giving an account of the successful termination of thecampaign, to England. Lord Keith was most anxious that the men-of-warshould get away from the coast before bad weather set in, andaccordingly 5000 of the troops, under the command of General Craddock,embarked on board the ships of war, and sailed on the 12th of September,and two days later the first division of French marched to Aboukir, andembarked on board transports.
Keith was in command of the fleet, and on the way fell in with a shipbringing despatches which had been sent out in anticipation of an earlyfall of Alexandria. The fleet was ordered to rendezvous at Malta.General Coote, with 6000 of the troops, were to be taken to Gibraltar.General Moore was ordered to England. General Hutchinson had leave toreturn home, and Lord Cavan was to remain in command in Egypt. Edgarhad, two days after his visit to the city, been appointed as thirdlieutenant to one of the frigates that sailed with the first division ofthe army, and convoyed it to Gibraltar. It arrived there at the end ofSeptember, but as no orders had been received as to the destination ofthe force, the sick were landed, to be cared for in the hospitals, andthe rest of the troops remained on board ship until the middle ofNovember, when a vessel brought the news that a general peace had beenvirtually concluded.
England gave up all her conquests with the exception of Ceylon andTrinadad, while France was permitted to retain all hers. The treaty ofAmiens, which was finally signed in the following March, was one of themost humiliating ever made by England. With it came an order for theships at Gibraltar to carry the greater portion of the troops retainedon board, to England. The wind was favourable, and on the last day ofthe month the fleet cast anchor in Spithead. It was soon known thatalmost the whole fleet were to be paid off and the ships laid up atonce. The men were pleased at the news, for most of the vessels had beenengaged in arduous service in the Mediterranean for years, and the menwere glad at the prospect of an opportunity of a turn ashore, until theyhad got rid of the prize-money that had accrued to them.
The officers, on the other hand, were depressed at the news. To them itmeant that they might be years before they again obtained employment,that all chances of gaining distinction or promotion were at an end, andthat they would be reduced to live on their scanty half-pay for anindefinite time. Mr. Addington indeed, who was now in power, thoughtonly of retrenchment, and although it was evident to every thinkingperson that such a peace could only be of short duration, he crippledthe country by paying off the greater portion of her ships-of-war; andwhen in May in the following year war again broke out, and Pitt returnedto power, the whole work of getting the navy into fighting order had tobe done over again. Two days after the fleet anchored at Spithead, Edgarwas delighted to see his father on board a shore-boat that camealongside.
"Everything has turned out well," he said as soon as the first greetingwas over. "On the very day that I got your letter, I had an intimationthat the war was likely to come to an end shortly. I thought it better,therefore, to wait before moving in your matter until things weredefinitely settled, as it was infinitely better that you should be puton half-pay because the war had come to an end than to apply to give upactive service while the war lasted."
"Certainly, father. There can be no doubt of that."
"Of course I got the letter that you wrote when you were at Gibraltar,saying what ship you were on, and learned from my friend CaptainHarrington of the prize court, that unless some hitch occurred in thenegotiations, the fleet there, with the troops on board, would at oncebe ordered home, and on arrival would be paid off. There was, therefore,no occasion for me to make any application in the matter. The troopsare, I see, landing to-day, and I suppose that in a week at latest theships will be taken to the harbour and you will all be paid off."
"Nothing could be better, father."
"At any rate, there would be no chance whatever of your obtainingemployment until the war breaks out again. When it does, my friendHarrington says that he has no doubt that he will be able to obtain foryou an official post at Alexandria, with special instructions to aid inthe provisioning and general repairs of any ships-of-war that may put inthere, and that indeed he has no doubt that he will be able to get youthe post of vice-consul there at once, for this, as you know, is as arule given to merchants of standing, and as Sir Sidney Smith is inLondon, he would no doubt be able to support you in the matter. Ofcourse there will be a consul-general in Egypt, and a vice-consul ateach of the ports. So far, no appointments of the kind have been made,and, as he says, from your knowledge of the country, with our firm beinglong established as merchants there, with your knowing so many languagesand your naval record, there can be little doubt that, if you apply, andare backed by Sir Sidney Smith, you will get the appointment at once."
"That would be capital, father. I hope that Muller's account of the workof the last three years has been satisfactory?"
"Perfectly so. We have done much better than I could have expectedunder the circumstances; and indeed the profits of the last three yearshave been nearly as large as those of the years before the Frenchlanded."
Four days later the order arrived for the ship to pay off, and Edgar atonce posted up to town, for the number of officers wanting to go up wasso large that it was impossible to secure a place by a coach to Londonfor a week to come. The next day he called upon Sir Sidney Smith andstated to him the plans he had formed.
"They could not get a better man for the place," the admiral saidwarmly, for he had now been promoted to that rank. "If you will bring meyour formal application for the post of vice-consul at Alexandria, Iwill myself take it to the proper quarter. Put your qualification as aresident merchant and as a linguist as strongly as you like. I will urgeyour naval record, and myself testify to your abilities as a linguistand to the services which you have rendered."
A week later Edgar received his formal appointment as His Majesty'svice-consul at the port of Alexandria, and was given a fortnight's leavebefore starting to take up his work. Wilkinson, who had also beenordered home and placed upon half-pay, stayed with Mr. Blagrove duringthe time Edgar was at home, and was much more communicative as to thework his comrade had done than the latter had himself been.
"I can tell you," he said, "that for a midshipman to be promoted afteronly two years and a half service is an almost unknown thing in thenavy, and shows what was thought by Lord Keith and Sir Sidney of hiswork."
Mr. Blagrove returned to Alexandria with his son, having before hestarted freighted a ship with timber, principally oak, of the kinds andsizes that would most frequently be in demand for the execution ofrepairs, together with an apparatus for steaming and bending them. Hehad already, directly after receiving Edgar's letter from Gibraltar,sent out directions to Mr. Muller to take over the yard and premises ofthe French firm. The old name had not been replaced at the entrance ofthe offices, but now read Blagrove, Son, & Muller, while over the doorof the premises recently acquired was now placed the words, "BritishVice-consulate," and an office here was set apart for consular business,an Italian clerk, who spoke English well, being established there. Asthere were still some thousands of British soldiers in Alexandria, amongwhom were many officers who had been personally acquainted with Edgarwhile he had served on the staff of the general, his position was a verypleasant
one. The Egyptian governor of the city, a Turkish general, whohad been with the army of the Capitan Pasha, and to whom Edgar hadfrequently carried communications, also received him warmly.
"I am glad, indeed, to have a British vice-consul here," he said, "whospeaks our language so perfectly, and who is a British officer. So oftenthese posts are given to small traders, who, instead of endeavouring tosmooth over difficulties, seem to delight in causing them. Whenever youhave any complaint to make, sir, I hope that you will come direct to me,and I will see that right is done."
After spending a month at Alexandria, Mr. Blagrove returned to England,perfectly satisfied that matters would go on well, with his steady-goingpartner controlling the commercial part of the business, and Edgartaking the management of the shipping side. The business indeedflourished greatly, and when, some time afterwards, the Turks wereforced to join in the European coalition against England, the firm wasenabled to continue their business without molestation, as the CapitanPasha himself took him under his special protection. Four years afterhis appointment Edgar returned to England on a short visit, and waspresent at the marriage of one of his sisters with Wilkinson, who hadreturned home wounded after the battle of Trafalgar; though only a monthat home, he persuaded a friend of his sisters to return as his wife toAlexandria.
Ten years later Mr. Muller died. Mr. Blagrove, who was now getting on inyears, wished to have Edgar at home with him; and as moreover theclimate was telling upon the latter's wife, the business was wound upand the premises and good-will disposed of for a considerable sum ofmoney to another firm doing business there. Scarce a week had passedduring Edgar's stay in Alexandria without either the sheik or Sidiriding into Alexandria to see him. He on his part purchased a large tentfrom a Turkish general who had been recalled to Constantinople. This waslarge and commodious, divided by hangings into two or threecompartments. It was set up in the Beni Ouafy's oasis, and there he andhis wife sometimes went out with their two children and spent a fewdays. It was with the deepest regret that he and his Arab friends badefarewell to each other when he finally left for England.
Before sailing he made an advantageous arrangement with the firm thathad purchased the business, that his father should act as their agent inLondon, and by the influence of Sir Sidney Smith he himself obtained anappointment in the Admiralty. As his father's savings during many years,and his own share of the property during the time that he had beenpartner amounted to a considerable sum, he cared less for the increaseof his income by going on full pay again than for the employment that itafforded him. His father and mother died within a few months of eachother in 1825. His second sister had been married some fifteen yearsbefore to a London merchant.
At the general reduction of the navy after the great war, Wilkinson wasretired with the rank of commander, and he and his wife settled down ina pretty house within a few hundred yards of that of Edgar at Hampstead,and the two friends often talked over their experience at Acre, and ofthe cruise in search of pirates among the islands of the Archipelago.