Fracas Between English Sailors and Egyptian Troops

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 35, 4 September 1884, Page 2

Fracas Between English Sailors and Egyptian Troops

The passengers and crew of an English steamer which has arrived in the Thames within the last few days were eye-wit-nesses whilst at Port Said of an extraordinary fracas between some English sailors and a number of Egyptian troops and sailors. The mail steamer had occasion to wait at Port Said for a short time, but had barely come to her moorings when her passengers noticed a boat leave the side of the British war vessel Alexandra, which was stationed there. The boat contained four sailors and one marine, who appeared to have left the vessel surreptitiously. It had got some distance from the Alexandra before the flight was discovered, and immediately signals were passed to an Kgyptian vessel which was near them, to stop the fugitives. A boat was lowered from the Egyptian vessel, and manned by nine sailors and an officer. When the English sailors saw that they w£re--bein£ followed, they waited until their patsuers came up to them, when, with extraordinary quickness they pitched the whole of the Kgyptians into the water, afterwards capsising their boat. The Egyptians for safety clung to the gunwale of the English boat, but were soon knocked off by the tars, who pulled for the shore. On approaching the land a force of Egyptian soldiers, to the number about fifty meo/was found to be waiting to stop the r sailors. The Englishmen were unarmed, but, nothing daunted, they • commenced to " pitch into" the Egyptians right and left, knocking them down Jike ninepins. Finding that even the fifty were unable to withstand the pugilistic onslaught of.the five, reinforcements were sent for. Some fifty other Egyptians arrived, but many of the new comers were also placed hors^ de combat before tho tars were finally Secured. The five fugitives, whose courage and ability were worthy of a better cause, were taken back to their ship, their clothes being literally torn from their backs, their white straw hats being the only portion of their apparel intact. As the sailors were passing tlie mail steamer, the passengers, in admiration of their pluck, forgot Ijheir bro/ich of duty, and gave them a hearty cheer, a compliment which was paid to fc'ie tars by their own comrades as they approached the " Alexandra.