The blazing fire engulfed the warships, flames shooting into the sky and lighting up the Nile River at night.
It was very strange. She clearly remembered that the Nile's water level had been low then, every well had run dry, and as the French advanced toward Cairo, they could not obtain water, nor could supplies be brought up from Alexandria.
But on closer inspection, these ships had very shallow drafts. Though they were loaded with all sorts of treasures, so laden they looked as if they might sink.
Their design was not European either, and so she recalled something Bonaparte had told her. Near sunset, after Murad Bey's defeat at the Battle of the Pyramids, he had led three thousand cavalrymen in retreat. The remaining infantrymen who had not escaped in time had plunged directly into the river under cover of darkness, crossing the Nile River on small rafts or by swimming.
The darkness hindered Bey's counterattacks and communications, causing several of his attempts to fail. The fleets now being burned were loaded with the Mamluks' treasures.
Because they had acted in haste and had only a limited number of ships, most of Bey's wealth had not been taken away. Besides, the most important "source of wealth" could not be transported.
There had not been a single person in Bey's villa. The slaves had all fled. The garden was filled with the most beautiful trees, the vines hung heavy with ripe grapes, and the dining room was piled with jam, sweets, blankets, gold and silverware, and porcelain. Yet the most dazzling items were the silks from Lyon. Trimmed with golden tassels, they covered sofas and various luxurious works of art.
They spent a night in Bey's villa. At dawn, when they arrived in Cairo, they found the city in a