“There was trouble at Ramleh,” Tulloch said. “The report reached me this morning.” He smiled and waved his cheroot like a pointer. “General Wood made a recce outside Ramleh, with two companies of the 49th Berkshires marching towards Kafr-el-Dawar.”
Jack sighed. “These small-scale movements might divert Arabi’s attention for a short while, but otherwise, they’re a waste of time. Like breaking windows with guineas, as somebody once remarked. 1 What happened?”
“Just what you’d expect,” Tulloch said. “As soon as the Berks neared Arabi’s outposts, the Egyptian infantry fired on them, with artillery and rocket batteries joining in. The Berkshires had no artillery, so they withdrew, and the armoured train chugged up, fired a few rounds, and steamed back.”
“The Egyptians seem fairly confident a
