southern horizon, A redoubt was thrown up, and strongly mounted, and behind the numerous knolls and hillocks of the table-land many thousands of soldiers were lying in wait. If Ibrahim had remained where he was, and calmly awaited the attack, he would have shown some understanding of the ways of warfare, since he must have been aware that his greatest strength always lay in acting on the defensive. But such was the arrogance of the Algerines that his muddled brain did not suggest any better plan than to let loose his hordes of horsemen, ride down the French infantry, and thus secure victory without delay.
As the French began their advance the Moslems came to meet them. The former had about thirty thousand men under arms, while the latter were thought to be not less than forty-five thousand—at least that was the estimate of the conquerors. Twenty thousand Moslems came rushing over the plain to attack General Berthezene's division, and fifteen thousand more, led by Ahmed, the Bey of Constantine, moved around Lovedo's division to attack it in the rear, a manœuvre which would have placed the French between two fires.
The plan was an excellent one, but neither Ibrahim nor Ahmed had the military genius to make it successful. A short fusillade ensued, and a troop of Arabs dashed into the French camp. A hand-to-hand fight followed, and very soon the ground was strewn with the dead and wounded. There was a time when the 21st regiment of the line seemed to be severely shaken. The soldiers' pouches were empty, and their ranks in too close order to make an effective use of the bayonet.
The rally was sounded. General Bourmont called up the reserves, and in a few minutes the tide of battle had turned. The general, observing the eager onslaught of his soldiers, and also the loose desultory system of the Algerian attack, now ordered the three divisions to ad-
