At Aboukir and Acre

by G.A. Henty

The hero, having saved the life of the son of an Arab chief, is taken into the tribe, has a part in the battle of the Pyramids and the revolt at Cairo. He is an eye-witness of the famous naval battle of Aboukir, and later is in the hardest of the defense of Acre.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Literature, Adventure

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

George Alfred Henty, better known as G.A. Henty, began his storytelling career with his own children. After dinner, he would spend and hour or two in telling them a story that would continue the next day. Some stories took weeks! A friend was present one day and watched the spell-bound reaction of his children suggesting Henty write down his stories so others could enjoy them. He did. Henty wrote approximately 144 books in addition to stories for magazines and was known as "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian." One of Mr. Henty's secretaries reported that he would quickly pace back and forth in his study dictating stories as fast as the secretary could record them.

Henty's stories revolve around fictional boy heroes during fascinating periods of history. His heroes are diligent, intelligent, and dedicated to their country and cause in the face, at times, of great peril... Henty's heroes fight wars, sail the seas, discover land, conquer evil empires, prospect for gold, and a host of other exciting adventures. Along the way, they meet famous personages... In short, Henty's heroes live through tumultuous historic eras meeting leaders of that time. Understanding the culture of the time period becomes second nature as well as comparing/contrasting the society of various cultures.

Reviews

[Desert Swede · Rating 3 out of 5]

All Henty novels are rather formulaic and predictable. However because they are based on actual historical battles and important historic happenings, they are a little like reading a history textbook. In this case I learned about the naval Battle of the Nile. About Napoleon's failed siege of Acre and the British retaking of Alexandria from the French. Good stuff.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. This is an interesting book, my favourite part being (of course) the naval scenes. One English character makes a statement that his Arabic friend’s god (Allah) is the same God as he has. There’s very few mentions of drinking. I enjoyed the details on the naval life very much.

A Favourite Quote: “My father used to say that being really a good boxer kept a man or a boy out of trouble. A man who knows that he can fight well can afford to be good-tempered and put up with things that another man wouldn't, and if he is driven to use his fists gets off without being knocked about; and besides, as soon as it is known that he can fight, others don't care about quarrelling with him.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘Sir Sidney said that he would largely leave the matter to my discretion. I would rather that he had given me positive orders in writing on the subject, for it is an awkward thing for a midshipman to have a thing like this left to his discretion, especially as at other times superior officers don't seem to think that midshipmen possess any discretion whatever.’”

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

[Debbie Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

At Aboukir and Acre
5 stars

I liked this Henty book because I knew little about the topic of the story. The French, lead by Napoleon,
invade Egypt. We love historical fiction and this is one of the better Henty's we have read.

The story starts out with a young English boy, Edgar, living in Alexandria, Egypt. His father is a merchant, buying and selling and helping to repair damaged boats. He saves a young Bedouin boy from a couple of lowlifes who were beating him up. Edgar had been to England for 2 ½ years and while there getting his education he also learned boxing. The boy Edgar saves, Sidi, turns out to be the son of a sheik. They, of course become fast friends... more than that actually, they become brothers.

Another thing I liked about this book was the look at the nomadic tribes of the time, living in Egypt. Interesting to see them, living in tents and traveling around. The horses sounded wonderful also. I also liked that, for once, there was no damsel in distress for the hero to save... instead he saved Sidi and began a friendship that lasts throughout the book.

Edgar, having had many different nurses and tutors and living in Egypt knows many languages as thoroughly as he knows English. He knew how to speak English, French, Italian, and Arabic.

Edgar gets left in Egypt when the French attack and lives with Sidi and his tribe. He gets caught up in the defense of Egypt. He wisely predicts the outcome of battles, helping Sidi's father make wiser choices. He also saves Sidi and his father after a street fight.

Edgar decides to leave Egypt and aboard ship his knowledge of languages makes him very useful. Sir Sydney Smith takes him on as a midshipman to learn seafaring and to be an interpreter. Edgar has many adventures and does very well. I don't want to say more and spoil the story for you. Edgar eventually goes back to Egypt and takes over part of his father's business.

This book has enough adventure and battles to keep the boys interested, but not so much that girls would be bored.

There was less romance in this book than in some of Henty's other books, though there usually is not very much. In this book, because the hero did not save a damsel in distress the 'romance' is nothing but a note in the last chapter. Edgar went home to one of his sister's weddings and...

“... though only a month at home, he persuaded a friend of his sisters to return as his wife to Alexandria.”

That is it, that is the extent of the romance. It skips ahead to 10 years later to married Edgar and his wife and 2 children living in Alexandria. Sidi and his father the sheik frequently ride to visit Edgar . Edgar had a large tent set up in the oasis where Sidi's family lived and visited there a few days every so often, with his family.

It was a wonderful, exciting tale and I enjoyed it very much.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was free through Project Gutenberg. It is a historical account about the French invasion of Egypt told by an English boy who was fighting with the native warring tribes against the French. Acre and Aboukir are the two battles discussed.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always for Henty, lots of action, history, and an exemplary young hero. I especially liked the background of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, and plan to read more on the subject.