During this state of things, extreme hostilities broke out at several points of the island. The messengers we had sent to the committee to urge a truce with the Egyptians had not been permitted to pass the lines, or for some other reason failed in reaching their destination, so that our message was never received by the committee, who, in pursuance of their previous resolution, summoned the Egyptians peremptorily to leave the Apokorona or take the consequences, and, the refusal being equally peremptory, the committee ordered their forces to close at once upon the troops, cut off access to the springs, and close the passage to all relief. The unfortunate Egyptians, disastrously repulsed in an attempt to recover the springs of water from which they had their daily supply, were driven within their entrenched camp and closely blockaded. The battalions ordered to reopen the communications, being also repulsed in their attack in the passes, and those in camp having exhausted all their ammunition, food, and water, were compelled to surrender at discretion. The Cretans permitted them to march out with their arms and all of their equipments they could carry, and gave them forty-eight hours to send mules without escort to carry off the remainder. No parole even was exacted not to bear arms in future. Simultaneously with this affair, the Turkish troops at Selinos, having made a sortie in force on the Christians who beleaguered them, were drawn into the defiles of the mountains, and were then attacked, beaten, and driven into the mountain fortress of Candanos, where they were blockaded closely. These feats of arms naturally elated the Cretans, and exasperated the Turks correspondingly. The Governor-General lost all self-possession, and abandoned the reins of government to his subordinates. Confusion became anarchy, and, to increase the dismay, the few remaining Christians in the cities were forbidden to leave the island. The Egyptians, mortified by their defeat, assailed the Christians in the villages nearest their new encampment in the most brutal and barbarous manner. The presence of the _Wizard_ in the port alone prevented a general massacre of the Christians in Canéa. Assemblies of the Mussulman Cretans were held in their quarter of the city, with the avowed purpose of going out to kill the Christians in the suburbs, beginning with the consuls. The military authorities had the presence of mind to close the gates to all Christians entering or Mussulmans leaving the town. The whole Christian population of the island seemed in arms, and considerable parties of them made raids within sight of the walls of the city, carrying off as prisoners a number of Mussulmans who were engaged in getting in the vintage.