 He only shared the secret of his return with a small number of friends whose discretion and loyalty were well-known.He left Cairo in August 1799 on the pretext of a voyage in the Nile Delta without arousing suspicion, accompanied by the scholars Monge and Berthollet, the painter Denon, and generals Berthier, Murat, Lannes and Marmont.On 23 August 1799 a proclamation informed the army that Bonaparte had transferred his powers as commander in chief to General Kléber.