42

THE SIEGE OF DAMASCUS.-ABU OBEIDAH.

Christians no longer beheld their ensign or their leader.

129. Did Caled oblige the Christians to retreat?

When the sleeping camp of the Saracens was surprised at midnight, Caled was the first in arms; at the head of four hundred horse he flew to the post of danger, and the tears trickled down his iron cheeks, as he uttered a fervent ejaculation, "O God! who never sleepest, look upon thy servants, and do not deliver them into the hands of their enemies!"

130. How was the city of Damascus taken?

After a siege of seventy days, a deputation of the clergy and the people repaired at midnight to the tent of the venerable Abu Obeidah, whose mild virtues they revered he courteously entered into an agreement with them, that all hostilities should cease,-that all who wished to emigrate, might carry their effects away in safety, and the subjects who remained should be tributary to the caliph. The people were submissively grateful to the benevolent commander who thus rescued their city from destruction.

131. Was the fierce Caled surprised at this mild procedure?

Ignorant of the capitulation, he entered at the eastern gate. His cry was "No quarter, no quarter to the enemies of the Lord!" His trumpets sounded, and a torrent of Christian blood was poured down the streets of Damascus. When he reached the church of St. Mary, he was astonished and provoked by the peaceful aspect of his companions; their swords were in their scabbards, and they were surrounded by a multitude of priests and monks.

132. How did Abu Obeidah meet him?

ABDALLAH.-FAIR OF ABYLA.

43

He saluted the general; "God," said he, "has delivered the city into my hands by way of surrender, and has saved the believers the trouble of fighting." “And am I not,” replied the indignant Caled, "am I not the lieutenant of the commander of the faithful? Have I not taken the city by storm? The unbelievers shall perish by the sword. Fall on !" The hungry and cruel Arabs would have obeyed the welcome command; and Damascus was lost, if the benevolence and dignified firmness of Abu Obeidah had not suspended the fury of the chiefs.

133. Who was Abdallah?

The son of Jaafar, considered by the Arabians a glorious and holy martyr; he undertook with a banner of five hundred horse the commission of despoiling the infidels.

134. What was the scene of these pious exploits? The fair of Abyla, held among the vineyards between Damascus and Heliopolis.

135. Did the concourse of people surpass his expectations?

Ten thousand pilgrims and merchants had assembled to trade, and pay their superstitious vows at the cell of the hermit of Abyla, besides five thousand horse-guards who attended the daughter of the governor of Tripoli, whose nuptials were celebrating. The Saracens paused when they beheld the vast multitude of Jews and Christians, Greeks and Armenians, natives of Syria and strangers from Egypt. But they were rallied by Abdallah. "For my own part," exclaimed the enthusiast, "I dare not go back: our foes are many, our danger is great; but our reward is splendid and secure, either in this life or in the life to come. Let every man, according to his inclination, advance or retire."

44

ABDALLAH'S VICTORY.-ARABIAN WOMEN.

136. What was the effect of this declaration?

Not a Mussulman deserted his standard. "Lead the way," said Abdallah; "you shall see what the companions of the prophet can perform." They charged in five squadrons, but after the first surprise, were overwhelmed by the multitude of their enemies.

137. What was their relief in this extremity?

The welcome sound of the "Tubir," or shout of onset, announced the arrival of Caled, at the utmost speed of his cavalry. The Christians were broken by his attack, and slaughtered in their flight as far as the river Tripoli.

138. Did the Arabian women enlist in the "holy wars?"

The sister of Derar occupied the last line of the army with the women who were accustomed to wield the bow and lance.

139. What was the prompt and forcible exhortation used by the Mahometan generals?

"Paradise is before you, the devil and hell-fire in your rear!"

140. At the end of the Syrian war, after the sieges and battles of six campaigns, was the number of the Moslems much reduced?

Many thousands had died with the reputation and the cheerfulness of martyrs; and the simplicity of their faith may be expressed in the words of an Arabian youth, when he embraced for the last time his sister and mother: "It is not," said he, "the delicacies of Syria, or the fading delights of this world, that have prompted me to devote my life in the cause of religion. But I seek the favour of God and his apostle; and I have heard from one of the companions of the prophet,

CALED'S TOMB.-OMAR.-AMROU.

45

that the spirits of the martyrs will be lodged in the crops of green birds, who shall taste of the fruits, and drink of the rivers of paradise. Farewell! we shall meet again among the groves and fountains which God has provided for his elect."

141. Where is Caled's tomb ?

The tomb of the "sword of God," is in the neighbourhood of Emesa. He survived his brethren three years, and was deemed invulnerable so long as he wore a cap which had been blessed by Mahomet.

142. Name some of the Saracens who distinguished themselves in the battles of Syria?

The generous and virtuous caliph, Omar; and the youthful Amrou, a proselyte to the doctrines of Mahomet.

143. What was the character of Amrou?

In all the sieges and battles he united, with the temper of a chief, the valour of an adventurous soldier. In a visit to Medina, the caliph expressed a wish to survey the sword which had cut down so many Christian warriors. The son of Aasi unsheathed a short ordinary scimitar; and as he perceived the surprise of Omar, "Alas!" said the modest Saracen, "the sword itself, without the arm of its master, is neither sharper nor more weighty than the sword of Pharezdak the poet."

144. What is related of Amrou at the siege of Alexandria?

In every attack, the sword, the banner of Amrou, glittered in the van of the Moslems. On a memorable day he was betrayed by his imprudent valour : his followers, who had entered the citadel, were driven back, and the general, with a friend and a slave, remained a

46

SIEGE OF ALEXANDRIA.

prisoner in the hands of the Christians. When Amrou was conducted before the præfect, he remembered his dignity, and forgot his situation; a lofty demeanour and resolute language revealed the lieutenant of the caliph, and the battle-axe of a soldier was already raised to strike off the head of the audacious captive. His life was saved by the readiness of his slave, who instantly gave his master a blow on the face, and commanded him, in an angry tone, to be silent in the presence of his superiors. The credulous Greek was deceived; he listened to the offer of a treaty, and his prisoners were dismissed in the hope of a more respectable embassy, till the joyful acclamations of the camp announced the return of their general, and insulted the folly of the infidels.

145. Who planted the Mahometan standard on the walls of the capital of Egypt?

Amrou: "I have taken," said he to the caliph, "the great city of the West. It is impossible for me to enumerate the variety of its riches and beauty; and I shall content myself with observing, that it contains four thousand palaces, four thousand baths, four hundred theatres or places of amusement, twelve thousand shops for the sale of vegetable food, and forty thousand tributary Jews. The town has been subdued with force of arms, without treaty or capitulation, and the Moslems are impatient to seize the fruits of their victory."

146. Did the "commander of the faithful" order the city to be sacked?

He rejected with firmness the idea of pillage, and directed his lieutenant to reserve the wealth and revenue of Alexandria for the public service and the propagation of the faith.