WARS OF THE CALIPHS. 368 



anny sought refuge in the town of Sufetala (150 

 miles to the south of Carthage), which surrendered 

 after a short resistance, yielding a spoil of 3000 

 dinars of gold (1387/. 105.) to every horseman, and 

 1000 to every foot-soldier. 



The prefect's daughter had animated with her 

 courage and her exhortations the soldiers of her 

 country, and sought revenge for the death of her 

 father, till she was surrounded by a squadron of 

 horse, and led captive to the presence of Abdallah. 

 The victor appeared not to claim his precious reward ; 

 and from his silence it might have been presumed 

 that he had fallen in the action, until the tears and 

 exclamations of the prisoner at the sight of Zobeir 

 revealed at once the man who slew her father, and 

 the modesty of the gallant soldier. " Why do you 

 not claim the meed of your valour V said Abdallah, 

 astonished at his indifference in the presence of so 

 much beauty. "My sword," said the enthusiast, 

 coolly, " is consecrated to the service of religion. 

 I fight for a recompense far above the enjoyments 

 or the riches of this transitory Ufe." The virgin 

 and the gold he accepted with reluctance ; but a 

 reward more congenial to his temper was the hon- 

 ourable commission of announcing to the caliph the 

 success of his arms. In the mosque at Medina, the 

 companions, the chiefs, and the people assembled, 

 to hear from Zobeir the interesting narrative of the 

 African war ; and as the orator forgot nothing except 

 his own merits, the name of Abdallah was joined by 

 the Arabs w^ith those of Khaled and Amru. Discour- 

 aged by these reverses, the natives appear to have 

 relinquished all hope of further resistance, and their 

 conqueror consented to grant them a precarious 

 peace for the almost incredible sum of 2,500,000 

 dinars of gold (about l,lfifi,66fi/. 135. id.). 



The death of Othnian, and the political feuds that 

 distracted the reign of his successor, suspended the 

 progress of the western conquests of the Arabs for 



