HISTORY OF THE WAHABEES. 311 



a respectable Turkish army in Hejaz. Toussoun, 

 however, soon discovered that the state of the coun- 

 try was by no means such as he had expected from 

 the representations of the sheriff, who was evidently 

 not sincere in his offers of friendship, and only wait- 

 ing to join the stronger party. The inhabitants were 

 too much overawed by the vigilance and power of 

 Saoud, to stir without some more decided prospect of 

 ultimate success. A few of the Bedouins in the 

 neighbourhood of Yembo were all he was able to 

 detach from the Wahabees. 



To put an end to this state of fruitless inactivity, 

 Toussoun resolved to attack Medina, wisely judging 

 this step more prudent than marching towards 

 Jidda or Mecca, where the stratagems of the sheriff 

 might have been as fatal to him as the arms of 

 Saoud. Leaving a garrison at Yembo, he set out 

 on his expedition in January 1812. The towns of 

 Bedr and Safra were taken after a slight skirmish. 

 At the village of Jedeida the road leads through a 

 narrow passage between steep and rugged moun- 

 tains. In this defile, which extends in length about 

 one hour and a half, the Turkish army was at once 

 assailed by the united force of the Harbs and Wa- 

 habees, who thickly covered the precipices on both 

 sides, to the number of 20,000 infantry, and from 

 600 to 800 horsemen, commanded by Abdallah and 

 Faisal, two of the sons of Saoud. Instead of retreat- 

 ing to the village, where they might have defended 

 themselves, the invaders, on the first cry of alarm, 

 took to flight ; while their nimble enemies pressing 

 from behind, and outrunning them along the hills, 

 poured incessant volleys upon their disordered ranks- 

 About 1200 were killed ; and the whole body might 



