HISTORY OP THE WAHABEES. 313 



phet. The town and castle were occupied by a 

 Wahabee garrison, well supplied with provisions for 

 a long siege ; but the chief and his soldiers were so 

 elated with their former success, and so confident in 

 the strength of their fortress, that they seemed to 

 have abandoned themselves to a state of the most 

 culpable inactivity. Ahmed Aga, an officer of ac- 

 knowledged bravery, but whose idle boasting had 

 procured him the surname of Bonaparte, entered 

 the suburbs with little resistance, and drove the 

 enemy into the inner town. As the Turks had 

 nothing but light fieldpieces to batter the wall, the 

 siege was protracted to fourteen or fifteen days. At 

 length a mine was laid, and while the inhabitants 

 were engaged in their mid-day prayers, part of 

 the fortifications was blown up, and the Arnaouts 

 marched into the city. The Wahabees fled in sur- 

 prise towards the castle : above 1000 of them were 

 butchered in the streets, and about 1500 sought 

 refuge in the citadel, which, from its situation, 

 might have set the Egyptian artillery at defiance. 

 The place was instantly plundered ; and after stand- 

 ing out for three weeks, the garrison, finding their 

 provisions exhausted, were forced to capitulate, 

 Ahmed Bonaparte having promised to grant them 

 a safe conduct, and provide camels for carrying 

 the baggage of such as wished to return to Nejed. 

 These stipulations, however, were shamefully vio- 

 lated. Only fifty camels instead of 300 were pro- 

 cured, which obliged the emigrants to leave behind 

 them the greater part of their effects ; and no sooner 

 had they quitted the precincts of the town, than the 

 Turkish soldiers pursued, stopped, and slaughtered 

 as many of them as they could overtake. In the 



