314 HISTORY OF THE WAHABEES. 



true style of Tartar barbarity, Ahmed collected the 

 skulls of all the Wahabees killed at Medina, and 

 constructed them into a kind of tower on the high 

 road to Yembo. 



Among the soldiers in the pasha's army who 

 signalized their bravery at the siege of Medina was 

 a young Scotchman about twenty years of age, a 

 native of Edinburgh, named Thomas Keith. He 

 had served as a gunsmith in the 72d Highlanders, 

 during the English expedition into Egypt, where he 

 was taken prisoner, and purchased from a common 

 soldier by Ahmed Bonaparte, in whose service he 

 changed his religion and became a Mussulman. A 

 favourite Sicilian Mamlouk of his master having 

 offered him some insult, the indignant Scotchman 

 drew his sword; blows ensued, and the aggressor 

 fell. To escape the consequences, Keith, who now 

 bore the name of Ibrahim Aga, implored the protec- 

 tion of Mohammed Ali's lady, who befriended him, 

 and recommended him to her son, Toussoun Bey. 

 Here again, on account of some trifling neglect of 

 duty, he incurred the displeasure of his master, who 

 gave orders that he should be put to death. His 

 room was beset with slaves, ready to execute the ca- 

 pricious mandate of the prince ; but the brave fel- 

 low defended the entrance with his sword for half an 

 hour against the assailants, and then threw himself 

 out of the window, and escaped to his kind protect- 

 ress. Toussoun was soon reconciled ; and being sen- 

 sible of Ibrahim's merit and approved courage, he 

 made him chief of his Mamlouks. Keith was one 

 of the two horsemen that stood by the young prince 

 at the pass of Jedeida, on which occasion he was pro- 

 moted to the office of treasurer, the second in rank 



