320 HISTORY OF THE WAHABEES. 



who by his inconsiderate attack on Taraba had 

 incurred his father's displeasure, remained stationed 

 at Mecca. At this time the state of Turkish affairs 

 in Hejaz did not by any means promise a favourable 

 issue to the contest. The certain death that awaited 

 all prisoners rendered the very name of Wahabee 

 a terror among the pasha's troops. The arrears of 

 pay for two or three months, and the extreme dearth 

 of provisions, which had risen to such a height that 

 a soldier could barely afford to purchase a subsistence 

 of bread and onions (his only food), spread consider- 

 able discontent in the army. 



Under these circumstances Ali was perhaps the 

 only individual of his own court or army that did 

 not despair of ultimate success. Relying on the 

 powerful auxiliaries of money and patience, he had, 

 since his residence at Ta'if, endeavoured to reopen 

 a friendly intercourse with the Bedouins ; and in 

 this he partially succeeded. The profusion with 

 which he scattered dollars around him was felt in 

 the heart of the Wahabee host ; and although the 

 attachment thus procured was perhaps not very sin- 

 cere, yet numbers affected to be so, and at least re- 

 mained neuter that they might partake of his boun- 

 ty. His policy towards the inhabitants of Hejaz 

 was equally conciliatory. He abolished or dimi- 

 nished the customs on various articles, particularly 

 coffee; he gave liberal donations to the holy places; 

 and even performed at the Kaaba the tedious and 

 absurd ceremonies of the Moslem ritual. 



At this important crisis an irreparable misfortune 

 befell the Wahabees in the death of Saoud, who ex- 

 pired of a fever at Deraiah in April 1814, at the 

 age of sixty-eight. In him they lost an indefatigable 



