324 HISTORY OF THE WAHABEES. 



the ranks, indicating his intention of sowing them 

 on the spot which the devoted place still occupied. 

 The Wahabees were nothing daunted at these pomp- 

 ous demonstrations. Confident in the strength of his 

 position,, Bakrouj wrote a sneering epistle to AH, 

 advising him to return to Egypt,, or provide better 

 troops if he meant to fight with him. 



In January 1815, the pasha, with all the forces 

 and camels he could muster, left Mecca and pro- 

 ceeded towards Kolach, where Hassan Pasha, Ach- 

 med Bonaparte, Topouz Oglu, Sheriff Rajah, and 

 other chiefs, were already assembled; and where 

 sufficient provisions had been collected for fifty or 

 sixty days. While here, information was brought 

 that the enemy had seized upon Bissel, a strong 

 position in their rear, which would enable them to 

 interrupt the communication between Kolach and 

 Tai'f. Bissel is a level spot of ground encircled by 

 a natural rampart of hills, through which are seve- 

 ral narrow passes or entrances. On these eminences 

 the Wahabees were posted, while the area within 

 contained their stores and ammunition, besides a 

 great quantity of private property. Their whole force 

 was reckoned about 25,000 infantry, accompanied 

 by 5000 camels ; but they had few cavalry, and were 

 entirely destitute of artillery. Among the distin- 

 guished leaders of this army were Faisal, brother of 

 Abdallah, the renowned heroine Ghalia, the Sheik 

 Tami, with all the chiefs of the Yemen mountains, 

 and some whose dwellings were as far eastward as 

 the borders of Hadramaut. 



When the pasha's cavalry approached they wisely 

 remained on their hills, and repulsed with some loss 

 an attack made on a valley where the Turks wished 





