IO 
ARABIA, 
diilance from the caftle; by which manoeuvre he likewifc 
hoped that Youkinna would be lei's upon hisgivard. Herein, 
however, lie was niillaken: for the Greek commander, by 
the prudent meahire's he took, eluded all furprife; and, 
though Abu Obeidah continued th.e liege for four months, 
he had no hopes of making himfelf mailer of it until a 
reinforcement arrived. 
Among the troops fent by Omar on this occafion, there 
was an Arab of a gigantic fize, called Dames , who was a 
man of great courage and refolution. Obferving the little 
progrefs made in the fiege, he bethought himfelf of a fira- 
tagem by which the fortrefs might be taken. He there¬ 
fore delired Abu Obeidah would aflign him a party con¬ 
fiding only of thirty men; which at Khaled’s requeft was 
readily granted. Then he begged the general to raife 
the fiege, and retire about three miles from the cadle, which 
was Iikewife complied with. The following night Dames, 
who had polled himfelf with his party very near the cita¬ 
del, found means to feize a Greek, from whom he learned 
that Youkinna, after the fiege was raifed, had exadted 
large Aims of money from the citizens, on account of the 
treaty they had concluded with the Arabs; and that he 
was one of thole who had endeavoured to make their efcape 
from the oppreffion of fitch a tyrant, by leaping down from 
the wall. This man Dames took under his protection; 
but beheaded five or fix others who fell into his hands, and 
could give no account of themfelves. He then -covered 
his head and lhoulders with a goat’s Ikin, and took a dry 
cruft in his hand, creeping on the ground till he got dole 
to the foot of the wall. If he heard any noife, or fuf- 
peCled any perlon to be near, he made a noife with his cruft 
like a dog gnawing a bone ; his companions fometimes 
walking, and fometimes creeping after him in the fame 
manner. He had before difpatched two of his men to Abu 
Obeidah, to defire that a detachment of horfe might be 
fent him by break of day to fupport his fmall party, and 
facilitate the execution of the plan he had formed. At 
laft Dames found an opportunity of railing feven men upon 
his lhoulders, who ftood one upon another till the higheft 
reached the top of the wall. Here he feized a watchman 
whom he found alleep, and threw him over the wall. Two 
others, whom he found in the fame condition, he (tabbed 
with his dagger, and threw them over Iikewife. Then he 
let down his turban, and drew up the fecond of his breth¬ 
ren, as they two did the third, and by their help Dames 
himfelf and all the reft were enabled to mount the wall. 
He then privately ftabbed the centry at each of the gates, 
and put his men in poffeffion of every one of them. The 
foldiers of the garrifon, however, were at laft alarmed, 
and furrounded the Arabs, who were on the point of pe- 
rilhing,, when Khaled appeared at the head of a detach¬ 
ment of cavalry. On light of that general, who had long 
been terrible to the Chriftians, the befieged threw down 
their arms and fur rendered at difcretion. Youkinna, and 
lome of the principal officers, turned Mahometans, in or¬ 
der to lave their lives; and the cable, being taken by ftorm, 
was pillaged by the Mollems. Dames acquired great glory 
by this exploit; and, out of complaifance to him, the army 
did not depart from Aleppo till he and his men were cured 
of their wounds. 
After the redudijon of the citadel of Aleppo, Abu 
Obeidah intended to march to Antioch ; but was diverted 
by Youkinna, who was now become a violent enemy to 
the Chriftians. He told the Mollem general, that his con- 
queft of that part of the country would be incomplete with¬ 
out taking Azaz, a place of great importance, where Theo- 
dorus, Youkinna’s coufin-german, was commandant. This 
fortrefs he propofed to become mailer of, by putting him- 
felf at the head of ioo Arab horfe dreffed in the Greek 
habit, who were to attend him to Azaz. Upon his arrival 
there, he was to allure Theodorus that he was (till in rea¬ 
lity a Chriftian, and had taken that opportunity to efcape 
from the Modem camp. But, to make his dory more 
probable, Abu Obeidah was to lend after hint a detach¬ 
ment of iooo horfe, who were to pur Ate him as far as 
Morah, a village in the neighbourhood of Azaz, with 
orders to port themfelves there ; from whence, if fuch a 
meafure fttould be necedary, they might eafily advance to 
Azaz, to facilitate the conqueft of that place. To this 
fcheme Abu Obeidah agreed; but Youkinna, with all his 
men, were immediately taken priioners by Theodorus, who 
bad been informed of the whole affair by a fpy in the 
Modem camp. The fortrefs, however, was loon reduced, 
and Youkinna regained his liberty; but was foon after ta¬ 
ken prifoner a fecond time, and brought before Heraclius, 
who then redded at Antioch. He told the emperor, that 
he had only pretended to embrace Mahometanilm, with a 
view to do his imperial majefty the more effential fervice ; 
and fo far gained upon him, that he was foon after appointed, 
governor of that city ; the confequence of which was, that 
the Arabs were put in poffeffion of it by his treachery. 
On th.e redudlion of Antioch, Abu Obeidah fent an ac¬ 
count of his fuccefs to Omar; and, receiving an order to 
invade the mountainous parts of Syria, he alked his gene¬ 
ral officers which of them would command the body of 
troops deftined for that purpofe. Meifarah Ebn Mefrouk 
having offered his fervice, the general gave him a black 
ftandard, with the following infcription, in white letters : 
“ There is but one God ; Mahomet is the apoftle of God.” 
The troops alligned him for this purpofe confifted of 300 
Arabs, and 1000 black daves, commanded by Dames. 
Meifarah, at the head of this little army, with fonte diffi¬ 
culty afcended the mountains, and, with much more, ad¬ 
vanced to that part where the emperor’s forces were ported. 
For forne time they could not meet with a lingle perlon to 
give them the fmalleft intelligence of the enemy’s num¬ 
ber; but at laft they took a Greek prifoner, who informed 
them, that the imperial army confifted of 30,000 men. 
The prifoner refilling to profefs Mahometanilm, they cut 
off his head, and then marched towards the imperial camp. 
The Greeks, hearing of their approach, advanced to meet 
them; and the Modems, being furrounded on all Tides, were 
on the point of being all cut off, when Khaled appeared 
at the head of 3000 horfe, and after him Ayab Ebn Ga- 
nem with 2000 more. At the approach of the horfe under 
the command of the terrible Khaled, the Greeks retired, 
leaving all their tents, with their rich furniture and effects, 
to the Arabs. In this engagement, one of Omar’s fa¬ 
vourites, named Abdallah Ebn Hodafa, was taken prifoner, 
and fent diredtly to Conftantinople. The khalif was fo 
much concerned at this, that he lent to Heraclius, deliring 
his releafe ; which the emperor not only complied with, 
but made him many valuable prefents, lending at the fame 
time a jewel of immenfe value as a prefent to the khalif. 
This Omar offered to the jewellers of Medina, but they 
were ignorant of its value: the Mulleins therefore begged 
him to keep it for his own life; but this he faid he could 
not be anfwerable for to the public. It was therefore fold, 
and the money depofited in the public treafury. 
After this Khaled advanced with a body of troops as far 
as the Euphrates, and took Manbij, Beraa, Bales or Balis, 
exacting of the inhabitants 100,000 dinars for their pre¬ 
fent fecurity, and impofing on them an annual tribute for 
the future. He alfo made himfelf matter of Raaban, Du- 
louc, Korus, the Cyrus or Cyrrhus of the ancients, and 
feveral other fortified towns. Arnru Ebn A 1 As now like- 
wife prepared for reducing fome places in Paleltine that 
Kill held out. While he remained in this province, he 
had a conference with Conftantine, the emperor’s fon, who 
endeavoured to perfuade him to make peace with the 
Chriftians; but this he would not agree to, unlefs they 
would confent to pay tribute ; all hopes of an accommo¬ 
dation vanilhed, and the generals on both iides prepared 
for adlion. 
The two armies however did not come to a general en¬ 
gagement, yet they had frequent (kirmilhes, in which the 
Arabs always got the better, and in fome the Greeks buf¬ 
fered very conliderably. This, together with the feverity 
6f the feafon, fo dejected the foldiery, that they began to 
defert in great numbers., Conftantine, therefore, finding 
his 
