"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٠‎٨‎٧] (١٧٨٢/١٢٤٢)

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cavalry ; and on the next day, after an arduous march across loose sand,
he established himself on the southern and eastern sides of the town,
which he at once proceeded to attack with a force raised by reinforce
ments to a strength of 4,500 regulars. On the 16th of January the
suburbs were occupied after a desperate hand-to-hand struggle, the
Egyptians losing about 150 men and the Wahhabis leaving 68 men dead
upon the ground, A number of prisoners taken by the Egyptians were
at once decapitated. Ibrahim Pasha then had recourse to siege operations,
and Shaqrah surrendered on the 32nd of January, when the garrison were
permitted to lay down their arms and disperse. During the second stage of
the operations the Egyptians had 130 casualties, while among the Wah
habis 170 men were killed and 340 persons wounded.
After a short halt at Shaqrah, due to heavy rains, the Egyptian com
mander, leaving the sick and wounded behind, resumed his march on
DaiViyah. On the way he passed Dhrumah, where, some unorganised
opposition having been offered to the troops, he caused a large number of
the inhabitants to be massacred. The Wahhabi governor, who had shut
himself up in the fort, was given a safe conduct to Dara'iyah on con
dition of leaving behind all his property, which comprised a number of
valuable horses, and oi not again bearing arms against the Egyptians.
On the 22nd of March 1818, after being again delayed by bad
weather, Ibrahim not without difliculty crossed the hills between
Dhrumah and Wadi Hanifah. His force now amounted to 5,500 men,
horse and foot, and his artillery consisted of twelve pieces, of which two
were mortars and two howitzers.* A camp was formed at 'Ayainah and
a reconnaissance was carried up to the walls of Dara'iyah. On the 0th
of April Ibrahim took up a position before the Wahhabi capital, to defend
which the inhabitants, sallying out, threw up advanced entrenchments.
On the 14th the Egyptians opened fire from two batteries upon an advanced
work and captured it with a loss to the Wahhabis of two guns and some
prisoners : the latter the Egyptians at once put to death. An eminence
on which two guns were mounted, and which was held with much obstinacy
by the Wahhabis, was taken a little later; and this mishap compelled
the defenders of Dara'iyah to abandon their advanced positions, in which
Faisal, the Amir's brother, had hitherto commanded.
At this juncture the arrival of reinforcements and stores from Egypt
on the one side, and of provisions from 'Iraq on the other, encouraged the
Egyptian general, to whom the evil results of delay were becoming
Massacre at
Dhrumah.
Arrival and
preliminary
operations at
Dara'iyah,
March 1818.
Dangerous
situation of
the Egyptian
i'orce, May®
June 1818.
* According to Captain Sadleir there were
the sources of his information are not known.
1,95 ; cavalry and 5,600 infantry ; but
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