File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎37v] (83/834)

garrison and entrenchments. It remains to be seen whether a
year’s supplies can be got down the line. Complete evacuation
of the H.E.F. in one operation has been judged certain to prove
disastrous in both a political and military sense : but the plan
now approved offers the Arabs several chances of bringing about
such disaster piecemeal. Meanwhile the Line Commissaire
General, Shevket Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , is to stay at Medina and supervise
preparations.
[Late News .—Sherif Abdullah reports that the enemy lost
two officers and 122 men killed and two officers and seventy-
seven men prisoners, in the Stabl An tar—Bowat affair, noticed
above. Since this total of prisoners coincides very nearly (reading
a seven for a six, or vice versa) with the enemy’s report of
missing, it may well be that the total of killed is also not far
wrong. Abdullah, who has an advance camp in Jebel Antar,
reports that he has occupied Jebel “ Rohays ” (? = Ruwei, see
p. 446). Capt. Depuis supports the Arabs’ reports that their
own casualties were very light indeed.
Ferhan el-Aida and his Anazeh have broken the railway
near Jedaha. The G.O.C. 1 st Comp. Force has been ordered to
send the 7th Cavalry Regt. and the Circassian Cavalry to Amman.
Both are weak units. A battery accompanies them. Hamad
es-Sufi, the Ferabin chief from Bir Saba, is now at Akaba.]
NOTES.
Koweit Supplies.
In continuation of what we published on page 437 we now
hear that Colonel Hamilton arrived at Bureidah on October 30,
and was well received by the Emir Turki, I bn Sand’s son, and
bv the governor and townsfolk. Turki assured Colonel
Hamilton that lie was taking every precaution to prevent leakage
of supplies from Qasim to either Medina or Hail, and that, to
lessen the possibility of it, the friendly Aslam Shammar and Ibn
Hadhdhal s tribes were now commissioned to do most of the
carrying trade from Iraq and Ivoweit. He had not intended to
vouch tor the large caravan which has caused the recent trouble
( 6 -^ p. 437), but merely to give the Shammar elements in it
sate conduct as far as Koweit, through his own tribes. Turki
saul his nnssKm at Bureidah is to watch Jebel Shammar, defeat
Kaslndite intrigue m Qasim, maintain counter-intrigue among
the Shammar and put the fear of Go.l into the Muteir and other
laidmg tithes who fall on consignments en route to King
usem He considers Hail, of which one suburb lie asserts
memls a e t Ws d StU1 'T’ b) ' LN t0 ° t0 with any
n! 1. , h thspnsal, weak though Ibn Rashid’s own newer
has now
ment of a
passes,
power
ni-, ~ * recommends the appoint-
special blockade officer at Koweit to control caravan
become. Colonel Hamilton