File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎59v] (127/834)

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were issued to the Meccans. Both the armament and the
military bearing of Ibn Sand’s men impressed our informant
considerably, and they beat the Sherifians decisively in a contest of
horsemanship and use of arms, held before King Husein at Muna.
Idrisis Campaign.
The only sign of Idrisi and his Hashid auxiliaries having
got to work, has come to us in the Aden Letter No. 32, of
November 24, which reports certain rumours : ( 1 ) that, following
a fight near Loheiya, on October 23, in which the Turks lost
twenty-five killed and ten wounded and Idrisi’s force at least as
many, Ghalib Bey had to bring down three companies from
Hajjur, to strengthen the Abs garrisons : ( 2 ) that the Imam’s
officials and soldiers have been turned by Sheikhs Nasir Mabkhut
and Hizam es-Saar out of the following towns in and near the
Hashid country Fa wilah, Hajja, Rida, Kaukeban, Aids and Amran.
Appended to this Aden Letter is a translation of a lom>’
document signed by nearly a hundred names and purportimr
be the Hashid and Bekil agreement with Idrisi. Among°the
signatories we do not detect any of the best known Hashid
names e.g. Nasir Mabkhut, Masud el-Barak or Snlili Muslih
though two chiefs at the head of the list may be members
of the family of the first named. On the other hand
we do detect names which seem to belong to Aden Hinterland
tubes e.g Muqbil Naji. Till further light is thrown on this
document, it is hardly worth while to attempt an analysis of its
signatories. ^
Colonel Hamilton’s Journey.
December le nr m E pm firab Bureau, Baghdad, under date
ecember L., acquaints us with some details of Colonel
Hamilton s journey to Bureidah (see p. 468). Travel lino- bv
way of Suleibiyah and Safah wells to the Qaraa plain he found
300 Shammar tents there and Ajman and Shammar tribesmen
encamped along all his route as far as the edge of the Dahanah
desert; but beyond these, who were friendly, ranged Muteir
The latter with their paramount chief, Feisal el-Dahanah have
largely joined the “ Ikhwan ” Movement p. 465), anTcolonel
amilton leports a new settlement of some 35,000 tribesmen of
ns persuasion about the Artiwiyah wells. Their presence
caused him to cut short his A • i , , I rebence
received at 7ilfi Vth t ? ^ 1Jah ’ but he was well
at Ziiti, although there also the “Ikhwan”
numerous and increasing. nw an aie
quarters, and there is considerable coucernhi Hejfz leTit shouTd
lead to a repetition of the original Wahabite outbreak
*1