File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎368r] (744/834)

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the effect that Ibn Sand offered to Ibn Rashid half the revenue
of El Hasa and the Customs receipts of Qatif, “ as well as anything
else ” he may want, if he would combine with Ibn Sand against
the Sherif. Such an offer seems too good to be refused, but
Mohammed el Mughreibi is known to us as somewhat of a
raconteur, and it is not unlikely that the story i« a fabrication of
his for use in blackmailing Emir Abdullah.
The letter from Ibn Sand to Ibn Rashid made no suggestion
whatever of co-operation against the King nor of the alleged
remuneration. It merely conveyed an embroidered account of
the Tarabah fight, and gave a very exaggerated estimate of the
Sherifian forces engaged.
“ The Sherif had with him,” wrote Ibn Saud, “ 4,000 Turkish
soldiers who were at Medina and 7,000 men of Hejaz, together
with 20 guns, 40 machine guns and provisions and ammunh
tion on 10,000 camels, while our ‘ Ikhwan ’ numbered only 2,000,
and of these 500 were even without any hrms except swords and
knives. The Sherif had made trenches as deep as the height of
a man, and fortifications, and had placed guns and machine guns
in every position. The c Ikhwan ’ started their advance" at
midnight, and attacked from morning. The battle lasted all
day and the next night until the Sherif and his men were defeated
and fled to El Baida, near Taif, with 200 camel and horsemen.
The rest were killed by the ‘ Ikhwan,’ who also captured their
enemy’s possessions and forwarded to me the good news when
I had just left El Qunsaliyah. I am now near Khurma on my
way to Tarabah.”
Mohammed el Mughreibi further stated that Ibn Rashid
contemptuously refused Ibn Saud’s verbal offer, and replied :
“ I am preparing to pursue you, Ibn Saud, so beware!”
Mohammed el Mughreibi rounded off his appendix with a
request that L.E. 12,000 should be sent to Ibn Rashid. King
Husein informed Colonel Wilson that under no circumstances
would he send money or supplies, and promised also that he
would advise Ibn Rashid to refrain from making attacks on Nejd.
The King, however, appears to have his own particular
way of refusing a request, for in his reply to Ibn Rashid, a copy
of which has now come to hand, he says : “ Oh, Rashid, every
thing you may think we may do for you can be done either in one
way or another. Consider that everything is at your disposal.
Do not be afraid to let me know everything you want.” He
closes with a request that Ibn Rashid should instruct Shammar
pilgrims to travel via Hail, Medina, and the Harb routes, “ be
cause,” he goes on to explain, “ we cannot protect our tribes
from the wandering people of Nejd.”