Page:William Muir, Thomas Hunter Weir - The Caliphate; Its Rise, Decline, and Fall (1915).djvu/277

248 the present accompany him in his advance. These in their turn, with Al-Ashtar at their head, became alarmed. Ṭalḥa's troops, sworn to their destruction, were double their number; if peace were patched up, no hope remained, Reasoning thus, they held a secret conclave, and came to the conclusion that their only safety lay in precipitating hostilities, and thus forcing ʿAlī's hand to crush their enemies. Accordingly they remained behind, but with the resolve that at the right moment they would advance and throw themselves upon the enemy.

The army of Al-Baṣra, numbering some 20,000 men, remained encamped on the outskirts of the city. ʿAlī's force, advancing unopposed, halted within sight; and negotiations for peace went on, evidently substantial and sincere. ʿAlī himself approached on horseback, and Ṭalḥa with Az-Zubeir rode forth to confer with him. "Wherefore have ye risen against me," said ʿAlī; "did ye not swear homage to me?" "Yea," replied Ṭalḥa "but with the sword over our necks; and now our demand is that justice be executed against the murderers of ʿOthmān." ʿAlī replied that he no less than they held the regicides to be guilty; he even cursed them in no measured terms, but added that for their punishment they must bide their time. Az-Zubeir on his side was softened by certain words of the Prophet towards him which ʿAlī recalled to his mind, and bound himself by an oath that he would not fight. Then they all retired. Both armies, understanding that negotiations were in progress, went to rest that night in security such as they had not felt for many weeks,

But anon the spell was rudely broken, Towards morning, a sudden shock changed the scene. The regicides, during the night, carried their design into execution. Led by them, squadrons of Bedawi lances bore down, while yet dark, upon the Al-Baṣra tents. In a moment all was confusion. Each camp believed that it had been attacked by the other; and the dawn found both armies drawn up, as the conspirators desired, in mortal combat against each other. In vain ʿAlī endeavoured to hold back his men. The sense of treachery embittered the conflict. It was a strange engagement,—the first in which Muslims had crossed swords with Muslims. It resembled a battle of the old Arab times, only that for tribal