Page:William Muir, Thomas Hunter Weir - The Caliphate; Its Rise, Decline, and Fall (1915).djvu/390

 705–15] The tidings of Ṭāriḳ's ill-treatment by Mūsa had meanwhile reached the Caliph, who, displeased at it, and not unlikely jealous of his viceroy’s independent attitude, sent a messenger to recall him to Damascus. The summons met him on a new campaign to the West. Bidding the messenger fall into his train, Mūsa continued his progress of victory and devastation, till entering Galicia, he came in sight of the blue waves of the northern sea. A second messenger followed him to Lugo, with a sterner and immediate mandate. He was turned out of the camp by the imperious conqueror, who now, however, felt that the summons could no longer be disobeyed. Carrying Ṭāriḳ therefore with him, he turned his face southward; and so, marching through the scenes of their unparalleled achievement, the two conquerors made their way back to the straits of Gibraltar. Before quitting Spain, Mūsa placed his son ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz at the head of the government. Two other sons were also put in command, the one at Ḳairawān, the other over Western Africa. Perhaps no family ever enjoyed a wider fame, or power more uncontrolled, than that of Mūsa at the moment.

The marvellous achievements of Mūsa—with but few parallels in history—were sufficient to have disturbed the equilibrium of any mind. But this will hardly excuse the indiscretion which led the recalled conqueror to make his return through Africa a royal and triumphal progress, and thus justify the suspicions which had no doubt already marked him out at Court as a subject of danger. He carried with him countless store of rare and precious things, laden on endless lines of waggons and camels. At Cairo he stayed some time, and distributed rich marks of favour among his friends, especially the family of his patron ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, the late governor of Egypt, to whom he owed his rise. Progress was thus so slow that he did not reach Damascus till after the death of Al-Welīd. The new Caliph, Suleimān, received him coldly, deposed him from all his commands, cast him into prison, and laid such heavy