Evening star., 1920-02-27
4At, Renee RALLIED BEDOUINS
SAVED MECCA, TOOK DAMASCUS
NY LOWELL THOMAS.

sf NJ ksO~fsLL THOMAS.
- psfmisioa Of Asia. the American mag
sine On the orient)
Whep Thomas Lawrence. the tv.en-
F-six-year-old Oxford archeologist.
rsS arrived in Arabia on a miss ion
cm the high commissioner of Egypt
ussein. Grand Shereef of Islam. had
ise captured the holy city Of Mecca.
ut the Arab revolution was at
tAndstill. and the Turks were ad
ancing TO retaSe Mecca. With the
permission o. the Husse,p. young
lawrence Travelled across the desert
the camp of Emir Feisal. son of
ne grand shereef, who was in COM
1And OF the Hedjaz forces. Feisal had
n army of 5000 men. but 1t had lost
eaSt. He confessed to Lawrence that
he future looked dark. But after
lawrence had looked over the Emir's
raggiy army he made up his mind
bat. with this force as nucleus, it
Fouid be possible to build up a large
Irregular army which would have Il
Ireat advantage over the Turks at
esert hghting. He told Feisal that
e believed his troops could capture
damascus within q year.
sIf Allah wills" He Says.
IT Allah Wills" said the latter, with
dubious smile, as he stroked his
card and gazed vacantly out of the
ap of his tent at his disheartened
ate palms. That WAS in October. 1916.
~ June, 1917, this lad. not yet out of
is twentieS, had raised an Irregular
rmy Of 100000 Bedouins. and al
hough his prophecy did not quite
ONE true. he nevertheless led the
rab forces distance of 1000 miles
cross the desert to the gates Of
,amAscus within a year and a half
His first move WAS to march Feisal's
rmy 700 miles across the desert.
long the coast of the Red sea TO the
cad of the Gulf of Akaba. From time
time he would attack Turkish
arrison at one of the towns on the
oast. H maintained liaison hwith
ruisers in the Red sea. Whenever he
bade an attack from the land the
y shelling the Turks heavily for a
eW hours in advance. whereupon
lawrence and his Bedouins would
weep down and finish the job.
Entry in Yambu Splendid.
The entry into Yambu. the port of
fa1 for that part of west central
rabia: in which Medina is the i'm
fortant city, was splendid and bar
Paric. Enir Feisal. as the official com.
nander-in chief of the Arabian army,
foAe in front. dressed in robes as
hite as the SHOWS OF the Lebanon.
Pm his right rode another Shereef
farbed In dark red. his headcloth.
|un1c and cloak dyed with henna
On Feisars left rode 'Shereef'
lawrence. in pure white robes look
ng like the reincarnation of a
prophet OF old. Behind them were
sedouins carrying three banners of
purple silk. topped with gold spikes,
fnd followed by three drummers play
ng a weird march. Behind them
fame wild bouncing mass of thou
lands OF Arabs on camelS. all mem
Pers of Feisafs and Lawrence's body
guard They were packed together in
dense, billowy mass. the men wear
ns robes Of every color. and their
frappings. All were singing al the
Pop Of .theif voices, improvising
verses descriptive OF the virtues Of
fhe emir and their fair-haired young
English leader.
Whenever Lawrence wanted to
-stage a cinema show" as he de-
Festive Arabs, he would simply get
n touch with Admiral Wemyss, and
fhe latter would steam down from
Sues in his huge flagship. the Eu-
fyalus. and engage in a little target
practice with his nine-inch guns
pf the Shereenan army. The mann
moth size OF the admirars flagship
was partly responsible for the i'm
preston which King Hussein had of
fsreat B1itatn's unlimited power.
she fS the great sea in which I.
khet nsh, swim,"the aged Arabian
fuler remarked on one occasion.
And shs iarssr the sea- the fatter
Hsw lawrence Bsilt Up Army.
II was by the process OF accretion
hat Lawrence built up his army. He
Ind his few companions, after leaving
|he Mecca country. stopped at every
Anb village and nOnAd encampment in
|he desert on their way north. In his
nasterly and convincing manner, Law
fence would call the Arab sheikhs to-
kether and explain that the Turks were
DO busy fighting the British. French,
Italians and others, that they could not
possibly devote the full force Of their
bnergies to Arabia. He and Feisal
Eould sit around the camp fires with
khe Arabs discussing the past great
heas Of Arabia until he had every men,-
bitch OF frenzy. Over cups OF sweet
med tea and roasted goat killed in his
homer. in fAultless Arabic he would
liscnas with the Arabs the possibility
bf 6eir being able to drive out the
fuHtk But LaWrence'e greatest prob
|em WAS that OF convincing the Arabs
bf one tribe that they should renounce
khelb century-old blood feud with the
neHbers of another tribe and unite
heAlnst their common enemy. the
rustS. That he succeeded in an as
|aaishing ana incredible way Is demo6-
btrN&ed By the fact that within less
Ehan . year he haA loosely united most
bf the peoples Of holy Arabia.
In, northern holy Arabia near tho