50 Egypt
fied the tribes of Arabia under the leadership of the family
of Ibn Saud. This movement had reached its highest
point under Ibn Saud II., who captured the Sacred
Cities and threatened Bagdad and Damascus. By 1806
all Arabia was Wahabite, and was closed to other
Mahomedans even as pilgrims. Their corsairs closed the
Red Sea and covered the Indian Ocean. The Wahabites
thus pin-pricked two empires in their tender points—the
Ottoman Empire in its spiritual authority, and the
British Empire in its sea-power. This brought invita-
tions to Mehemet Ali from the British for a naval alliance
against the Arabs. But Mehemet Ali was too wary.
"The great sea-fish swallows the small/1 said he to
Burckhardt, the emissary of the British Africa Society.
"England/5 he went on, "will take Egypt some day
as her share of the Ottoman Empire/' He had no inten-
tion of hastening that day.
On the other hand, he readily responded to the
Sultan's appeal for assistance by despatching all his
most troublesome Albanians to recapture the Holy
Cities. In this enterprise they were led into an ambush,
and lost two-thirds of their number. And thus relieved
of his inconvenient compatriots, Mehemet Ali thereupon
rid Egypt itself of the remainder of these troublesome
mercenaries. He then felt safe enough to send his new
native regulars to Arabia, where they retook Mecca
and restored the pilgrimage (1812). We may note with
interest that one of his new Arabian governors was a
Scotchman Keith, a prisoner from Frazer's force, who
had islamised and fought his way to the front* Ibn
Saud, however, had recourse to guerilla warfare with
such success that Mehemet Ali was forced to take com-
mand himself, a mistake that nearly cost him dear, and
that was not repeated. For in his absence the Turks got