26 A TROPICAL DEPENDENCY

doubly brave after defeat, trusting ever in the righteous-

ness of his cause," he lifted his hands to the mountains in the shadow of which they stood, and cried: "You may safely rely upon me as your commander, for I shall seize every opportunity of leading you on to victory ; and, by Allah ! I will not cease making incursions into yonder high mountains and attacking the strong passes leading into them, until God has depressed their summits, reduced their strength, and granted the Moslems the victory. I shall lead you on until God Almighty makes us the masters of all or part of the territories lying beyond them, and until we have subdued the countries which

His immutable decrees have already allotted to us." His own province was far from being at that time in a state of complete subjection. His first campaign was against the Berbers of Arwah, who made forays towards Cairouan. He overthrew them and took looo

prisoners. These were the first Berber captives taken to Cairouan. Then he sent one of his sons against the tribes. His son was successful, and returned with 100,000 captives. He sent another son in another direction, who was successful, and returned with 100,000 captives. He himself went in a third direction, and was successful, and returned with another 100,000 captives. In all, upwards of 300,000 captives resulted from this campaign. The Caliph, we are told, would hardly believe it when he was informed that his fifth of the captives amounted to 60,000. Musa, encouraged by his success, despatched his troops farther and farther into the desert. The Western Berber tribes of the Hawara, the Zenatah

Kotamah, and even as far south as the Senhajah, were

in turn taken by surprise. He fought with them — in the words of his historian — "battles of extermination, he killed myriads of them, and made a surprising number of prisoners, with great booty of cattle, grain, and articles

of dress." These conquests took place in the years 699 and 700 A.D. The fame of Musa spread so far and wide that all soldiers desired to serve under him in