med's representative, who presided at public worship, became so frightened by the mutinous manifestations, that he hid himself. Many of those whom the Prophet believed he had effectually conciliated by rich presents, now wholly forgot the largesses they had received. But Soheil Ibn Amr, one of those whose present from the booty of Taif amounted to 100 camels, summoned courage, and openly declared in the name of other partisans, 'The death of Mohammed will only have the effect of increasing the power of Islam; and we shall not hesitate to cut off the heads of those whom we may have cause to suspect.' This show of a bold front had the desired effect. The people were afraid of the consequences of actual mutiny and re-assumed a quiet attitude. Attab left his hiding-place and once more became the champion of Islam in Mecca.

It was not equally easy, in other places, to suppress the anti-Islamic aspirations after freedom, which were not long in manifesting themselves all over Arabia. Ibn Ishak refers to the gloomy state of things in the following words 'By the death of Mohammed great misfortune overtook the Moslems. I have been informed that Aisha said "When Mohammed died, the Arabs rebelled, Judaism and Christianity raised up their heads, and the Hypocrites showed themselves openly. The Moslems resembled a wet flock on a winter's night, because of the loss of their prophet, until God re-united them round Abu Bekr."'

But Abu Bekr, the Prophet's devoted friend from the first, whose calm reflection and open-handed liberality had been no strangers to the development and successes of Islam thus far, also proved the right man for the present emergency. He was fully imbued with the spirit of his late friend, thoroughly acquainted with his aims and plans, and, on being chosen for his successor or Calif, was found in every way qualified to maintain and extend the Islamic commonwealth, by the same means and tactics by which it had been founded. Despite the advice of some, to keep back the army intended for an attack upon Syria, or, at least, to replace its youthful commander by an older and more experienced man, Abu Bekr insisted on carrying out the prophet's wishes to the letter, and on doing so at once.

Osama crossed the borders of Syria; spread death and desolation before him, as he advanced; committed to the flames what he could not carry away; and after having avenged his father's death, and the disaster of Muta, by devastating that whole neighbourhood, he, with his army, returned to Medina in triumph, having carried out his movements with such rapidity that the whole expedition lasted only little more than a month.

This speedy return of the army was most opportune and necessary; for already the contagion of disaffection and opposition to the Moslem rule was openly showing itself far and wide amongst the Arab tribes; and the rival prophets, Toleiha and Moseilama, lost no time in availing themselves of the anti-Mohammedan movement. Abu Bekr and his friends saw clearly that boldness and physical force were indispensable, to maintain the cause established by wiliness and warfare. The Calif had already intimated the warlike nature of the policy he intended to pursue, when, in the public speech by which he acknowledged his election, whilst Mohammed was still lying unburied, he used these words: 'Never did a people desist from warring in the cause of God, without God delivering it over to shame; and never did a people commit flagrant acts, without God bringing misfortune upon it.' It was no easy matter to secure the domination of Islam by the force of arms. But what Mohammed had accomplished, with scantier resources, could assuredly also be done by his successor, with far ampler means.

The great advantage on Abu Bekr's side was, that his party was compact, being held together by a rigidly enforced discipline; that they were conscious of fighting for their very existence, defeat meaning ruin; and that, for a considerable time, warfare had been their regular employment, by which they had been converted into practised warriors, accustomed to act together with one common purpose, always ready for war, like a standing army, and having learnt to fight with the hope of victory, even against superior numbers. Abu Bekr felt all the confidence of superiority on these grounds, and was fully aware of the martial inferiority of his adversaries from corresponding disadvantages. Thus