ملف ١٩١٧/٧٥٦ الجزءان ٢-٣ "النشرات العربية أرقام ٦٦-١١٤" [ظ‎‎١‎٥] (٨٣٤/٣٩)

— 430
The effect of this withdrawal was bad, and many of the Arabs
who came to join Abd el-Mu’in returned to Shobak. The Turks
were reinforced from Ras el-Hadid by a company of infantry
with two mountain guns, and eventually Abd el-Mu’in had to
retire south. Malud Effendi extricated his people from Shobak
with some difficulty and had a few wounded by shrapnel. The
thirteen gendarmes, whom he had previously captured and sworn
in, seeing how matters were going, again changed their politics
and returned to the Turks. The whole raiding party sub
sequently returned to W adi Musa.
The raid, though in some respects regrettable, may have a
good effect. It has demonstrated to the Sherifs that the ‘ tip and
run ’ operations, to which they had been accustomed in the
Hejaz, will not suffice in Syria. The people of Shobak, I firmly
believe, are entirely with the Sherif, but they have had sad
experience of the heavy hand of the Turk, and until they see a
reasonable chance of protection for their own people, can scarcely
be blamed for being somewhat cautious about arousing the anger
of their oppressors. The raid also demonstrated more than ever
the necessity of a trained Arab Legion to occupy and defend points
captured by the Bedouins. The Arabs in Syria are used to
regular troops, and Bedouin allies alone are not sufficient to
overcome the fear of Turkish reprisals.
I saw a good many of the Wadi Musa Sheikhs in company
with Jaafar Pasha. Khalil el-Halili appears to be the most
influential and has done much to help Malud Effendi. They
appear to be thoroughly in sympathy with the Arab Movement,
were free in giving information and expressed themselves in
perfect readiness to accompany and take part in any raiding or
demolition parties in the district. Their greed for money and
food equals in every respect that of the Hejaz Arabs, but I
consider a great deal more work can be got out of them. They
regularly picket the hills round Wadi Musa and without their
assistance Malud Effendi’s position would be a difficult one.
The visit of Jaafar Pasha did an enormous amount of good,
and by freely expressing himself merely the servant of Sherif
Feisal, he did much to make the local population realise that the
regular troops were part of the Arab movement and directly
under Sherif Feisal’s orders.
The climatic conditions of Wadi Musa and Delagha are
probably not quite realised. The cold is intense (October 1 to 7 )
both in the wadis and on the hills. Sheikh Khalil el-Halili
informs me that by the middle of November not a Bedouin
remains in the district (except those living in a few houses) :
they all proceed east with their flocks and camels to a warmer
climate. This is a somewhat serious outlook and means that, by
the end of November, the whole protection of Wadi Musa will
devolve on the Arab Legion.
o