" Arabia Infelix" To judge by the size of the
type in which news has been set out of the war between King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud and the Imam Yahya of the. Yemen, that south- west corner of the peninsula which is commonly known as " Arabia Felix," the reader might think, first, that a major war is in progress, and, secondly, that the great Wahhabi King possesses a military machine which can overcome any Arab opposition. Certainly in the initial stages of this struggle, which began as a dispute over the territories of Nejran and Asir, provinces that at various times have shown an inclination to be inde- pendent alike of their northern and southern neighbours, the Wahhabis have had resounding success. In the low-lying land by the Red Sea shore they have swept rapidly on, so that they now occupy Hudaida, the chief port of the Yemen. It was the news of their swift advance that so dismayed the Yemeni authorities as to cause them to flee, to leave the town at the mercy of looters, and, therefore, to necessitate the dispatch of British ships and aeroplanes to safeguard British lives and property in the place. With the actual arrival of the Wahhabies, however, discipline was restored, and little harm has been done. King Ibn Saud is a proved friend of Great Britain. His whole amazing record of conquest in Arabia shows that British subjects under his aegis are as safe as anywhere else in the peninsula.
Previous page
