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His regular army had almost disappeared, and much of his credit among
the Arabs had departed. The _ketna_, which was his ancestral abode, had
been laid waste. He could not protect the families of his most faithful
adherents from constant exposure, in spite of his vigilant activity, to
the outrages of the detested infidels. In this position, he resolved to
remove from the scene of warfare those whom it was impossible for him to
desert with any regard to feelings of religion and humanity. He formed
his famous _smala_, a new and remarkable organization consisting of a
gathering of private families. To this moving asylum of refuge and
safety the Arab tribes sent their treasure, their herds, their women and
children, their sick and aged persons.
The smala was a great travelling capital, containing at first more than
twenty thousand souls, following the Sultan's movements; sometimes in
advance to the more cultivated regions, or in retreat to the Sahara,
according to the fluctuations of the contest which he was so bravely
waging.


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