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When Khalid received news of the engagement between Raafe and the
Romans and the loss of Dhiraar, Khalid set off with his Mobile Guard
of 4,000 horses to Bait Lihya.
As Khalid approached the battlefield he suddenly saw a Muslim rider
flash past him from behind and gallop off towards the Roman front.
Before Khalid could stop him, he was gone. A slim, lightly-built
person, dressed in black, this rider wore a breastplate and was
armed with a sword and a long lance. He sported a green turban and
had a scarf wrapped around his face, acting as a mask, with only
his eyes visible. Khalid arrived on the battlefield in time to see
this rider throw himself at the Romans with such fury that everyone
present thought that he and his horse must both be mad. Raafe saw
this rider before he saw Khalid and remarked, "He attacks like
Khalid, but he is clearly not Khalid." Then Khalid joined Raafe.
Khalid took a little time to organize Raafe's group and his own
Mobile Guard into one and deploy it as a combined force for battle.
Meanwhile the masked rider treated the Muslims to a thrilling display
of horsemanship and attacks with the lance. He would go charging
on his own, strike the Roman front atone point and kill a man; then
go galloping away to another part of the front, again strike someone
in the Roman front line and so on. A few Romans came forward to
tackle him but all went down before his terrible lance. Marvelling
at this wondrous sight, the Muslims could still see nothing more
of the warrior than a youthful figure and a pair of bright eyes
shining above the mask. The rider appeared bent on suicide as with
his clothes and lance covered with blood, he struck again and again
at the Romans. The example of this warrior put fresh courage into
the men of Raafe, who forgot their fatigue and went into battle
with renewed high spirits as Khalid gave the order to attack.
The masked rider, now joined by many others, continued his personal
war against the Romans as the entire Muslim force attacked the Roman
front. Soon after the general attack had begun, Khalid got near
this rider and called, "O warrior, show us your face."
A pair of dark eyes flashed at Khalid before the rider turned away
and galloped off into another assault at the Romans. Next, a few
of Khalid's men caught up with him and said, "O noble warrior,
your commander calls you and you turn away from him! Show us your
face and tell us your name so that you may be properly honoured."
Again the rider turned away as if deliberately trying to keep his
identity a secret.
As the masked rider returned from his charge, he passed by Khalid,
who called to him sternly to stop. The rider pulled up his horse,
and Khalid continued, "You have done enough to fill our hearts
with admiration. Who are you?"
Khalid nearly fell off his horse when he heard the reply of the
masked rider, for it was the voice of a girl! "O commander,
I only turn away from you out of modesty. You are the glorious commander,
and I am of those who stay behind the veil. I fight like this because
my heart is on fire."
"Who are you?"
"I am Khaulah, sister of Dhiraar. My brother has been
captured, and I must fight to set him free."
Khalid marvelled at the old man, Al Azwar, who had fathered two
such dauntless fighters, a boy and a girl. "Then come and attack
with us", he said.
The Muslim attack continued in force and at about midday the Romans
began to withdraw from the battlefield in good order. The Muslims
followed, keeping up a steady pressure, but there was no sign of
Dhiraar, dead or alive. Then, as good luck would have it, some local
Arabs came to the Muslims with the information that they had seen
100 Romans riding to Emessa with a half-naked man in their midst,
tied to his horse. Khalid at once guessed that Dhiraar had been
sent away from the battlefield and ordered Raafe to take 100 picked
riders, move wide around the flank of the Romans, get to the Emessa
road and intercept the escort taking Dhiraar to Emessa. Raafe at
once selected 100 stalwarts and set off, accompanied, of course,
by Khaulah bint Al Azwar.
Raafe got to the Emessa road at a point which the escort had not
yet reached and waited in ambush. When the 100 Romans arrived at
this point, Raafe and his men assailed them, killed most of the
soldiers and set Dhiraar free. The Naked Champion and his loving
sister were happily reunited. The party again made a wide detour
to avoid the Roman army, and rejoined Khalid who was very, very
grateful to Raafe for rescuing Dhiraar.
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