ctual through his elaborate
spy system, enabled him to keep the Bedouin hordes in check, though he
was by no means uniformly successful in his attacks upon them. The period
is characterised by the absence of pitched battles, and by the employment
of very small raiding parties, who go out simply to plunder and to
disperse the hostile forces.

His first expedition after the Koreitza massacre in June 627 was directed
against the Beni Lahyan, in revenge for their slaughter of the Faithful
at Radji. He took the north-west road to Syria as a feint, then swiftly
turning, marched along the sea-shore route to Mecca, and the Beni Lahyan
fled before him. Mahomet was anxious to give battle, but as he found his
foe was moving hastily towards the hostile city with intent to draw him
on to his doom, he gave up the chase and contented himself with breaking
up their encampments, plundering their wealth and women, and so returned
to Medina.

He had been there only a few nights when he learnt that Oyeina, chief of
the Fazara tribe, in concert with the Beni Ghatafan, had made a raid upon
his milch camels at Ghaba, killing their keeper and torturing his wife.
Mahomet pursued, but the raiders were too quick for him and got away with
the spoil. Mahomet did not follow them up, as nothing was to be gained
from such a fruitless quest.

In August of the same year another raid on his camels was attempted by
the famished tribes of Nejd, and Mahomet sent an expedition under Maslama
to chastise them, but the Muslim were overpowered by a superior force and
most of their company slain. The Prophet vowed vengeance upon the
perpetrators of this defeat when he should have the power to carry it
out. And now the Meccan caravan, venturing once more to take the seaward
road, so long barred to them, was plundered by Zeid at Al Is, thereby
confirming Mahomet's hostile intentions towards the Kureisch, and
ensuring their continued enmity. But reprisals on their part were
impossible after the failure before Medina, and they suffered the outrage
in silence.

Mahomet was not content to rest upon his newly won security, but now
determined to send out messengers and embassies to the rulers of
surrounding lands, exhorting them to embrace Islam. This policy was to
develop later into a regular system, but for the moment only one envoy
was sent upon a hazardous mission to the Roman emperor, whose recent
conquests in Persia had made him famous among the Arabs. The envo