g day determined the fate of Persia; and
a seasonable whirlwind drove a cloud of dust against the faces of the
unbelievers. The clangor of arms was reechoed to the tent of Rustam,
who, far unlike the ancient hero of his name, was gently reclining in a
cool and tranquil shade, amidst the baggage of his camp, and the train
of mules that were laden with gold and silver. On the sound of danger he
started from his couch; but his flight was overtaken by a valiant Arab,
who caught him by the foot, struck off his head, hoisted it on a lance,
and instantly returning to the field of battle, carried slaughter and
dismay among the thickest ranks of the Persians. The Saracens confess
a loss of seven thousand five hundred men; and the battle of Cadesia
is justly described by the epithets of obstinate and atrocious. The
standard of the monarchy was overthrown and captured in the field--a
leathern apron of a blacksmith, who in ancient times had arisen the
deliverer of Persia; but this badge of heroic poverty was disguised, and
almost concealed, by a profusion of precious gems. After this victory,
the wealthy province of Irak, or Assyria, submitted to the caliph,
and his conquests were firmly established by the speedy foundation of
Bassora, a place which ever commands the trade and navigation of
the Persians. As the distance of fourscore miles from the Gulf, the
Euphrates and Tigris unite in a broad and direct current, which is aptly
styled the river of the Arabs. In the midway, between the junction and
the mouth of these famous streams, the new settlement was planted on the
western bank: the first colony was composed of eight hundred Moslems;
but the influence of the situation soon reared a flourishing and
populous capital. The air, though excessively hot, is pure and healthy:
the meadows are filled with palm-trees and cattle; and one of the
adjacent valleys has been celebrated among the four paradises or gardens
of Asia. Under the first caliphs the jurisdiction of this Arabian
colony extended over the southern provinces of Persia: the city has been
sanctified by the tombs of the companions and martyrs; and the vessels
of Europe still frequent the port of Bassora, as a convenient station
and passage of the Indian trade.

Chapter LI: Conquests By The Arabs.--Part II.

After the defeat of Cadesia, a country intersected by rivers and canals
might have opposed an insuperable barrier to the victorious cavalry; and
the walls of Ctesip