410 THE IRON NAIL. 



at a certain point he halted for a moment, gazed around him, spoke a 

 few words of encouragement to his gallant horse, and then turned his 

 head across a sandy waste, which speedily separated him from the 

 river. Silently he again pursued his course for two good hours, 

 until a few tall trees rose above the waste, at the sight of which the 

 horse neighed as it were in recognition, and, increasing his speed, 

 soon halted under their shade. It was the route by which the cara- 

 vans from Bagdad, and the countries of the west, enter Hindostan, 

 and here were wells of water to refresh the wayfarer, and the pleasant 

 shade of trees beneath which grew herbage for the camels and horses. 

 Here the horseman alighted ; and the black horse spoke out his joy 

 as he breathed the freshness of the water. His master gave him a 

 long deep draught, and, taking off his bridle, turned him amidst the 

 herbage ; then, taking out flint and steel, he lighted his pipe, and 

 wrapping the large folds of his mantle more closely around him, he 

 seated himself beneath the shade of the wall of the well, and began 

 to smoke as tranquilly as though seated on the carpet of his own divan. 



The stranger had been seated thus about an hour, when the black 

 horse bounded from beneath the shadow of the trees, and halting 

 near his master, stretched out his head and neck in the attitude of 

 intense listening, and then neighed long and loudly. The stranger 

 for a moment relinquished his pipe, and turned his ear attentively. 

 It was either the echo of the sound across the waste, or the neighing 

 of another horse he heard faintly in the distance. The noble animal, 

 with head erect, now gallopped into the desert, as though he recog- 

 nized the approach of a friend, and when at some distance, he drew 

 up and again signalled the stranger. This time there was no doubt, 

 the neigh of another horse was heard nearer and clearer, and the 

 black charger, as though satisfied, gallopped back to his master. It 

 was not long before another horseman arrived at full speed. On dis- 

 mounting he saluted the former with some shew of deference ; then 

 giving his horse drink, he turned him loose to join the other. The 

 animals seemed to recognize each other by mutual marks of welcome. 

 The last arrived was clad in the coarse vestments of a Bedouin Arab. 

 His countenance was dark and attenuated, and worn by toil ; but his 

 eye was large, dark, and fiery ; and there gleamed forth signs of a 

 restless discontented spirit and a mind ill at ease. The expression 

 of his face was a singular contrast to the aristocratic repose of his 

 companion. 



" Well, Zahab," said he who had arrived first, and evidently the 

 superior, " he is a noble horse." 



" A better I never crossed, even in my own native deserts," re- 

 turned the other ; then after a short pause, " You see, Effendi, I 

 have kept my word." 



" See that you keep it to the end. When I met you at Damascus 

 you complained of your lot in the world ; you sighed after pleasure 

 you could not enjoy ; you wanted to exchange the sand of Sahara for 

 the gold of Araby, and you cared not how. Do you hold in the 

 same mind ?" 



" Time was, when under the shade of my tent, my wishes were 

 bounded by the desert on which I was born. I arose with joy and 



