K A WEAR'S RUN. 123 



12. " Thus saying, Abou-el-Masch gnawed with his 

 teeth the cord of goats' hair with which the Arabs fetter 

 their horses. The animal was free I But, seeing his 

 wounded master in bonds at his feet, the intelligent and 

 faithful courser, with that natural instinct which no lan- 

 guage could have explained to him, bowed down his head 

 and snielled of his master ; then, seizing him by the leather 

 belt around his waist, set off on the full gallop, and carried 

 him even to his tents. Having reached them, and thrown 

 his master on the sand at the feet of his wife and chil- 

 dren, the noble horse expired with fatigue. All the tribe 

 wept over him ; the poets sang his praises ; and his name 

 is honored from tongue to tongue by the Arabs of Jericho." 



CHAPTER XX. 



KAWEAH'S RUN. 



1. AFTER trying hard to climb Mount Whitney, with- 

 out success, and having returned to the plains, I enjoyed 

 my two days' rest in hot Visalia, where were fruits and 

 people. Everybody was of interest to me, not excepting 

 the two Mexican mountaineers, who monopolized the 

 agent at Wells, Fargo & Co.'s office, causing me delay. 

 They were transacting some little item of business, and 

 stood loafing by the counter, mechanically jingling huge 

 spurs and shrugging their shoulders as they chatted in a 

 dull, sleepy way. At the door they paused, keeping up 

 quite a lively dispute, without apparently noticing me as 

 I drew a small bag of gold and put it in my pocket. 

 There was no especial reason why 1 should remark the 



