260 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



son was one of the slain, and all the men 

 of the tribe set out in pursuit, and after a chase 

 of three days almost surprised him, near one 

 of those immense salt-marshes which are so nu- 

 merous in Algeria, in a place where there was no 

 means of escape but across this dangerous ground; 

 and Bou Maza was about to attempt it, when the 

 Sheik Ben Ali, seeing the ignominious fate which 

 awaited his beloved mare, forgot his revenge for 

 the loss of his son, and begged him to forbear, giv- 

 ing his sacred pledge that his tribe should not 

 molest him, or continue the pursuit for three 

 days should he do so, preferring to run the 

 chance of regaining her another time to seeing 

 her perish before his eyes. Bou Maza accepted 

 the pledge and got away. Another time he 

 was hard-run by the same tribe, and the Sheikh, 

 who headed the pursuing party, being mounted 

 upon the own brother of the mare, finding he was 

 not gaining ground, desisted from the chase, and 

 cried out for him to stop and not fatigue the mare 

 to save his wretched life ; and, bidding him drink 

 the water with which her feet was washed, in token 



