12 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER 



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 in which her feet were washed, in 

 token of his being indebted to her for his preserva- 

 tion. The abduction of this celebrated mare gave 

 rise to a feud between the tribes, in which several 

 hundred Arabs lost their lives ; and she participated 

 in most of Bou Maza's daring exploits which made 

 his name so terrible to those tribes who had sub- 

 mitted to the French.'^ 



This story shows that the lawful owner of the 

 mare would rather the thief should get away with 

 her in safety than that she should be injured by 

 overwork. This is not an uncommon kind of occur- 

 rence. 



' The Forest and the Field, by the ' Old Shekarry.' 



