A ROUGH RIDE 323 



side that from the other side of the valley, half a mile 

 away, you can scarcely see that there is a village nestling 

 in the rocks. Well, my son on foot, and I on an ass, 

 followed by the usual ass -driver, were winding our way 

 among and around the rocks and bowlders, along tortuous 

 foot-paths so narrow that my knees were being constantly 

 excoriated though the ass kept the middle of the path, 

 when, to my disgust, Mr. Jack lifted his nose and his 

 voice in a " he-haw " of delight, and began to gambol for- 

 ward ; and, to my horror, I perceived ahead of us, on a 

 lower path, to which a sane goat would hardly have vent- 

 ured to seek its way, so rugged was the ground, the 

 Jenny who had moved my mount to such unusual excite- 

 ment. Before I could gather the reins — for I had been 

 letting the imperturbable and surefooted little Jack take 

 his own course — the villain was on a gallop towards his 

 Delilah. I tried to pull him up ; I sawed his mouth, I 

 jerked, I strove ; as well pull on a hitching-post. I re- 

 alized my situation at once. There was no danger of 

 Jack's going down — an ass will clamber up or jump down 

 unheard-of obstacles — but the question was whether I 

 should not get brushed off, or the ill-girthed saddle turn in 

 this novel race. On we went, and on started Jenn}^, as if 

 it were royal sport. My stupid ass-driver, with a pious 

 but unhelpful "Allah !" sat him down to watch the event. 

 His only stake was a little backsheesh which he would 

 forfeit if I was shot down the precipice to the Kedron, 

 three hundred feet below. My son unluckily was behind, 

 and could not get past us on the narrow pathway so as to 

 seize Jack by the head. With a clear road he could safely 

 have outstripped the ass, for the pace was not fast ; but I 

 never rode so determined a creature. I have repeatedly 

 been run away with by horses, but I never felt such an 

 absolutely cast-iron mouth. Finally, Jack reached Jenny, 



