MY QUEST OF THE ARAB HORSE 



relations with him. The morning after the 

 mare became mine we were to start on the visit 

 to Sheikh Ali and just before we mounted I 

 went through the ceremony which made me his 

 brother. 



Neither of us had brothers and so we agreed 

 to follow out our old custom of the Bedouins 

 and take the fraternal pledge. I first treated 

 the matter a little too frivolously, but the 

 Bedouins were very solemn. 



Standing at one side of the tent, in the pres- 

 ence of many witnesses, we held up our right 

 hands and, with our left clasped together, re- 

 peated the pledge. Akmet Half ez began with 

 the words, "Wallah! Wallahi!" ("O God! My 

 God!") which I repeated after him. "Wallah! 

 Wallahi!" and then together we said them over 

 and over again. 



"Billah! Billahi! Tillah! Tillahi!" chanted 

 the old Bedouin. "Akhwan, akhwan, el yom wa 

 bookra wa Tal abad, akhwan." ( "By God and 

 through God, brothers, to-day and to-morrow 

 and forever brothers!") 



I felt nothing of frivolity now and as I 

 grasped his hand and took the oath my eyes 

 were moist. After it was over he asked how 

 I felt now that I was the brother of a brown 



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