MY QUEST OF THE ARAB HORSE 



all my life, they can walk right over our tent 

 ropes, but I won't have it." 



He kept up this attitude, getting more and 

 more confidence in himself, until we were ready 

 to start on our visit to Sheikh Ali. I had 

 wanted to take him along, especially when he 

 was mouthing over my hands with his sharp 

 baby teeth, but his big soft feet and legs looked 

 too young to stand such a march, and I gave 

 up the notion altogether. But the pup had 

 other ideas. We were a half mile or more on 

 our way when Ameene called to me to look in 

 the shadow of my horse, and there almost under 

 my stirrup was the pup, lumbering along. His 

 tail was rolled up more importantly than ever. 

 At last he had a mission. He had seen that 

 we were without a guard, so he had cast his lot 

 w4th ours. He recognized that we needed pro- 

 tection and he was giving it at the cost of leav- 

 ing home and a good mother, and a father who 

 was compelled to remain behind by the laws of 

 home, to be what he was. I could not keep 

 my eyes from him, he was so brave. He was 

 now out of sight of the environment that he 

 knew and was going to the big desert. At in- 

 tervals he sniffed at my stirrup as if traveling 

 was new to him. He was a pioneer without 



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