MY QUEST OF THE ARAB HORSE 



even a move. In the meantime another diffi- 

 culty had arisen. While these stallions were 

 gentle and kind, still they would fight if they 

 could put their noses together, so I asked some 

 of the Arab grooms we had brought with us 

 to hold each one by the head. Then, an un- 

 derling of the spy, whom we suspected, object- 

 ed. He told our interpreter that no man 

 would be allowed to go with us to the boat for 

 fear they might leave the country. We tried 

 to explain. We told him that if the stallions 

 were left free to nip at each other's noses, the 

 soft wooden boxes would be smashed to splint- 

 ers. But there is no reasoning with spies. 

 We had to appeal to Mr. Jackson and he final- 

 ly gave his word that each man who went to 

 the boat would be returned, and finally it was 

 settled that way. 



Among these grooms was Said Abdullah, 

 whose name translated means "The Happy 

 Servant of God." This cheerful person (for 

 he was nearly always on a broad grin) had 

 been the slave of Akmet Haff ez, and when the 

 latter had given the Seglawieh mare to me, he 

 announced casually that Said went with her. 

 Of course, that was something of a poser. I 

 tried to explain to Haffez that in America 



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