192 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 



" The whole of this seemed merely a preliminary^ 

 designed to stir up the dormant spirit of the masters. 

 For a long time they sat quietly puffing their pipes* 

 and probably longing for the stimulus of a battle-cry 

 to rouse them from their torpor. At length one of 

 them, the master of the Nubian, slowly rose from 

 the mat, and challenged an antagonist. Slowly he 

 laid down his pipe, and took and raised the pole in 

 his hand ; but still he was not more than half roused. 

 A fresh horse was brought him, and, without taking 

 off his heavy cloth mantle, he drowsily placed his left 

 foot in the broad shovel stirrup, his right on the 

 rump of the horse, behind the saddle, and swung 

 himself into the seat. The first touch of the saddle 

 seemed to rouse him ; he took the pole from the hand 

 of his attendant, gave his horse a severe check, and ? 

 driving the heavy corners of the stirrups into his 

 sides, dashed through the sand on a full run. At the 

 other end of the course he stopped, rested a moment 

 or two, then again driving his irons into his horse, 

 dashed back at full speed ; and when it seemed as if 

 his next step would carry him headlong among the 

 Turks on the mat, with one jerk he threw his horse 

 back on his haunches, and brought him up from a full 

 run to a dead stop. This seemed to warm him a 

 little ; his attendant came up and took of his cloak, 



