202 THE WILDERNESS AND JUNGLE 



spirit ; and they even went as far as to say 

 that his cowardice would make him not only 

 useless, but a source of danger, if he were 

 again allowed to accompany the Agagir. 



"Now * Bashom, ' in common with most 

 high-caste Arabians, possessed what Arabs 

 call the * human eye, ' the type of eye, that is, 

 with white surrounding the dark pupil. Those 

 who know and love horses and dogs are familiar 

 with this type of eye. It is the eye that smiles, 

 that listens, that mourns. At this appalling 

 insult from the Agagir, ' Bashom's ' eye was 

 as if fired with understanding. He, the com- 

 rade of Arabs from his foalhood, knew the 

 sting of their taunt, and for a moment there 

 was reason in his glance. Read the sequel. 



"That same afternoon the hunters once 

 more took up the tracks of the giraffes, and 

 the camp was moved. On the advice of Ahmet, 

 I now rode my second horse, and ' Bashom ' 

 brought up the rear with the camels and 

 Agagir, some two hundred yards behind. The 

 party had just crossed a valley, when suddenly 

 a giraffe was seen stalking across the front, 

 not two hundred yards ahead. It took the 

 beast an appreciable time to turn, and the two 

 horsemen were riding it before it was in its 

 stride. But, in less time than it takes to tell, 

 there was a third in the race, coming up from 

 behind. In a few strides, * Bashom ' was 

 alongside his master. In vain the Hamran 

 Arab who rode him tried to steady him. In 

 negotiating a watercourse, the man was de- 

 posited on the ground, and * Bashom,' taking 



