THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 135 



ers, have been seen thus to pull them from their 

 horses, and dash away with them as a cat carries off a 

 mouse. 



The famous Mamelukes of Egypt, the last of whom 

 were treacherously entrapped and murdered by the 

 present viceroy, Mehemet Ali, were all of them na- 

 tives of the Caucasus, who had been sold as slaves in 

 their youth. Having been trained to arms, and eman- 

 cipated, they continued to serve their patron, the Bey, 

 as children of his house ; and such was the singular 

 constitution of this militia, that no man was admissible 

 into it except as a purchased slave. Living in luxury, 

 upon the wealth wrung from an oppressed people, they 

 were as insolent, turbulent, prodigal, and rapacious as 

 any soldiery that ever existed ; but, at least, they 

 were brave, and excellently skilled in the use of their 

 weapons, which constituted the sole business of their 

 lives. Their martial exercises are thus described by 

 Volney : " Every day, early in the morning, the 

 greater part of them resort to a plain, outside of 

 Cairo, and there, riding full speed, exercise them- 

 selves in drawing out their carbine expeditiously from 

 the bandalier, discharging it with good aim, and then 

 throwing it under their thigh, to seize a pistol, which 

 they fire and throw over their shoulder, immediately 

 firing a second and throwing it in the same manner, 

 trusting to the string by which they are fastened, 

 without losing time to return them to their place. 



