150 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 



saw the whole affair, but none of them thought of 

 descending in search of me. They believed, no doubt, 

 I must have broken my neck, and I heard them dash 

 after my horse to catch him. The blood curdled in 

 my breast. I crept through the deep grass along the 

 bottom of the channel, and looked out : the wood 

 ended there, and some of the Cossacks were just riding 

 out of it into the open country, and I saw my 

 Karagos running straight towards them. The whole 

 pack made at him with a yell ; he turned ; they fol- 

 lowed him a long, long while ; and one in particular 

 was twice near flinging the noose over his neck. I 

 shook from head to foot, shut my eyes, and began to 

 pray. Some moments afterwards I opened them 

 again, and behold, there goes my Karagos, with his 

 tail at full stretch, flying like the wind, and the Cos- 

 sacks creeping away one after the other, on their jaded 

 horses far off towards the Steppe. By Allah ! every 

 word I tell you is the truth, the strict truth ! I stayed 

 in the chasm till a late hour of the night. All at 

 once guess what, Asamat ! I heard a horse running 

 along the bank, snorting, whinnying, and pawing the 

 ground. I knew the voice of my Karagos, and it was 

 he, indeed, my trusty comrade ! Since that day we 

 are inseparable." 



And I could hear him patting his horse's polished 

 neck, and calling him by all the endearing names he 

 could think of. 



