68 Bcdotiin Tribes of the Euphrates, [ih. xix. 



nor to open now, nor till we are fairly started home- 

 wards with our faces towards the west. Good news 

 is not necessary to make ns happy here, and bad 

 would only make the rest of our journey a torment, 

 I think it is wiser so. 



The new mares are the chestnut Saadeh Toojan 

 we bought at Deyr, a really splendid creature, who, 

 except for a wrung wither, does not seem to have 

 felt the severe journey she has just made in the 

 least, and a white Hamdaniyeh Simri purchased 

 for us by Mr. S. at Aleppo. This last mare was 

 bred in the Nejd, and was given by Ibn Saoud 

 five years ago to the Turkish governor of ]\Iecca. 

 He brought her to Aleppo, and gave her in turn 

 to the chief Ulema there, who has since used 

 her only as a brood mare, and to carry him 

 once a day to and from the Mosque in a saddle 

 of blue and gold. With the exception of this 

 very moderate exercise, she had done no work 

 for three years till eight days ago, and as she is 

 also in foal it is not sur^^rising if she is a little 

 stiff. I am very pleased with her, however. She 

 stands fourteen hands two inches, and has the 

 most extraordinarily beautiful head ever seen, with 

 the sweetest of tempers. I am delighted to have 

 got such an exchange for Tamarisk, whose rough 

 paces have been wearing me out. 



At midday our camels, servants, and Mohammed 

 arrived, Hiinna running on before to kiss hLs 

 patron's hand, and I need hardly say to water it 



