250 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



is considered ample in the twenty-four hours. Im- 

 mediately you dismount, the girths of the saddle are 

 a little loosened and a blanket thrown over. In 

 about an hour, when he has somewhat cooled, the 

 saddle is taken off his back, and a blanket and all 

 the thick felts you have are clapped on, and there 

 the poor beast stands (however hot the sun may be) 

 until about an hour before you load again, when the 

 one groom takes the clothing off his three horses, and 

 with the bare palm of his hand goes through a pro- 

 cess which he is pleased to call cleaning the three 

 horses. He never dreams of washing or cleaning the 

 hoofs, and his chief aim seems to be to clean the tail 

 carefully; this he drenches with abundance of cold 

 water, and if the flies are not very troublesome, he 

 ties a knot about half-way; the saddle is then clapped 

 on his back, with heaven only knows how many pads 

 under it to prevent its galling. "When all is ready, 

 you are requested to mount, which is an affair of 

 much ceremony, at which all hands attend. One man 

 takes hold of the off stirrup a precaution necessary 

 to prevent the saddle coming round with your 

 weight a second gives you the near stirrup, a third 

 puts his right hand under your left arm, and all 

 the lookers-on, as you rise, exclaim in chorus, " O 

 God ! may it be propitious ! " and when the whole 

 party is mounted, a hearty ejaculation of "In 

 the name of God ! " is given, and off you start. 

 The result of this neglect of the cattle is, that of 



