THE PONT. 



ing or picketed to a tent-pin, and at night it is called into the 

 tent, and lies down witli its master, neither feared nor fearing." 

 The most celebrated of Arab horses are called Kohlane, 

 and are said to descend from the mare habitually ridden by 

 the Prophet. At the time these horses are broken to the 

 saddle their pedigree is carefully written on parchment, 

 encased in a little bag, and hung round the creature's neck. 

 The following, extracted from the Oowrt Journal, is a verbatim 

 copy of such a pedigree : — " This horse, the sire of Eabbamy, 

 equal in power to his son, is of the tribe of Zazzalah, and 

 descends from the uncle of Lahadah the sire of Alkeb, is of a 

 fine figure and fleet as an ostrich. Herewith is his tooth 

 when a colt in a bag with his pedigree, which a Cafee might 

 believe. Among the honours of relationship he reckons 

 Zaluah, the sire of Nahab, who was the sire of KaUak and 

 the unique Alkeb, sire of Manassah, sire of Alsheh, from 

 generation to generation, down from the noble horse Lahalala. 

 And upon him be green herbage in abundance and the waters 

 of life, with an edifice enclosed with walls, a reward from the 

 tribe of Zoab for the fire of his race ; and let a thousand 

 cypresses shade his body from the hyaena of the tombs, from 

 the wolf and the serpent of the plain ; within the enclosure a 

 festival shall be kept, and at sunrise thousands shall come and 

 observers arrive in troops, whilst the tribe exhibits under a 

 canopy of celestial signs the saddle and the name and the 

 place of the tribe of Beb Altabek in Mesopotamia, and 

 Kulasla of Lutarev, of the inspired tribe of Zoab. Then 

 shall they strike with a loud noise, and ask of Heaven in 

 solemn prayer immunity for the tribe from evil and the demon 

 of languor, from pestilence, from wandering from God, from 

 scabby camels, from scarcity, from perplexed congregations, 

 from the spleen, from the fiery dragon, from commixation, 

 from beating on the feet, from treading out with the feet, 

 from Heinban, or the unknown son of an unknown father, 

 from lameness at birth, from imposthumes, from seclusions 

 and from fascination, from depression and elevation, from 

 cracks in the feet, from numerous assemblies, from impor- 

 tunate soothsayers, from the offspring of prophets and noc- 

 turnal travellers, from diviners of good opportunity for a 

 purpose, from relations and degrees of affinity, and from rash 

 and inordinate riders, deliver this tribe, O Lord, and secure 

 those who are slow to follow and slow to advance, who guard 

 the truth and observe it." 



