TH« PONT. 



panied by some of the tribe, he pursued the robber for four 

 hours. The brother's mare was of the same stock as Jabal's, 

 but was not equal to her ; nevertheless, she outstripped those 

 of all the other pursuers, and was even on the point of over- 

 taking the robber, when Jabal shouted to him, " Pinch her 

 right ear, and give her a touch of the heel ! " Gafer did so, 

 and away went the mare like lightning, speedily rendering 

 further pursuit hopeless. The pinch in the ear and the touch 

 with the heel were the secret signs by which Jabal had been 

 used to urge the mare to her topmost speed. Every Bedouin 

 trains the animal he rides to obey some such sign, to which he 

 has recourse only on urgent occasions, and which he makes 

 a close secret, not to be divulged even to his son. Jabal's 

 comrades were amazed and indignant at his strange conduct. 

 " Oh ! thou father of a jackass," they cried, " thou hast helped 

 the thief to rob thee of thy jewel." But he silenced their 

 upbraiding by saying, " I would rather lose her than sully her 

 reputation. Would you have me suffer it to be said among 

 the tribes that another mare had proved fleeter than mine ? 

 I have at least this comfort left me, that I can say that she 

 never met with her match." 



The following hints as to what should be the proper con- 

 formaiion of horses, little and big, may be useful to the reader 

 in the event of his meditating a purchase. 



The head should be small, or at all events rather small than 

 large in proportion to the animal's size, and well " set on ;" 

 that is, the lower jawbones should be suficiently wide apart 

 to enable the head to form that angle with the neck which 

 gives free motion and graceful carriage to it, and prevents its 

 bearing too heavily on the hand. The eye should be large and 

 rather prominent, and the eyelids fine and thin. The ear 

 should be small and erect, and quick in motion. The lop-ear 

 indicates dulness or stubbornness ; and when it is habitually 

 laid too far back upon the neck, there is too frequently a dis- 

 position to mischief. The nostrils should be capacious. The 

 neck long rather than short. It then enables the animal to 

 graze with more ease, aiid to throw his weight more forward 

 whether he is in harness or galloping at the top of his speed. 

 It should be muscular at its base, and gradually become fine as 

 it approaches the head. The withers should be high. The 

 shoulder should take a slanting direction, as affording an easy 

 and pleasant action and a greater degree of safety. The chest 

 must be capacious, for it contains the heart and the lungs. 



