164 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTK 



whom is it,' exclaimed he, 'that I am going to yield thee 

 up? To Europeans! who will tie thee dose, who will beat 

 thee, who will render thee miserable! Return with me, my 

 beauty, my jewel! and rejoice the hearts of my children.' 

 As he pronounced the last words, he sprang upon her back, 

 and was out of sight almost in a moment." This story 

 forms the subject of the well known ballad by the Hon. 

 Mrs. Norton, entitled "The Arab's farewell to his steed." 



Clarke thus describes the way in which the Arab will address 

 a horse: — "Ibrahim went frequently to Rama to inquire 

 news of the mare whom he dearly loved ; he would embrace 

 her, wipe her eyes with his handkerchief, would rub her 

 with his shirt sleeves, would give her a thousand benedictions 

 during whole hours that he would remain talking to her. 

 'My eyes! my soul! my heart!' he would say, 'must I be 

 so unfortunate as to have thee sold to so many masters, and 

 not keep thee myself? I am poor, my antelope! I brought 

 thee up in my dwelling as a child; I did never beat nor 



chide thee " Arabs have been known to refuse enormous 



sums for horses, though actually themselves in a condition of 

 extreme want. That the horse can reciprocate the kindness 

 shown to him is proved by many a story of his fidelity. Chateau- 

 briand says, "When I was at Jerusalem the feats of one of 

 these steeds made a great noise. The Bedouin to whom 

 the animal, a mare, belonged, being pursued by the govern- 

 or's guards, rushed with her from the top of the hills that 

 overlooked Jericho. The mare scoured at full gallop down 

 an almost perpendicular declivity without stumbling, and left 

 the soldiers lost in admiration and astonishment. The poor 

 creature, however, dropped down dead on entering Jericho, 

 and the Bedouin, who would not quit her, was taken, 

 weeping over the body of his faithfiil companion." 



More romantic is the story told by M. de Lamartine, thus 

 quoted by Mrs. Bowdich. " An Arab chief and the tribe to 

 which he belonged attacked a caravan in the night, and were 



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