30 THE HORSE 



the horse might be underestimated in France, in 

 Tunis, where king and commoner alike were horse- 

 men, he was adjudged of great value. He resolved 

 to find the horse and, if possible, to acquire him 

 by a term of service. Adrift, as he was, in a 

 strange city and knowing but little of its lan- 

 guage, the search was no easy matter, and when 

 he finally discovered the horse — which was late 

 one evening, in one of the poorest parts of the 

 city — he found him miserably stabled, covered 

 with harness-galls and sores, and so emaciated as 

 to be hardly recognizable. He threw his arms 

 around the horse's neck and, with many caresses 

 and words of endearment, proceeded to make him 

 as comfortable as the shed and its meager equip- 

 ment permitted. 



While he was thus engaged the carter appeared. 

 Scornfully (and, perhaps, naturally) rejecting 

 Agba's offer to purchase the horse by a term of 

 service, he ordered the Moor out of the stable. 

 The latter had no alternative but to obey, but he 

 by no means gave up his purpose. In some way 

 and some time so precious an animal must be res- 

 cued from his wretched situation; meanwhile, he 

 must be cared for and his strength kept up. By 

 doing sundry odd j obs about the city, Agba man- 

 aged to pick up a little money and with this, often 

 stinting himself of needed food, he bought grain 



