THE HISTORY OF MY HORSE SALADIN. 185 
SALADIN. 
the Bob-tail Militip, and representative in foreign parts of the 
glorious City of Magnificent Distances, am to make a public 
exhibition of myself throughout Syria mounted upon that 
miserable beast ?” 
Nay, as for that,” replied the fellow, rather crestfallen, 
“ far be it from me, the faithfullest of dragomans, to palm off 
a bad horse on a Howadji of rank. The very best in Beirut 
are at my command Only say the word, and you shall 
have black, white, or gray, heavy or light, tall or short; but 
this much I know, you’ll not find such an animal as that 
any where in Syria. Ho, Saladin ! (slapping him on the 
neck,) who’s this, old boy ? Yusef, eh ? Ha, ha ! see how 
he knows me ! Who killed the six Bedouins single-handed, 
when we were out last, eh, Saladin ? Ha, ha ! you know it 
was Yusef, you cunning rascal, only you don’t like to tell. A 
remarkable animal, you perceive; but, as I said before, per¬ 
haps your Excellency had better try another. 
