AN EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR. 
409 
nately, “ Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!” and “ Docteur! Doc - 
teur /” and strove several times to faint upon the pile of 
baggage, but was unable to do so on account of the interest 
she felt in the progress of the contest. 
Eventually the whole affair was brought to a conclusion 
in a very singular manner. Tokina, the ass, having receiv¬ 
ed a kick from one of the horses, doubtless, for casting ridi¬ 
cule upon the battle by incessantly braying, ran to the mules 
for satisfaction : they being tied fast to a shed, were rather 
more contracted in their sphere of action. The sudden and 
violent attack which he made upon this party, caused them 
to show their resentment with one accord ; and so unanimous 
was the'strain upon the shed, that it fell to the ground with 
a tremendous crash, filling the air with dust and fragments, 
and totally confounding every animal and every spectator on 
the entire premises. The strife was at an end. The horses 
were led away panting ; the mules were unfastened from the 
wreck of matter; and Tokina, the peace-maker, ran off as 
fast as he could toward Acre, braying hysterically at the ab¬ 
surd issue to which he had brought the whole affair, and the 
contempt which he had thereby cast upon every body con¬ 
cerned in it except himself. I could not but feel vexed and 
mortified at this insulting conduct on the part of Tokina ; and 
I really thought when I caught the last glimpse of his ears 
in the distance that he was as great an ass as anybody. 
It is hardly necessary to add that upon a general review of 
the circumstances, it was ascertained that the whole difficulty 
orginated in a matter of jealousy between Syed Sulemin and 
my horse Saladin. 
S 
