Abou Do Was Mounted On A Beautiful Abyssinian Horse, A Grey;
Suleiman Rode A Rough And Inferior-Looking Beast; While Little
Jali, Who Was The Pet Of The Party, Rode A Grey Mare, Not
Exceeding Fourteen Hands In Height, Which Matched Her Rider
Exactly In Fire, Spirit, And Speed.
Never was there a more
perfect picture of a wild Arab horseman than Jali on his mare.
Hardly was
He in the saddle, than away flew the mare over the
loose shingles that formed the dry bed of the river, scattering
the rounded pebbles in the air from her flinty hoofs, while her
rider in the vigour of delight threw himself almost under her
belly while at full speed, and picked up stones from the ground,
which he flung, and again caught as they descended. Never were
there more complete Centaurs than these Hamran Arabs; the horse
and man appeared to be one animal, and that of the most elastic
nature, that could twist and turn with the suppleness of a snake;
the fact of their being separate beings was proved by the rider
springing to the earth with his drawn sword while the horse was
in full gallop over rough and difficult ground, and clutching the
mane, he again vaulted into the saddle with the agility of a
monkey, without once checking the speed. The fact of being on
horseback had suddenly altered the character of these Arabs; from
a sedate and proud bearing, they had become the wildest examples
of the most savage disciples of Nimrod; excited by enthusiasm,
they shook their naked blades aloft till the steel trembled in
their grasp, and away they dashed over rocks, through thorny
bush, across ravines, up and down steep inclinations, engaging in
a mimic hunt, and going through the various acts supposed to
occur in the attack of a furious elephant.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 291 of 556
Words from 79324 to 79633
of 151461
