The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-04-06

ut is wen, or the shadows grow long
and the sun is Fastening to his bed. Bring
the little Fatima," he said, addressing a
slave. "She waiteth for her master"
Accordingly a minute later my little
mare fully caparisoned, was led ambling
into the parade ground. Addressing her,
the slave made pretty speech to the effect
that she was going forth TO great honor
with the fair faced stranger; that she was
TO obey his will. and that she would have
her reward in a care that would preserve
her from all i'll treatment, and that she
would have dates to eat and sweet water
TO drink when the perils of the desert were
past.
The intelligent brute whinnied, as IL to
say she perfectly understood him. Then
the bride rein was formally delivered to
me, and she took step toward me, as IL
acquiescing in the change of proprietorship.
| stroked her gently as token of good viii,
rubbing her face and speaking encouraging
words in her ear after the Arab fashion.
Having thus made an agreement, / fastened
my green bag carefully TO the saddle, EN-.
braced Said Achmet and mounted.
"Have my words exaggerated her excel
lenceY" asked Abou Kuram eagerly, coming
close to me.
May" | replied. "My lord has not
spoken half the truth"
"And thou wilt see she is as good as she
is beautiful" he said, a prophecy that was
fulfilled TO the uttermost. as this history
will show.
Many who have neSer set eyes on him
have been eloquent q the praise of the
Arab horse Poet and painter and roman
Ger have WED in delineating his matchless
excellences, physical and mental But il is
not until you have eaten and slept and
fought with him in the desert, on the bat
tlefield, beside the black tent in the green
pastures, until you have been his intimate
friend and comrade and learned TO appreci-
ate his coolress and courage his power OF
endurance and gentleness and intelligence
and loyalty that you can know his many
high qualities Yet perhaps only a poet
could describe my Fatima, for IN her
were surely combined the perfection Of
equine virtue and beauty.
Never anything more lovely, more dainty
and proud moved on four legs
She was neither big nor heavy, but her
muscles were Of whalebone and her bones
OF the finest tempered steel. Her limbs
indeed were like wrought metal in the
Grmness, cleanness and grace of them, aud
the trunk i'm eXquisitoness of curve and
y VI ItAAN Ntio HANh -, ~ riuiHAtA
may have dreamed OF, but has never
matched in bronze or marble. The sum
total of that animate loveliness-the silken
bay coat, tine softly sloping shoulders, the
buoyaucy OF the curved back, the fiery
pride OF the arched neck, the full round
launches, the rich sweepof name and tail,
the sharp, daintily poised ears, the broad
forehead and tho fine muzzle, and, above
all, the spirit of the alert full orbed eyes
beyond the power of any artist save ma
ture herself. nor does nature take such
pains anywhere out of Arabia.
When Fatima found me in the saddle, she
began to glide through the giddy maze
with an ease and nuency of motion that TO
me was like forctaste of heaven. lplumed
myself on my horseuanship, for one Of the
few things l learned thoroughly "a n boy
was TO stick on the back OF anything that
could take a bit between its teeth, and no
doubt had now the conceit 60 hold up my
head as a fit rider for the noblest OF steeds.
But indeed an old wife could have sat that
supple, mincing creature with security,
though the upward glance Of her eye, with
its intimation Of suppressed fire, told that
under different conditions she could behave
w totally different manuel Twas afteT-