Year: 1866

ceiving some of his clothes that hung behind
the door, hastily clad himself in them, and
then, plunging into heap of flour, whiten-
ed himself over from head to foot


Hardly had he done this, when Roushan
came to the door of the mill, breathess, and
half blind from the perspiration brought out
upon him by his desperate exertions. See
ing the miller, as he supposed, he asked him,
in voice of thunder, what had become Of
the man who had entered the mill.


80, great rider of the plains!" replied
Hanna, " a fellow rushed past me just now,
indeed, as if running for life, and he has
gone up chat ladder into the lofts of the
mill"


Blind with rage, Roushan never recogniz
ed the fugitive but, throwing the reins to
him. bounded into the mill, and began as
cending the ladder to the lofts above. Then
Hanna leaped upon Kyrat and, giving him
the rein, sped away like the wind in the
direction of the douar of his trite.


Looking from the lofts of the mill, where
he found nobody, Roushan beheld Hamza-
whose turban having fallen off exposed his
bald pate-galloping away over the plain
upon Kyrat and now his anger yielded to
grief, and, hiding his face in his hands, he
gave way to the most bitter lamentations
The world was nothing to him now, he said,
since Kyrat, his noble courser, was gone.-
He tore his beard and his clothes, after the
manner of the passionate Orientals; and,
having thus partially assuaged his grief, he
mounted the second-class horse Durrat, and
rode back slowly, and with a troubled mien,
to Shamel Biel.


For six months Roushan confined himself
prisoner in his harem, occupying his time
chiefly in composing poems laudatory of his
lost Kvrat. Without his horse he felt like a
Centaur paralyzed but gradually his old
energy returned to him, melting him to
action. Discussing himself is a musician,
he repaired to the douar Of the tribe with
which Kyrat was now stabbed, determined to
recover his noble courser by strategem if
not by force. When he had reached the en-
campment, he tghtened the strings of his
lutte, and, seating himself ON the ground
near the tent of the pasha, began singing
some of the effusions composed by him IN
honor of Kyrat, whom he represented as
steed of the most docile sposition-which
be was not by any means, no one as yet
having ever been able to mount him except
himself and Hanna.


Having listened to the euiogies for some
time Hassan-Pasha sent for the singer to
whom he said


q Liar, and son of dog, what mean you
thus belauding demon of a horse whom |
never could vet mount? Now | command
you to get upon his back, and, if you fail in
the attempt, shall split your head open
with my own hand ~


And, at his orders, Kyrat was led forth by
six men, who had great difficulty in restrain
ing him as he tossed the sand with his heels,
conteuptuously into the air But all at
once, as he felt the hand of Roushan upon
his name, he stood quiet as a lamb. and in
a second he was careering round and round
the tents. with that strong rider of the plain
upon his back Suddenly his rider pulled
him up in front of the Pasha, addressing
him with proud gesture, he said;


Roushan has his own again. robber of
the stables of better menl Yes, am the
chieftain Of the mountain fortress of Shamel-
Biel, the master of the noble steed Kyrat,
who is half my life, and from whose back
now defy you. Mount your horsethieves
now, on the best coursers of your douar, and
follow me if you dare.'


Maddened by these taunts, .Iassan- Pasha
flung his scimetar at Roushan, who, adroitly
catching it by the hilt as it few, dashed
madly past the enraged chief upon his cour-
ser, splitting his head open with his own
weapon as he Sped Then there was a mount
ing of the guards in hot haste, and wild
scurry in whirlwinds of sand over the plain
but speck upon the horizon was soons all
that remained to the pursuers of Kyrat who
with his master, has passed into songs that
are vet chanted by the Arab horsemen as
they make up their feet coursers for the
night