Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates Vol 2 - The Search For Mecca

68 Bcdotiin Tribes of the Euphrates, [ih. xix.
nor to open now, nor till we are fairly started homewards
with our faces towards the west. Good news
is not necessary to make ns happy here, and bad
would only make the rest of our journey a torment,
I think it is wiser so.
The new mares are the chestnut Saadeh Toojan
we bought at Deyr, a really splendid creature, who,
except for a wrung wither, does not seem to have
felt the severe journey she has just made in the
least, and a white Hamdaniyeh Simri purchased
for us by Mr. S. at Aleppo. This last mare was
bred in the Nejd, and was given by Ibn Saoud
five years ago to the Turkish governor of ]\Iecca.
He brought her to Aleppo, and gave her in turn
to the chief Ulema there, who has since used
her only as a brood mare, and to carry him
once a day to and from the Mosque in a saddle
of blue and gold. With the exception of this
very moderate exercise, she had done no work
for three years till eight days ago, and as she is
also in foal it is not sur^^rising if she is a little
stiff. I am very pleased with her, however. She
stands fourteen hands two inches, and has the
most extraordinarily beautiful head ever seen, with
the sweetest of tempers. I am delighted to have
got such an exchange for Tamarisk, whose rough
paces have been wearing me out.
At midday our camels, servants, and Mohammed
arrived, Hiinna running on before to kiss hLs
patron's hand, and I need hardly say to water it