24 AFRICAN WANDERINGS.

on four male sphinxes, one of which a young vagabond, who had run after us, mounting, claimed as his horse.

I had persuaded my brother to purchase from Sheik Soliman a

small, smooth-going dromedary, as the tall, hard-trotting ones the Pascha had presented to us at Chartura were likely to have thrown him into a fit of apoplexy, his slender form not being able to

withstand rough usage and constant joltings like my much stronger

one. His ride from Schendy having so much injured him, led me

to mount outside the camp this new purchase of his, a lively

little animal, a bischari, and I may say as boldly as when I, a boy, was thrown on the so-called wild horse of the stud at Embscher- Bruch, in Westphalia, much to my kind old father's delight and

rejoicing, who, as he ran alongside, holding the caveson, and

delighting in his son's bravery and daring, little suspected this would afterwards cost him so much money. Riding here^ how-

ever, was a different thing—no mane or saddle-bow for the boy to

hold on by, nor any saddle or stirrup for the trained horseman my brother laughed, but I held myself together, and all went on

well. The saddle was certainly desperately slippery, although I

did get some hold on it, when, after the custom of the riders here,

I crossed my legs over its bow. The rich Turks always spread over

the saddle a long-haired, red-coloured ram's fleece, like that thrown

over a Hungarian coach-box ; so we had two carpets (Siggadi), and

our great dromedaries brought out, and one fastened over each of

the saddles. The Zais (inspector of horses and fore-rider) of the Pascha and I placed ourselves on the taller dromedaries, and I

looked proudly down on my brother, mounted on his small animal. We rode under the Zais's instructions, and fancied we were gaining some slight insight into the business, as we held in our left hands

the halter and rein drawn through the left nostril, used for

turning, and flourished the kurbasch in our right. The two- humped camel (C. Bactrianus) is unknown here; those used are

smooth-haired, fine-coated, and of bright colour as any blood

horse. The camel and dromedary are the same species, and there

is no more difference between them than between a cart and a

race-horse. The camels are trained to lie down for loading and

unloading, and the signal for so doing is given by a peculiar sound

made by drawing in the breath through the teeth, and a gentle