The horse, according to the best accounts we can gather, has been the constant servant of man for nearly four thousand years, ever rewarding him with his labor and adding to his comfort in proportion to his skill and manner of using him; but being to those who govern him by brute force, and know nothing of the beauty and delight to be gained from the cultivation of his finer nature, a fretful, vicious, and often dangerous servant; whilst to the Arabs, whose horse is the pride of his life, and who governs him by the law of kindness, we find him to be quite a different animal.  The manner in which he is treated from a foal gives him an affection and attachment for his master not known in any other country.  The Arab and his children, the mare and her foal, inhabit the tent together; and although the foal and the mare’s neck are often pillows for the children to roll upon, no accident ever occurs, the mare being as careful of the children as of the colt.  Such is the mutual attachment between the horse and his master, that he will leave his companions at his master’s call, ever glad to obey his voice.  And when the Arab falls from his horse, and is unable to rise again, he will stand by him and neigh for assistance; and if he lays down to sleep, as fatigue sometimes compels him to do in the midst of the desert, his faithful steed will watch over him, and neigh to arouse him if man or beast approaches.  The Arabs frequently teach their horses secret signs or signals, which they make use of on urgent occasions to call forth their utmost exertions.  These are more efficient than the barbarous mode of urging them on with the spur and whip, a forcible illustration of which will be found in the following anecdote.

A Bedouin, named Jabal, possessed a mare of great celebrity.  Hassad Pacha, then Governor of Damascus, wished to buy the animal, and repeatedly made the owner the most liberal offers, which Jabal steadily refused.  The Pacha then had recourse to threats, but with no better success.  At length, one Gafar, a Bedouin of another tribe, presented himself to the Pacha, and asked what he would give the man who should make him master of Jabal’s mare?  “I will fill his horse’s nose-bag with gold,” replied Hassad.  The result of this interview having gone abroad; Jabal became more watchful than ever, and always secured his mare at night with an iron chain, one end of which was fastened to her hind fetlock, whilst the other, after passing through the tent cloth, was attached to a picket driven in the ground under the felt that served himself and wife for a bed.  But one midnight, Gafar crept silently into the tent, and succeeded in loosening the chain.  Just before starting off with his prize, he caught up Jabal’s lance, and poking him with the butt end, cried out:  “I am Gafar!  I have stolen your noble mare, and will give you notice in time.”  This warning was in accordance with the customs of the Desert; for to rob a hostile tribe is considered an honorable exploit, and the man who