the beautiful picture, staying his talk with Abdul, who, with the
courtesy of the East, did not turn his head as he stroked the breast
and head of the _shahin_ on his fist.

But Damaris, with envy rampant in her heart, had no eyes for mere man;
she wanted to walk across and get near the coal-black stallion from
Unayza, a district famous for its breed of large, heavy-built horses.
He stood impatiently, with an occasional plunk of a hoof on the sandy
stones, or nuzzled his master's sleeve, or pulled at it with his teeth,
whilst two shaggy dogs of Billi lay stretched out awaiting the signal
to be up and going, perhaps, in a sprint across the desert after the
_hosseny_ or red rascal of a fox which had been trapped and caged for
the sole purpose of hunting.

Ride out with the caged _hosseny_ on a thoroughbred camel or
thoroughbred horse, take with you a couple of greyhounds and a dog or
so from Billi, get right off the tourist track and let the red rascal
out, and see if you don't have some fun before breakfast.

Only get off the tourist track, else you will have all the bazaar
camels and ponies loping along behind you.

The only wild beast this afternoon for sale was a jaguar, black as ink,
smooth as satin, short, heavy, with half-closed green eyes fixed
steadfastly upon a plump white pigeon foolishly strutting just out of
reach of the steel-pointed claws.

"Take her upon thy fist, O Master," said Abdul of Shammar, as he
lengthened the jesses, the short, narrow straps of leather or woven
silk or cotton with which to hold the hawk. "See, she is well