affectionately farewell for the last time. There
was a postscript in the letter, which was
addressed to Rose, and which she often read
afterwards with tearful eyes. The writer
begged that, if she should have any children,
she would show her friendly and Christian
remembrance of him by teaching them to
pray (as he hoped she herself would pray)
that a blessing might attend Father Paul's
labours in the distant land. The priest's
loving petition was never forgotten. When
Rose taught its first prayer to her first child,
the little creature was instructed to end
the few simple words pronounced at its
mother's knees, with:—" God bless Father
Paul!"

ABD-EL-KADER ON HORSEBACK.

SOME curious particulars respecting Arabian
horses have lately been given to the world,
from no less an authoritative a source than
Abd-el-Kader himself. General Daumas has
published a work, intitled Les Chevaux du
Sahara, and it contains the answers furnished
by the Arab chief to a list of inquiries that
had been expressly addressed to him. The
Emir's letter was translated into French by
M. Boissonnet, its original form being scrupulously
retained; and many of our readers
may be gratified by the sight of an English
version of the document, even if it be not
likely to afford them any very great practical
instruction.

November 8, 1851 (the 23rd of Moharrem,
the first month of 1268.)

Glory to the One God. His reign alone is
eternal.

Health to him who equals in good qualities
all the men of his time, who seeks only after
good, whose heart is pure and his discourse
accomplished, the wise, the intelligent Lord,
General Daumas, on the part of your friend,
Sid-el-Hadi Abd-el-Kader, son of Mahi-Eddin.

Behold the answer to your questions.

I. You ask how many days an Arabian
horse can travel without resting, and without
being made to suffer too much.

Know that a horse, who is sound in all his
members, who eats barley which his stomach
requires, can do whatever his rider wishes
him. On this subject the Arabs say Allef ou
annef, " Give barley, and overwork." But
without overworking the horse, he may be
made to travel sixteen parasanges every day,
(a parasange is a measure of distance— originally
Persian—equal to a French league and
a half, or three and three-quarters English
miles, as near as may be); that is the distance
from Mascara to Koudiah-Aghelizan, on the
Oued-Mina: it has been measured in drâa
(cubits). A horse performing this distance
(of sixty miles English) daily, and eating as
much barley as he likes, can go on without
fatigue for three, or even for four months,
without resting a single day.

II. You ask what distance a horse can
travel in one day.

I cannot tell you precisely; but the distance
ought to be not much less than fifty
parasanges (one hundred and eighty-seven
miles and a half), as from Tlemcen to Mascara.
We have seen a very great number of
horses perform in one day the distance from
Tlemcen to Mascara. Nevertheless, a horse
which has completed that journey, ought to
be spared the following day, and ought only
to be ridden a much shorter distance. Most
of our horses could go from Osran to Mascara
in one day, and would perform the same
journey for two or three successive days.
We started from Saïda towards eight in the
morning (au dohha) in order to fall upon the
Arbâa, who encamped at Aaïn-Toukria (among
the Oulad-Aïad, near Taza), and we reached
them by break of day (fedjer). You know
the country, and are acquainted with the
road which we had to traverse.

III. You ask me for instances of abstinence
in the Arabian horse, and for proofs of his
power of enduring hunger and thirst.

Know that when we were stationed at the
mouth of the Mélouïa, we made razzias in the
Djebel-Amour, following the route of the
Desert. On the day of attack, we pushed
our horses on for a gallop of five or six hours
without taking breath, completing our excursion
thither and back in twenty, or at most
in five-and-twenty days. During this interval
of time, our horses had no barley to eat,
except what their riders were able to carry
with them,—about eight ordinary feeds. Our
horses found no straw to eat, but only alfa
and chiehh, or besides that, in spring-time,
grass. Notwithstanding which, on returning
home again, we performed our games on
horseback the day of our arrival, and we shot
with a certain number of them. Many which
were unable to go through with this last
exercise, were still in good travelling condition.
Our horses went without drinking,
either for one day, or for two; once, no
water was to be found for three days. The
horses of the Desert do much more than
that; they remain about three months without
eating a single grain of barley; they have no
acquaintance with straw, except on the days
when they go to buy corn in the Teli, and in
general have nothing to eat but alfa and
chiehh, and sometimes guetof. Chiehh is better
than alfa, and guetof is better than chiehh.
The Arabs say, "Alfa makes a horse go,
chiehh makes him fit for battle." And,
"Guetof is better than barley." Certain years
occur in which the horses of the Desert go
without tasting a single grain of barley
during the whole twelvemonth, when the
tribes have not been received in the Teli.
They then sometimes give dates to their
horses; this food fattens them. Their horses
are then capable both of travelling and of
going to battle.

IV. You ask me why, when the French do