nd was a foal, that
lived as an inmate with us. It was born in the very tent which my
father's wives occupied; and its dam, of the purest Arabian blood,
was treated more like one of the family than a quadruped: in fact,
it received much more attention than any of the wives; it enjoyed the
warmest place in the tent, was beautifully clothed, and in all our
journeys was the first object of our cares. When the mare died, a
universal lamentation ensued throughout the encampment. The foal
lived to be my father's war-horse, and is to this day the pride of the
Curdistan. But would to Heaven that we had felt less affection for these
animals! then I might still have been a free woman; for, in truth, the
many vicissitudes which we have undergone originated in the possession
of a mare, of which you shall hear more hereafter.

'You must know that although the Curds do not allow that they are
subject to any power, yet our ancestors (and so did my father to a
certain time) grazed their flocks and pitched their tents in that part
of the Curdistan mountains belonging to Turkey, which are situated in
the government of the Pasha of Bagdad. Whenever that chief had any
war on his hands, he frequently called upon our tribes to afford him
supplies of horsemen, who, being celebrated throughout Asia, were always
foremost in the battle. My father, from his strength, his courage, and
his horsemanship, was a great favourite with the Pasha, and in high
request on such occasions. He was a majestic figure on horseback; and
when his countenance was shaded by the back part of his cap thrown over
his brow, his look inspired terror. He had killed several men, and was
consequently honoured with the distinction of bearing a tuft of hair
on his spear. But it was when clad in armour that he was most to be
admired. I shall never forget the grandeur of his appearance, when, with
his horse curvetting under him, I saw him in the midst of a thousand
cavaliers, all dressed in shining cuirasses, peacock's feathers
streaming from their helmets, and their spears glittering in the
sun, preparing themselves to join the Pasha. From the result of this
expedition we date part of our misfortunes. The Wahabi had advanced into
the territory of Bagdad, and even threatened that city, when the Pasha
thought it high time to call the Curds to his assistance. He took the
field with a considerable number of troops, and immediately marched
against the enemy. In a night attack my fat