File:Syria from the saddle (1896) (14590848607).jpg

Identifier: syriafromsaddle00terh (find matches)
Title: Syria from the saddle
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Terhune, Albert Payson, 1872-1942
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Publisher: New York : Silver, Burdett and Co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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CHAPTER III. PICTURED ROCKS AT DOG RIVER — BY DILIGENCE TO DAMASCUS. RIDING-PARTY, made up of theyoung doctors and the missionariesdaughters from the American Col-lege, was organized the day beforeI left Beirut. Our destination wasthe mountain of the Pictured Rocks,at Dog River. David had deckedMassoud in gorgeous Oriental trap-pings, the inevitable blue bead fas-tened to each rein, and a saddle-cloththat might have been cut from thepiece of which Josephs coat ofmany colors was made. We started directly after lunch,for the ride to Dog River and back was long. Thefirst few miles lay along the outskirts of Beirut, pastadobe and stone huts, through denies of cactus hedgeand waving reeds, down to Beirut River. Then, turn-ing to the left, we rode on the seashore, skirting St.Georges Bay (one of the innumerable scenes of theworthy saints encounter with the dragon). The nativehorses, being bred on the sands, started, as soon as theyfelt the sand of the shore under their feet, on a hard 31
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32 SYRIA FBOM THE SADDLE. gallop, a sort of informal race which they continued,off and on, for several miles. A diversion was created, midway in the race, by atrain laden with quarry stones passing on the ridgeabove. The horses, unused to locomotives, shied vio-lently, Massoud taking the bit between his teeth andbolting for the sea. He refused to stop until he wasalmost breast high in the surf. Then, as I succeededin turning him, he tried to lie down and roll. I man-aged at length to bring him back to land, and, soakedthrough with salt water, started to overtake the others,whose horses had scattered in every direction. It wasan invigorating gallop along the beach, the sea-windstrong in our faces, and the waves breaking white aboutthe horses feet. Leaving the shore, we went up a nar-row road, lined on either side with a sort of pampas-grass, toward Dog River. We were forced in this road to ride two and two, andhere I fell from grace by my first attempt at Arabic.David had told me that

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