'Through Persia on a side-saddle' [‎275] (316/360)

THE KARUN RIVER AND AHWAZ
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evening went on, for the rash intruder would probably
have paid for his temerity with his life.
Our life at Bunder Nasseri at once fell into a well-defined
groove, settled for us by the climate. We slept on the
roof, where a cool breeze usually blew all night long, and
at 4 a.m. we all rose in order to get a ride in the fresh,
morning air and be safely indoors by seven o'clock at
latest, as after that hour the sun became dangerously
powerful. We could not leave the house again until after
sunset, when the wind, which all day long had blown hot
as the blast of a furnace, dropped for a few hours. We
took over three of Mr. Tanfield's horses, so were provided
with mounts from the first, horse-dealing being a some
what difficult matter at Ahwaz, as just then all the
animals were required for gathering in and threshing the
harvest. Mares alone were considered of value here, the
horses being usually so starved and stunted in growth as
hardly to be worth buying. The Arab tribes will deprive
themselves of food to nourish their cherished mares, and
an Arab would be of no account were he to ride a horse.
The colts trot along everywhere beside their mothers, and
should a rider urge his steed too fast for the little one to
keep up, this latter will utter plaintive cries of distress,
upon which its mother will pull up so sharply as almost to
unseat her rider.
Mares being such valuable property, are bought and sold
in a peculiar way. The whole animal is seldom purchased
by one man, but three or four buyers have each an interest
in one or more of her legs. The man to whom the fore legs
belong has the task of stabling, feeding, and exercising
the creature, and he will, if possible, buy out the possessors
of the hind legs by degrees.
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