[Illustration:  A Camel.]

But the Arabs have horses also.  They are the finest horses in the world.  An Arab is very proud of his horse.  He loves him almost as much as he loves his children.

Did you ever hear the story that is told of Hassan and his horse?  Hassan was an Arab who had a horse which he loved very much.  And the horse loved Hassan very much.

One day Hassan was riding on his horse in the desert with some other Arabs.  They were met by a party of men called Turks, who made them prisoners.  The Turks tied the feet of Hassan and his friends with leather straps.  They tied the horses also.  They planned to carry them off next morning.

During the night Hassan heard his horse neighing.  He crept up to him and said in a low voice:  “What will become of you, my poor horse?  You will not be happy with these Turks.  Go home to my tent.  Tell my wife that she will never see me again.  Lick the hands of my children with your tongue, as a token of my love.”

He then bit off with his teeth the cords that tied the horse, and set him free.  The horse looked at his master for a minute or two.  Then he caught him with his teeth by the belt and ran off with him into the desert.  On and on across the sand he ran.  He never stopped until he had laid Hassan down beside his wife and children.  Then, worn out with his long run, he dropped dead at his master’s feet.

All the people around wept when they heard the story.  Arab poets made songs about Hassan and his horse.

The Arabs do not eat very much.  Their chief meal is supper.  They have supper in the evening.  They are very fond of coffee.  Did you ever hear of Mocha coffee?  It comes from Mocha, a town in Arabia.  Most of the Arabs take their coffee without sugar or milk.

They always make their bread in thin cakes.  Then they bake the bread on hot iron plates or in an open oven.  They also have ground wheat cooked with a little butter.  Arabs who are rich have mutton or camel’s flesh, and also rice.  All eat vegetables and fruits of various kinds.

There are many kinds of fruit in Arabia.  But the greatest and best of all is the date.  This grows on the date-palm tree.  The date palm grows very high.  The Arabs are very proud of it.  Every part of it is of use to them.  Its fruit is the chief food of many of the people.  You have seen and perhaps you have eaten dried dates.  They are not nearly so sweet or so good as the fruit when taken off the tree.  The trunk of the date palm is good for making furniture.  Its leaves make roofs for houses.  Parts of its branches make firewood.  From some parts of the tree cords and ropes are made.

The Arabs do not wear very many clothes.  They do not need heavy clothes, because the weather in Arabia is almost always very warm.  The men wear long light dresses like shirts.  They have a belt, or girdle, around the waist.  They wear a handkerchief on the head.  This is tied around with a band or string.  On their feet they wear sandals.  Do you know what a sandal is?  It is a shoe with only a sole, and straps going across the foot and round the ankle.  The Arab women also wear a long shirt.  Over it they have a large, wide piece of blue cloth.  This blue cloth covers them from head to foot.