Artists and Arabs - or, sketching in sunshine (1870) (14589423628)

Identifier: artistsarabsorsk1870blac (find matches)
Title: Artists and Arabs : or, sketching in sunshine
Year: 1870 (1870s)
Authors: Blackburn, Henry, 1830-1897
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Sampson Low, Son, and Marston
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library



Text Appearing Before Image:
ence of its troubles. i8o ARTISTS AND ARABS. Chap. VIII. battered wide-awake, his neck was not bandagedas if it were wounded, his feet were not misshapenclumps of leather, his robes—but we have noheart to go hirther into detail. There is a well-dressed French gentleman standing near thisfigure; and there is not about him one gracefulfold, one good suggestive line, one tint of colourgrateful to the eye, or one redeeming feature inhis (by contrast) hideous tout ensemble. These are everyday truths, but they strike ussometimes with a sort of surprise; we have dis-covered no new thing in costume, and nothingworth telling; but the sudden and humiliatingcontrast gives our artistic sensibilities a shockand fills us with despair. A little way removed there is a warrior onhorseback at prayers, his hands outstretched, hisface turned towards the sun. It is as granda picture as the last, but it does not bear ex-amination. He came and sat down afterwards,to smoke, close to our tent, and we regret
Text Appearing After Image:
Chap. VIII. AN ARAB STEED. i8i to say that he was extremely dirty, and in hishabits, rather cruel. There were red drops uponthe ground where his horse had stood, and hisspur was a terrible instrument to contemplate;in the enthusiasm of a noble nature he hadridden his delicate locomotive too hard, andhad, apparently, sometimes forgotten to give ita feed. It was a beautiful, black Arab steed,but it wanted grooming sadly; its feet werecracked and spread from neglect, and its wholeappearance betokened rough usage. Perhaps thiswas an exceptional case, perhaps not; but to thescandal of those whose romantic picture of theArab in his tent with his children and his steed,are amongst the most cherished associations, weare bound to confess that we have seen as muchcruelty as kindness, bestowed by the Arabs andKabyles, on their horses, and incline to theopinion that they are, as a rule, anything buttender and loving to their four-footed friends.The Kabyles came round our tents in the i82 ARTISTS