122 THE ARAB THE HORSE OF THE FUTURE 



least twelve months sooner. But no : Mr. Curr and 

 those who agreed with him were 'enthusiasts.' So 

 the stable-boys, jockeys, trainers, and racers of 

 sprinters, together with the ' bookies ' and Captain 

 Nolan's ' dandies,' were deemed better authorities ; 

 certainly they have proved to be the better 

 business men, in so successfully indoctrinating 

 the English world with their views, almost to 

 the ruin of the Empire. And so it goes on 

 still. 



Gambling is the one important business, and 

 gambling machines the things to breed ! I think it 

 will be admitted that I have not overestimated the 

 number of horses that might possibly have been dis- 

 pensed with, and the amount of money that might 

 possibly have been saved, had it not been for the 

 shocking deterioration I have referred to, when the 

 numbers bought and the amount paid by the War- 

 Office is taken into consideration. 



According to the evidence given to the Royal 

 Commission on the War, there were bought by the 

 War-Office for the South African War 669,575 

 horses, mules and donkeys, of which 518,794 were 

 horses and 150,781 mules and donkeys. Of these 

 400,446 were ' expended ' — that is the word given 

 in the evidence — during the campaign, besides those 

 which were lost on the voyage to South Africa. The 

 total expenditure on horses up to shipment, exclusive 

 of freight, was ^'15,339,142. 



Would not a continuance or much repetition of 



