142 THE ARAB THE HORSE OF THE FUTURE 



brated Arab horse Aliwal, which carried the 

 veteran in all the battles of the Gwalior and Sikh 

 campaigns in 1847, accompanied him to the Cape, 

 returned with him to England, afterwards served 

 him faithfully in his commands at Davenport 

 and Manchester, and was in his possession for 

 eighteen years. It is related that on the anniver- 

 sary of the Battle of Aliwal, when there was a full- 

 dress dinner at the General's house, someone would 

 propose Aliwal's health, and Sir Harry would order 

 him to be sent for. The groom would lead him all 

 round the dinner-table, glittering with plate, lights, 

 uniforms, and brilliant dresses, and he would be 

 quite quiet, only giving a snort now and again, 

 though when his health had been drunk, and the 

 groom had led him out, you could hear him on 

 the gravel outside prancing and capering. 



Sir Harry writes : ' I had one little Arab, not 

 14 hands, descended from Arabs ; he never gave 

 me a fall, and I never failed to bring the brush to 

 his stable when I rode him ; but with all the other 

 horses I have had some awful falls, particularly after 

 rain, when the sand is saturated with water and very 

 heavy.' 



It is further written of the General that he 

 usually rode his little Arab Aliwal, and always 

 when the troops were in line he would suddenly put 

 his horse into a gallop and ride at the line, as if he 

 were going to charge through them ; that the men 

 were, of course, well up to this trick, and stood 



