136 THE MOUNTED NATIONS 



seated too far apart to get at each other for 

 serious pitched battles. In lack of horse 

 transport trade was limited to the waterways, 

 and warfare to minor internecine pleasantries 

 which kept young men in training. From the 

 sixteenth century the pressure of white men 

 driving in from the Atlantic began to affect 

 these almost civilised people, forcing them to 

 abandon their farms, fisheries and towns, 

 reducing them to savagery and compelling 

 them to trespass on occupied hunting grounds. 

 All nations were set by the ears. Then they 

 began to get ponies, and the rest was chaog. 



So perhaps in Asia, the movements of tribes 

 afoot ma}^ have been gradual overflows from 

 crow^ded districts, and warfare a matter of 

 cheery little fora3's to please the young. The 

 possession of ponies gave a tremendous impetus 

 to war and trade. From that time onward the 

 tribes which were best m^ounted had a political 

 future, and there was a slight handicap in 

 favour of nations with Libyan Ba3^s of fourteen 

 hands two inches as compared with tribes using 

 the Duns of Asia. 



The Egyptians had horses in the eighteenth 

 century B.C., the Israehtes a few in 1580, the 

 Hittites and Canaanites in 1540, the Assyrians 

 not until 1500 b.c. Now Egypt, Canaan, 



