Arab Horses Outside of Arabia 17 



ean War, because of their better mounts, 

 urged upon the British War Office that 

 England should procure Arab blood to 

 freshen up the horses of the country — • 

 become tender weeds only fit to run dash 

 races — so providing suitable remounts 

 for the British cavalry. 



Both Skene and Upton were fine Arabic 

 scholars, besides being excellent horse- 

 men. 



For nearly twenty years Mr. Skene 

 remained at his post, cultivating the 

 acquaintance of the Arab Sheiks who 

 came to trade at Aleppo, making long 

 journeys with them into the desert, 

 assisting them in their intercourse with 

 the Turkish Government officials. At 

 one time he saved the life of Suleiman 

 ibu Mirshid, Sheik of Sheiks of all the 

 Anazah tribes of the Bedouins, and later 

 he interfered to save the life of another 

 great Sheik, Jedaan. Indeed, so fast 

 was the friendship he established with 

 them, that they adopted him as a brother 

 by formal rites. After eighteen years 



