How Some Arabs Have Been Obtained 55 



looks or what his pedigree; but speed is 

 exceptional, and confined to the best 

 strains of blood. Hagar, as we called her, 

 was of theKeheilan Ajuz breed, the fastest, 

 the stoutest, and the most English looking 

 of them all. When purchased, she was 

 in very poor condition, having just gone 

 through the severe training of a campaign. 

 She was bred by the Gomussa, the most 

 notable of the horse-breeding tribes, 

 had passed from them to the Roala, and 

 had now been captured and ridden some 

 two hundred miles in hot haste for sale 

 at Aleppo. She was a five year old mare, 

 a bay, with black points. We never met 

 anything in our travels which could com- 

 pete with her over a distance, and she 

 has often run down foxes, and even hares, 

 without assistance; carrying thirteen 

 stone (182 lbs.) on her back. She was 

 of a mild, gentle temper, and always 

 went smoothly on, without fret or worry, 

 and with the long low stride of an Eng- 

 lish race horse. She never galloped 

 better than when she seemed worn 

 out with work. She had the advan- 

 tage, too, for Wilfrid, of being tall, 

 fifteen hands — an unusual height among 

 Arabians." 



