THE DONGOLA HORSE 21 



defects among them. The head is sometimes fine ; but I never saw good 

 legs in an Egyptian horse. Tliey are not able to bear any great fatigue, 

 but when well fed their action occasionally is more brilliant than that of 

 the Arabian ; their impetuosity, however, renders them peculiarly desirable 

 for heavy cavalry, and it is upon this quality alone that their celebrity has 

 ever been founded." 



Many Egyptian ponies have been trained for polo and sent to this 

 country, where, if they have not distinguished themselves in competition 

 with the miniature blood-horses of Irish nationality, they have taken a good 

 place, the chestnut " Khalifa," owned by Mr. Drybrough, being deemed 

 worthy of a portrait in Mr. Miller's Modern Polo. In describing 

 Egyptian ponies that gentleman says, that "of half-a-dozen, each will 

 differ from the other five, and that the importation of Syrian Arabs and 

 continual crossing makes it difficult to define what is or is not an Egyptian," 

 as they " are of all sorts and shapes," without any special characteristics of 

 a well-defined breed. Those passing under the name of Bellady ponies are 

 believed to be Egyptian, but according to the above quoted authority the 

 term is used to distinguish them from Syrians. 



THE DONGOLA HORSE 



The Dongola Horse was formerly esteemed by Europeans in Egypt and 

 the Soudan on account of his height, "his one merit," according to Mr. 

 Wilfrid Blunt, who further states that "he is very nearly extinct as a 

 breed, though a specimen or two is occasionally to be seen in Egypt. I 

 don't think it is much loss, except as a curiosity, for he is an ungainly beast, 

 with all the points an Arab breeder would most avoid, a coarse head, long 

 cannon-bones and a drooping quarter." He is generally bay or dark bay 

 with four white legs, and his height as much as 15 hands 2 inches or 

 15 hands 3 inches, but at present he is neglected and almost unknown. 



The following account is from the pen of Slatin Pasha, who, it will be 

 remembered, passed so many years of captivity under the Khalifa : — 



" Regarding the Dervish horse, whether he be of the Dongola, the Darf ur, 

 or the Abyssinian breed, the first fact which is impressed on the observer 

 is that the owner is a bad horse-master, and on further experience he will 

 be found to be a careless breeder and a negligent trainer. 



"The Khalifa's oppression has depopulated nearly 75 per cent, of the 

 Sudan ; it has also rooted out the best of the once famous breed of Dongola 

 horses, and is answerable for the destruction of many thousands, and the 

 degeneracy of nearly all the horses of the Nile basin during the period of 

 war, famine, and brigandage, from 1885 to 1896. 



" Every suitable foal, horse, and mare has been seized by the Baggara 

 raiders, and frequently had its miserable existence terminated by being 

 ridden to death or allowed to die of thirst in the desert. 



" In the recent forced march by Osman Digna, in the spring of 1896, from 

 Kassala to Suakin and back to the Atbara, more than half his animals and 

 probably most of his cavalry hoi'ses died of exhaustion. 



" Of the horses captured at the battle of Eirket, the foals were all in a 



