THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO 239 



time of the great Darius, and Afrasiab had a son-in-law named 

 Siawusch, who is supposed to have lived about the year 

 600 B.C. 



Firdusi gives a vivid description of a game between seven 

 Iranian or Persian horsemen and seven Turks, in which Siawusch 

 astonishes Afrasiab by the skill he displays. Mohl, in his trans- 

 lation, 1 says : 'Siawusch monta un cheval frais, jeta la balle un 

 peu en 1'air avec la main, et la frappa si fort avec la raquette qu'il 

 lui fit voir de pres la lune. La balle disparut tant la raquette 1'avait 

 lancee haut ! ' It is to be feared that in these degenerate days 

 even our best players at Hurlingham could hardly rival such a 

 feat. The Persians seem to have lost their tempers in the game, 

 however, and played somewhat roughly, for which they were 

 rebuked by Siawusch. 



The accompanying illustration, taken from a rare old 

 manuscript ' Shahnamah ' in the British Museum, represents an 

 incident in the game. In the left-hand top corner will be 

 noticed the King Afrasiab, with his attendant umbrella-bearer, 

 and the monarch is evidently very much interested. In the 

 background is the band, doubtless discoursing dulcet strains 

 and encouraging the players with martial music. The Prince 

 Siawusch, with the plume of royalty in his turban, a player 

 who, from his hard hitting, must have been the ' Johnny Peat ' 

 of the day, is the uppermost horseman on the right of the 

 picture, mounted on a bay horse, his opponent being on a 

 curious orange and white coloured animal with a red mane and 

 tail ; whilst the King and the other players bestride black and 

 blue horses : these latter are evidently intended to represent 

 greys. The dresses of the riders and their saddle-cloths, reins, 

 &c., are plentifully embroidered with gold, and are of very vivid 

 colours. The goal-posts are also shown, and sticks must evi- 

 dently have been as liable to break in those days as they are 

 now, for a couple of attendants with spare sticks will be observed, 

 though what they are doing in the middle of the ground it is 



1 Le Livre des Rois. Par J. Mohl. 



