THE HORSE TRIBE 



201 



As a race-horse, one enthusiast 

 assures us, the Arab is superior to 

 every other natural breed ; he is 

 beaten only by his own half-breed 

 offspring the English Race-horse. 

 But this seems to be rather an over- 

 estimate. 



The colour of the Arab varies ; 

 white is the most highly esteemed, 

 but bay and chestnut are common, 

 black being rare. Strange as it may 

 seem, the white breed is never born 

 white. 



The great affection of the Arab 

 for his horse is proverbial. The 

 following story is certainly worth 

 repeating : " The whole stock of an 

 Arab of the desert consisted of a 

 mare. The French Consul offered to 

 purchase her, in order to send her 

 to his sovereign, Louis XIV. The 

 Arab would have rejected the pro- 

 posal ; but being miserably poor, with 

 scarcely a rag to cover him, his wife 

 and children starving, he was tempted 

 greatly. At length he yielded. He 

 brought the mare to the consul's 

 house, and stood leaning on her neck, 



Phttt b } T. Fall 



HACKNEY AND FOAL 



A specimen of the English carriage-horse 



PERCHERON HORSE 



and looking, now at the gold, and now 

 at the horse. The gold was good to 

 look upon; it would make him rich 

 for life. Turning at last to his 

 favourite, he said : ' To whom is it 

 I am going to yield thee up? To 

 Europeans, who will tie thee close, 

 who will beat thee, who will make 

 thee miserable. Return with me, my 

 beauty, my jewel, and rejoice the 

 hearts of my children.' At the last 

 of these words he sprang upon her 

 back, and was in a few moments out 

 of sight." 



THE BARB 



This is an African breed, which, 

 like the generality of African horses, 

 is distinguished from those of Asia 

 by its long limbs and small girth 

 at the loins, thus resembling the 

 foals of other breeds. It displays 

 great powers of enduring hunger and 



