62 HISTORY OF THE 



4 



moment's respite. He then plunges it into 

 water enough to swim, and if immediately after 

 this, it will eat as if nothing had happened, its 

 purity of blood and staunchness are considered 

 incontrovertible . 



Such is the account handed down to us by 

 respectable authorities, who in their turn re- 

 ceived it from the Arabs themselves ; but some 

 allowance should be made for the proneness 

 to exaggerate for which all eastern nations are 

 remarkable, more especially the Arabians ; and 

 glorying as they justly do in the prowess of their 

 beautiful steeds, it is not to be wondered at, 

 if they should sometimes enlarge upon it to 

 foreigners. 



The greatest care is exercised in breeding the 

 kohlan, or kailhan, the noble race ; mucii cere- 

 mony takes place as well at the union of these 

 animals as at the birth of the foal ; and a certi- 

 ficate is made out, and properly authenticated, 

 within seven days after that event. It is gene- 

 rally believed that pedigrees of the noble race 

 of horses exist of not less than five hundred 

 years, with sire and dam distinctly traced. 

 The following pedigree is mentioned by Weston, 

 in his Fragments of Oriental Literature : it was 

 found hanging round the neck of an Arabian 

 horse purchased by Colonel Ainslie, during 

 the last campaign in Egypt against the French. 



