no THE ARAB THE HORSE OF THE FUTURE 



You ask by what outward signs the Arabs recognise 

 a horse to be noble, a drinker of air. Here is my 

 answer : The horse of pure descent is distinguished 

 among us by the thinness of its Hps and of the 

 interior cartilage of the nose, by the dilation of 

 the nostrils, by the leanness of the flesh encircling 

 the veins of the head, by the graceful manner the 

 neck is attached, by the softness of its coat, its mane 

 and the hairs of its tail, by its breadth of chest, the 

 largeness of its joints, and the leanness of its ex- 

 tremities. . . . According, however, to the tradi- 

 tions of our ancestors, the thoroughbred is still 

 better known by its moral characteristics than its 

 physical peculiarities. . . . Thoroughbred horses have 

 no vice.' (That, of course, refers to Arabs). 'The 

 Arabs are so convinced of this that if a horse or a 

 mare have given indisputable proof of extraordinary 

 speed, or remarkable endurance of hunger and 

 thirst, of rare intelligence, or of grateful affection 

 for the hand that feeds them, they will make every 

 imaginable sacrifice to get his progeny. . . . The 

 horse carries a full-grown man, a robust cavalier, 

 with standard arms and ammunition, besides food 

 for both, and will go at speed for a whole day and 

 more without eating or drinking. It is by his means 

 that the Arab holds whatever he possesses, rushes 

 on his enemy, tracks him down, or flees from him. 

 and defends his family and his freedom. Let him 

 be enriched with the possession of all that sweetens 

 life, his horse alone is his protector. . . . Do you 



