ENCOMIUMS ON THE ARAB TAKEN AT RANDOM 133 



supporting Mr. Day in supposing that the Arab 

 could not improv^e the racehorse — as a racehorse — 

 admits that : ' For riding-horses, however, it is 

 another affair.' For the army and the general 

 public that is the whole question. 



Major Arthur Griffiths, in an article in the For^- 

 nightly, September, 1898, writes that another great 

 merit in the Egyptian cavalry is their horse-flesh, 

 sturdy little Syrian Arabs which have done an 

 immense amount of hard work, and, although small 

 for their loads, are so strong and full of spirit that 

 they have never been sick or sorry all the year. 



At the Battle of Omdurman the Egyptian cavalry, 

 mostly Arabs and Arab crosses, were out all day on 

 September i from daybreak on August 31, and not 

 in till 3 p.m., and on September 2 they were heavily 

 engaged with the Dervishes for several hours. 

 They then advanced on Omdurman, and were sent 

 in pursuit of the Khalifa ; and the writer adds that 

 it is really wonderful what the Arab pony will do. 



The passage from Mr. G. W. Steevens' book 

 above quoted as to the cavalry march to Omdur- 

 man shows the weight-carrying power of the Arab 

 horse ; for the ' little Syrian ' is three-parts Arab — 

 often, indeed, called Arab. This little horse with 

 a light rider carried 1 8 stone on his back ; with a 

 heavy rider he carried 20 stone. I also cited the 

 passage because it shows to demonstration the 

 utter inferiority of the English horse, ' which had 

 to be left behind at Cairo.' Mr. Steevens was 



