ENCOMIUMS ON THE ARAB TAKEN AT RANDOM 165 



to the noble achievement of a jockey in winning a 

 town plate ? 



Yet one more incident from Sir Samuel's book : 

 ' Roder Sheriff, on a bay mare, facing an old bull 

 elephant waiting a good chance to charge, slowly 

 and coolly advanced till within about 8 yards of the 

 elephant's head, who never moved ; the mare 

 snorted, gazing intently at the elephant, watching 

 for his attack. Sir Samuel for an instant saw the 

 white of the elephant's eye, and called out, " Look 

 out, Roder — he's coming!" as, with a shrill scream, 

 the elephant dashed upon the mare and her rider 

 like an avalanche.' Roder Sheriff had never won 

 a Derby, so, of course, you suppose the benighted 

 man was killed ! Not so, however. In Sir Samuel's 

 words, ' Round went the mare as on a pivot, and 

 away over rocks and stones, flying like a gazelle.' 

 For a moment Sir Samuel thought that all must 

 be lost ; but he describes how Roder watched the 

 elephant over his shoulder, and lured him on till 

 the horsemen behind came up and hamstrung him. 

 Yet of such mares we are gravely told that they 

 have neither speed, stamina, nor docility ! 



Caulincourt, Duke of Vicenza, when Ambassador 

 to Russia in 1807, saw a review of the Horse Guards 

 raised by Paul I., the finest corps of horse in Russia, 

 and reported that their Arabian horses ' were of 

 immense value.' 



In the ' Souvenirs of Military Life in Algeria,' by 

 the Comte De Castellane, he says of a hawking- 



