172 THE ARAB THE HORSE OF THE FUTURE 



the * Encyclopaedia Britannica ' says, are not equal 

 to the pure Arabian. 



Old Marco also speaks of the great excellence of 

 the horses of Turcomania and Badakshan, remark- 

 able for their speed, which go at a great pace even 

 down steep descents, where other horses neither 

 would nor could do the like, which subsist entirely 

 on the grass, and are very docile. And he de- 

 scribes how the Turkomans pretend to run away 

 in battle, turn in the saddle and shoot, the horses 

 doubling hither and thither, just like a dog, in a way 

 that is quite astonishing. 



He also mentions several instances of the marvel- 

 lous endurance of these Eastern horses. One 

 accomplished 900 miles in eleven days, and another 

 went from Teheran to Tabriz, returned, and went 

 again to Tabriz, within twelve days, including two 

 days' rest, a total of 1,100 miles. And he tells us 

 that the Tartars, from converse with the Assyrians, 

 Persians, and Chaldeans, acquired their manners 

 and adopted their religion. He should have in- 

 cluded the Arabs, for the religion was certainly 

 theirs ; and he might also have added that the 

 Tartars acquired many of the Arab horses. In 

 truth, I rather think that it was the Arabs, and not 

 the Assyrians, Persians, or Chaldeans, that Marco 

 ought to have referred to. 



And Laurence Oliphant says that these Turco- 

 man and Badakshan people attained to some degree 

 of civilization by reason of their commercial rela- 



