382 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



latter was the case ; that the lover was the 

 thief of his mare as well as his daughter ; and 

 that he stole the one to carry off the other. 

 The chief was quite gratified to think he had 

 not been beaten by a mare of another breed ; 

 and was easily reconciled to the young man, 

 in order that he might recover the mare, 

 which appeared an object about which he 

 was more .solicitous than about his daughter." 



THE PERSIAN HORSE. 



Sir R. Ker Porter gives the following account 

 of this breed. 



" The Persian Horses never exceed fourteen 

 or fourteen and a half hands high, yet certainly, 

 in the whole, are taller than the Arabs. Those 

 of the desert and country about Hillah run 

 very small, but are full of bone and of good 

 speed. The general custom is to feed and waier 

 them at sun-rise and sun-set, when they are 

 cleaned. Their usual provender is barley and 

 chopped straw, which, if the animals are 

 piqueted, is put into a nose-bag and hung from 

 their heads ; but if stabled, it is thrown into 

 a small lozenge shaped hole left in the thick- 

 ness of the mud-wall for that purpose, but 

 much higher up than the line of our mangers, 

 and there the animal eats at his leisure. Hay 

 is a kind of food not known here. The bed- 

 dino- of the Horse consists of his dung. After 

 being exposed to the drying influence of the 

 sun during the day, it becomes pulverized, 

 and, in that state, is nightly spread under him. 

 Little of it touches his body, that being covered 

 by his cloathing, a large nunimud from the 

 ears to the tail, and bound firmly round his 

 body by a very long surcingle. But this 

 apparel is only for cold weather ; in the 

 warmer season the night-clothes are of a 

 tighter substance, and during the heat of the 



day, the animal is kept entirely under the 

 shade. 



"At night he is tied in the court yard. 

 The Horses' heads are attached to the place 

 of security by double ropes from their halterSj 

 and the heels of their hinder legs are confined 

 by cords of twisted hair, fastened to iron rings 

 and pegs driven into the earth. The same 

 custom prevailed in the time of Xenophon, 

 and for the same reason, to secure them from 

 being able to attack and maim each other, the 

 whole stud generally consisting of stallions. 

 Their keepers, however, always sleep on their 

 rugs amongst them to prevent accident ; and 

 Bometimes, notwithstanding all this care, they 

 manage to break loose, and then the combat 

 ensues. A general neighing, screaming, kick- 

 ing, and snorting, rouses the grooms, and the 

 scene for awhile is terrible. Indeed no one can 

 conceive the sudden uproar of such a moment, 

 who has not been in Eastern countries to hear 

 it. They seize, bite, and kick each other with 

 the most determined fury, and frequently 

 cannot be separated before their heads and 

 haunches stream with blood. Even in skir- 

 mishes with the natives, their Horses take 

 part in the fray, tearing each other with their 

 teeth, while their masters are in similar close 

 quarters on their backs." 



THE DESERT HORSE, AND SWIFT HEIRIES OF 

 AFRICA, ETC. 



Mr. Jackson, in his account of Morocco^ 

 says, that the shruhack errech or desert horse, 

 is to the common horse what the desert camel 

 is to the camel of burden ; the only difference 

 between them in point of feeding is, that this 

 Horse requires a portion of camel's milk every 

 day ; if they cannot get this, and are obliged 

 from hunger to eat barley and straw, paruc«- 



