258 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



alleged pedigrees of Arabian horses, couched in 

 romantic language, and represented as carried in a 

 small bag hung by a cord around the animal's neck, 

 have been published ; but these are forgeries, gotten 

 up probably by horse-dealers, Egyptian, Syrian, or 

 Persian. The breeding of every horse is a matter of 

 common knowledge, and it would be impossible for 

 his owner to fabricate a pedigree so as to deceive the 

 natives, even if he were so inclined. The Bedouins, 

 it seems necessary to admit, are, in general, great 

 liars ; and they will lie (to a stranger) about the age, 

 the qualities, or the ownership of a horse ; but they 

 will not lie about his pedigree, even when they can do 

 so with impunity. To be truthful on this subject is 

 almost a matter of religion, certainly a poiDt of honor, 

 in the desert. 



How far back do these pedigrees run, and what 

 was the origin of the Arabian horse ? These ques- 

 tions it is impossible to answer definitely. The Bed- 

 ouins themselves believe that Allah created the equine 

 genus in their soil. " The root or spring of the horse 

 is," they say, " in the land of the Arab " ; and again, 

 " It was Allah who created him, for the happiness of 

 believers." 



This pious belief is shared by a few generous souls 

 in England and America, a small but devoted band, 

 who gallantly defend the cause of the Arabian horse 

 against his only rival, the modern English thorough- 

 bred. Chief among these faithful was the late Major 

 R. D. Upton, who visited the desert himself, and who 

 has recorded his experiences and his views. 1 Major 



1 " In Newmarket and Arabia," a small book, which was first 

 published in 1873 ; " Gleanings from the Desert," a later work 



