266 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



scriptiou was written. Out of his two interesting 

 volumes 1 this passage alone lias survived : — 



" Remarkably full in the haunches, with a shoulder 

 of a slope so elegant as to make one, in the words of 

 an Arab poet, ' go raving mad about it ' ; a little, a 

 very little saddle-backed, just the curve which indi- 

 cates springiness without any weakness ; a head broad 

 above, and tapering down to a nose fine enough to 

 verify the phrase of ' drinking from a pint pot ' ; . . . 

 a most intelligent and yet a singularly gentle look ; 

 full eye •, sharp, thornlike little ears ; legs, fore and 

 hind, that seemed as if made of hammered iron, so 

 clean and yet so well twisted with sinew ; a neat, 

 round hoof, just the requisite for hard ground ; the 

 tail set on, or rather thrown out, at a perfect arch, 

 coat smooth, shining, and light; the mane long, but 

 not overgrown nor heavy ; and an air and step that 

 seemed to say, ' Look at me, am I not pretty ? ' — 

 their appearance justified all reputation, all value, all 

 poetry. The prevaling color was chestnut or gray. 

 A light bay, an iron color, white or black, were less 

 common. . . . But if asked what are, after all, the 

 specially distinctive points of the 2s"ejdee horse, I 

 should reply, the slope of the shoulder, the extreme 

 cleanness of the shank, and the full, rounded haunch, 

 though every other part too has a perfection and a 

 harmony unwitnessed (at least by my eyes) anywhere 

 else." 



And yet Mr. Blunt says of this same stud : " Of 

 all the mares in the prince's stable, I do not think 

 more than three or four could show with advantage 

 among the G-omussa." He admits, however, that 



1 " Central and Eastern Arabia." 



