32 MY HORSE ; MY LOVE 



temper and disposition, his entire soundness, and his 

 extraordinary ability to travel great distances with untiring 

 speed.' 



The last quality is a necessary one when you are running 

 away with somebody else's property, eh. Count ? 



' Ah, I see you refer to Omar I. He was famous, and 

 now belongs to the Empress of Austria, the finest horse- 

 woman in Europe. For three days and nights he travelled 

 over the hot and barren plains of the Arabian desert with 

 but two quarts of barley for food, and an occasional tuft of 

 the Sahara clover. Only twice was there water found for 

 him to drink. Fleet as a bird he ran, seemingly un- 

 conscious of his burden, and arrived at the wall before 

 Cairo apparently as fresh as when he started. The two 

 Slughi, enormous greyhounds called antelope catchers, 

 which were a part of Omar's outfit, always travelling with 

 him, were lagging many rods behind, footsore and utterly 

 bested. But Omar neighed cheerfully, encouraging them 

 to approach, and promising to them rest and refreshment 

 in his sympathetic whinnies.' 



Oh, pray describe him. He must have been wonderful 

 to look at ! 



' His skin was black, and shone through a fine glossy 

 coat of silver-grey hair ; his mane, full and long, and his 

 tail, which swept the ground, were pink.' About fifteen 

 hands high, in form the most beautiful that can be 



^ The Count said ' pink,' doubtless intending to denote the colour 

 sorrel, which, when mixed with white, gives it a pinkish tinge. It is also 

 a fact that some tribes of the desert dye the mane and tail of their 

 horses to suit their own questionable taste in such matters. The horses 

 of the Shah of Persia are conspicuous for their long tails. In order to 

 further distinguish them, he follows this ancient fashion, of having their 

 tails dyed crimson to a depth of six inches, 



