CHAPTER XXIII 



rabiah's horses 



History records that Rabiah-al-Faras had the horses of his 

 ancestors allotted to him, while reference to an assumed 

 table of descents show that David, King of Israel, was 

 contemporary with Rabiah-al-Faras. 



The horses descended from Rabiah through his son 

 Asad to his grandson Anazeh, whose race inhabited 

 Khaiber, and afterwards spread all over the pastures 

 of Central Arabia (Najd), and which race possesses the 

 best horses, is a great and peculiarly exclusive people. 

 Most tenacious and persistent in keeping the blood pure 

 and select, they refuse to acknowledge, or return to, any 

 strain which has left them for other tribes. The Anazah 

 will cross with no other blood than that which is bred 

 within their tribes. Kuhl is the race of horses, with 

 skins in colour like antimony, belonging to the mother- 

 family of Keheilet Ajuz — the main or leading strain, 

 equally esteemed by all. There is nothing to surpass it. 



Mr Roger D. Upton, in his extremely interesting work 

 Gleanings from the Desert, says, ' Reference to the accom- 

 panying table of descent will show that David, King of 

 Israel, was probably, or might have been, contemporary 



