216 



A HISTORY OF 



But of all countries in the world, where the 

 horse runs wild, Arabia produces the most 

 beautiful breed, the most generous, swift, and 

 persevering. They are found, though not in 

 great numbers, in the deserts of that country ; 

 and the natives use every stratagem to take 

 them. Although they are active and beauti- 

 ful, yet they are not so large as those that are 

 bred up tame ; they are of a brown colour, 

 their mane and tail very short, and the hair 

 black and tufted." Their swiftness is incre- 

 dible: the attempt to pursue them in the 

 usual manner of the chase, with dogs, would be 

 entirely fruitless. Such is the rapidity of their 

 flight, that they are instantly out of view, and 

 the dogs themselves give up the vain pursuit. 

 The only method, therefore, of taking them, 

 is by traps hidden in the sand, which entang- 

 ling their feet, the hunter at length comes up, 

 and either kills them, or carries them home 

 alive. If the horse be young, he is consider- 

 ed among the Arabians as a very great deli- 

 cacy; and they feast upon him while any part 

 is found remaining : but if, from his shape or 

 vigour, he promises to be serviceable in his 

 more noble capacity, they take the usual me- 

 thods of taming him, by fatigue and hunger, 

 and he soon becomes a useful domestic animal. 

 The usual manner of trying their swiftness 

 is by hunting the ostrich : the horse is the only 

 animal whose speed is comparable to that of 

 this creature, which is found in the sandy 

 plains, with which those countries abound. 

 The instant the ostrich perceives itself aimed 

 at, it makes to the mountains, while the horse- 

 man pursues with all the swiftness possible, 

 and endeavours to cut off its retreat. The 

 chase then continues along the plain, while, 

 the ostrich makes use of both legs and wings 

 to assist its motion. However, a horse of the 

 first speed is able to outrun it; so that the 

 poor animal is then obliged to have recourse 

 to art to elude the hunter, by frequently turn- 

 ing: at length, finding all escape hopeless, it 

 hides its head wherever it can, and suffers it- 

 self tamely to be taken. If the horse, in a 

 trial of this kind, shows great speed, and is 

 not readily tired, his price becomes propor- 

 tionably great, and there are some horses va- 

 lued at a thousand ducats. 



a Mann Descript de 1'Aftique, lib. i. p. 51. 



But the horses thus caught, or trained in 

 this manner, are at present but very few : the 

 value of Arabian horses, all over the world, 

 has, in a great measure, thinned the deserts 

 of the wild breed ; and there are very few to 

 be found in those countries, except such as 

 are tame. The Arabians, as we are told by 

 historians, first began the management of 

 horses in the time of Shaque Ishmael. Be- 

 fore that, they wandered wild along the face 

 of the country neglected and useless ; but 

 the natives then first began to tame their fierce- 

 ness, and to improve their beauty ; so that at 

 present they possess a race of the most beau- 

 tiful horses in the world, with which they 

 drive a trade, and furnish the stables of prin- 

 ces at immense prices. 



There is scarcely an Arabian, how poor so- 

 ever, but is provided with his horse. b They, 

 in general, make use of mares in their ordinary 

 excursions; experience having taught them 

 that they support fatigue, thirst, and hunger, 

 better than the horses are found to do. They 

 are also less vicious, of a gentler nature, and 

 are not so apt to neigh. They are more harm- 

 less also among themselves, not so apt to kick 

 or hurt each other, but remain Avhole days 

 together without the least mischief. The 

 Turks, on the contrary, are not fond of mares ; 

 and the Arabians sell them such horses as they 

 do not choose to keep for stallions at home. 

 They preserve the pedigree of their horses 

 with great care, and for several ages back. 

 They know theiralliances,and all their genea- 

 logy; they distinguish the races by different 

 names, and divide them into three classes. 

 The first is that of the nobles, the ancient 

 breed and unadulterated on either side; the se- 

 cond is that of the horses of the ancient race, 

 but adulterated; and the third is tiiat of the 

 common and inferior kind : the last thoy sell 

 at a low price ; but those of the first class, 

 and even of the second, amongst which are 

 found horses of equal value to the former, 

 are sold extremely dear. They know, by 

 long experience, the race of a horse by his 

 appearance ; they can tell the name, the sur- 

 name, the colour,. and the marks properly be- 

 longing to each. When they are not possess- 

 ed of stallions of the noble race themselves, 



Buffou. 



