THE WILD HORSE. 167 



black Kalmucks, and we saw a few in the Russian 

 irregular troops that may have been of this Kal- 

 muck stock ; but the real piebald animal is known 

 by the names of Tangum and Tannian, from the 

 Tangustan mountains of Bootan, although it is 

 spread further along the north side of the Hima- 

 laya range beyond Thibet. Father Georgi alludes 

 to Tangums, when speaking of the wild horses, vari- 

 ously coloured, which he saw on the banks of the 

 Montza in his route to Lasha. D'Hobsonville was 

 informed they were found on the borders of Thibet, 

 and described not to be above ten or eleven hands 

 high, tolerably well proportioned, active, fiery, with 

 the hair between four and five inches long, coloured 

 in regular corresponding spots. The domesticated 

 are also in general piebald, thirteen hands high, 

 deep chested, short bodied, with strong full quarters, 

 robust limbs, and altogether remarkable for sym- 

 metry, strength, and compactness ; it is a true 

 mountain animal, very sure footed, very active, and 

 bold. 



We have already noticed the earlier history of 

 this form of horse down to the eighth century : in 

 the seventh, the Arabian hero Zohara, a prisoner in 

 the Persian camp, escaped .upon a piebald horse, 

 and was greatly instrumental in the Islam victory 

 of Kadesia. The clouded horses of Turan are 

 mentioned by Firdausi : other poets incidentally 

 name them, and Mickhoud the Persian historian 

 relates of the eighth Abasside Caliph, Motassem, 

 " that he raised a mound at the time he was build- 



