146 THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC [CH. 



had recently fortified a stronghold, it is reasonable to infer that 

 the Arabs had already by 1345 brought horses from Arabia 

 into Sumatra, and also that they were probably the first to 

 introduce any horse into the Indian Islands. We can now 

 readily understand why the Javanese are such poor horsemen, 

 why the little Javanese ponies so closely resemble Arabs, and 

 why none of the Indian Islanders, not even in Celebes, ever 

 employed cavalry in war. Furthermore it is now clear that 

 Arab horses had reached Sumatra some five centuries before 

 their re-introduction some sixty years ago by the Sultan of 

 Achen. Finally it is plain that the correspondence between 

 the first premolars in the upper jaw of E. sivalensis, of the 

 Javanese and Sulu ponies, and of the Grevy and Baringo zebras 

 (p. 11), must find a different explanation from that hitherto 

 offered. 



It is probable that not only was the horse not indigenous in 

 the Indian Archipelago, but that it was not introduced into 

 those islands by the Malays, since they do not appear to have 

 possessed the horse even on the mainland. It is very significant 

 that there is no native Malay word for horse, kuda the ordinary 

 term now in use being simply a Malay form of the Tamil loan- 

 word ghu7'a\ This fact taken in connection with the complete 

 absence of horses in all southern Burmah, whether indigenous 

 or imported, renders it unlikely that any indigenous domesticated 

 horse ever existed in the Malay Peninsula and the contiguous 

 regions. 



Coming to India itself, we are told by one of the gi'eatest 

 living authorities'^ on the horse, that the native Indian horses 

 are small, and to get speed they must constantly be crossed 

 with Arab or English blood. The evidence of Mr Nelson for 

 South India is especially striking, for speaking of the Madura 

 country he says that " the horse is a miserable, weedy, and 



1 I am indebted to my friend Mr W. W. Skeat, M.A., Christ's College, 

 Cambridge, one of the best living authorities on everything Malay, for this 

 information. 



- Hayes, op. cit., pp. 628-9. As these pages are passing through the press, 

 I learn with sincere regret the death of Capt. Hayes, who was always ready most 

 generously to impart his unrivalled first-hand knowledge of horses of all kinds 

 and from all parts of the world. 



