KIND TREATMENT 351 



the cow-pony of our plains. He shows, too, the old steppes 

 type to which all horses tend to revert, as the dog does to 

 the jackal type, unless bred by man. The fact is by no 

 means so prominent in Africa. There you are less wont 

 to travel on horseback ; in Syria you must do it, and the 

 country is so full of saddle - beasts among them mul- 

 titudes of poor ones that you cannot fail to observe the 

 fact. 



For the common Syrian hack it must, however, be said 

 that he is tractable. His long acquaintance with an easy- 

 going and kindly race of men has vastly improved him. 

 His manners are just what the bronco's are not. He will 

 not buck, or bite, or strike, or " fool." In all this he is 

 vastly the superior of the wild horse, whose natural want 

 of manners has been increased manifold by the naturally 

 cruel Indian and by the cowboy, who is too busy to devote 

 time to gentling him. Like Artemus Ward with the tiger, 

 he is apt to fondle him with a club. To the Arab, how- 

 ever, time is nothing ; his climatic indolence leads to in- 

 nate kindness. So far as capacity to go is concerned, I have 

 already pronounced in favor of the bronco. But for a 

 pleasant mount commend me to the placid -eyed, sweet- 

 willed Arabian, whose ample courage is tempered Avith 

 moderation, and whose desire to do your will is shown in 

 his every act. If there is anything which I as heartily de- 

 spise as I honestly admire, it is a bronco. 



And I find that I am not alone in this. Out on the 

 ranches, old settlers " hate a bronk," and you cannot hire 

 one to ride an " outlaw," as they call a bronco who is so 

 tricky as to be really dangerous. On the old-fashioned 

 ranges a cowboy is expected to take one or two question- 

 able ponies among the six or eight he rides ; but he won't 

 take any more than his quota. A man who doesn't ob- 

 ject to an over-allowance of "bronk" can get a job any day 



