A VETERAN 399 



nople, as can be plainlv" seen, is an offshoot of Arabia ; 

 bnt I was not favorably impressed by the influence of 

 desert blood on the horse under civilized conditions of 

 hard work. The average size, weight, and serviceability 

 would have been far greater in Amei'ica. During the 

 day I saw but one or two clean, fine - bred Arabians 

 among the many thousands out. The army and bureau- 

 crats appeared to monopolize the good horses, and there 

 was but a small force of cavalry on duty to line the 

 streets through which his Majesty passed, so that the 

 common stock was the more unduly prominent. 



Many men in Constantinople ride an English saddle, 

 but still cling to the enormous Oriental blanket which 

 comes back over the horse's loins and is made of a 

 long, hairy, woollen fabric, generally red and white. It is 

 extremely ugly. The saddle and blanket do not match. 

 They represent a transition stage. The plate-shoe through- 

 out Turkey in Europe has been almost driven out by the 

 French shoe. The plate they used to employ in Turkey, 

 unlike the plate of the desert, had as many as six nails 

 inside and six outside, sometimes only five, or five outside 

 and four inside, well distributed. 



The Sultan's stables contain many fine Arabians. Some 

 are extremely old. I saw one which had carried no less 

 than four sultans — Abdul-Medjid, way back in 1860; and 

 Abdul -Aziz, Murad, and Abdul -Ilamid since. I was 

 presented with an interesting series of pictures of them. 

 Not a few have the curious marks on barrel and haunch 

 and arm, which, by a queer superstition, are often inflicted 

 on Arabians " to make them gallop faster," as they say ; 

 though what this means I am unable to tell, unless they 

 give each two or three year old one special test (as is 

 done m racing stables), and select those who show up the 

 best ; and to make them go the faster use a knife-blade 



