A BATCH OF CURiOUS MATCHES 35 



judge comparatively of the merits of English and 

 Arab horses in such a climate. English horses are 

 like English men, they suffer as severely from heat 

 as we do, and their frames become as relaxed ; 

 though we both have the pluck to go in and do a 

 good thing in a spurt when wanted, we have not the 

 physical ability to contend in a tropical climate 

 against its native inhabitants when the question at 

 issue is one of endurance. Horses suffer equally 

 with men from liver complaint, heart complaint, and 

 disease of the lungs ; and most all the English 

 horses of which I have been the possessor in India 

 have evidently felt the effects of the climate and the 

 demand on their constitution as much as I did my- 

 self. This was strikingly exemplified to me, and I 

 had good opportunity of judging of the powers of 

 different breeds of horses during the Mutiny cam- 

 paign in 1857-8, as I then had in my stud an 

 English horse, an Australian, a stud-bred, and several 

 Arabs. The Australian was a thoroughbred, and 

 the English was probably three-quarters bred, and 

 a clever animal. The stud-bred horse showed quality 

 also, but was as soft as butter, and I always got to 

 the end of him the soonest of all. The Arabs were 

 beautiful specimens of the Aweezeh caste, and as 

 hardy and as wiry as iron. At the same time, during 

 the winter months, or cold weather, I found little 

 difference between the Arabs and the English or 

 Australian horses they all did their work well ; but 



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