COMPARISON WITH OTHER ANIMALS 289 



on one or two occasions without water for thirty-six 

 hours in the former, and forty-eight in the latter expe- 

 dition. The ponies or small-sized horses bred in 

 Kordofan are strong, handy, and said on an emergency 

 to travel sixty hours without water. Ponies are very 

 plucky, and very liable to sore backs and galls, especi- 

 ally when in poor condition, and they require far more 

 care than mules and donkeys. They will walk as fast 

 as a mule, arid carry on an average 150 Ib. They are 

 too small and too light for draught work. 



In my estimation, the donkey is the toughest Donkeys 

 customer of the lot ; but his size, therefore small 

 weight-carrying capacity, is against him, speaking com- 

 paratively of course, for in proportion to his size he is 

 up to great weight. Even the very smallest will carry 

 an average of 130 Ib. He is, if anything, more endur- 

 ing and will thrive on less food than the mule, and he 

 is not shod. In Nubia and the Soudan, in the deserts 

 east and west of the Mle, the natives have a very small 

 species, which is very tough and hardy. They make 

 them carry from 120 to 150 Ib., and often ride them 

 through the deserts without water for fifty to sixty hours, 

 and with just the scanty browsing they can pick up. 

 I believe in the donkey most implicitly for transport, in 

 spite of his smallness and the numbers that would have 

 to be employed. This, of course, would be one of the 

 chief reasons against him, as I doubt if sufficient could 

 be obtained. To supply the fighting lines, and even 

 the supports and reserves, with ammunition he would 

 be invaluable. He can carry two boxes, can be kept 

 out of sight, and can keep up easily ; besides, the 

 ammunition would be much easier to get at. He cannot 



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