Thk ApcAbian Horse 1?» 



The muscles of the thig:h and fore-a7m are strikingly developed, 

 and assure us of his ability to perform many of the feafs of 

 strength and endarance related of him. But in read ng of his 

 really marve'ous marches, vre must remember that there are no 

 watches to note accurately the time, no mile stones to mark cor- 

 rectly the distance on the paths of the desert, and much allo'.Yance 

 must be made for the proneness of tlie Bedouin to exaggeration. 

 The Arabian is as celebrated for his docility and good temper as 

 for his speed and courage. It is to the Arabians that the English 

 are chiefly indebted for their unrivalled breed of horses for the 

 turf and chase. 



Layard, the explorer of Nineveh, who is as familiar with 

 Arabs as he is with antiquities, gives some curious details respec- 

 ting the true horse of the desert. Contrary to the popular notion, 

 the Arabian is celebrated less for swiftness than for courage and 

 endurance. Only wiien pursued, does a Bedouin put his mare to 

 full speed. It is the long distance they will travel, in emergency, 

 without rest, and the comparatively small amount of food they re- 

 quire, which render the Arabian horses so valuable. Layard 

 says that he knew of a celebrated mare, which carried two men 

 in chain armor beyond the reach of some Aneyza pursuers. This 

 mare rarely had more feed than twelve handsful of barlej- in 

 twenty-four hours, except during the spring, when the pastures 

 were green, and it is only the mares of the wealthy Bedouin^ that 

 can get even this allowance. They are never placed under shel- 

 ter during the summer, nor protected from the biting winds of 

 the desert in winter. The saddle is rarely taken from their backs. 

 Cleaning and grooming are strangers to them. They sometimes 

 reach fifteen hands in height, and never fall below fourteen. In 

 disposition they are as docile as lambs, requiring no guide but a 

 halter ; yet in the flight and pursuit their nostrils become blood 

 red. their eyes glitter with fire, the neck is arched, and the main 

 and tail are raised and spread to the wind, and the animal seems 

 wild and unmanageable, when in fact it is guided by the slightest 

 touch or word, while its fleet and tireless step '" leaves clamor 

 and pursuit behind." Their value is so great, that a thorough- 

 bred mare is generally owned by ten. or even more persons, and 

 one can rarely be obtained, except by fraud and excessive bribery. 

 The reason is this. The Bedouins are almost constantly engaged 

 in quarrels with their neighbors, or among themselves, and are 

 often exposed to dangers from which they can escape only by the 

 superior speed and endurance of their horses. It is not surprisirtg 



