POWER OF GENTLENESS. 21 



letters to her friends at home, an instance of the power of gen- 

 tleness in controlling even the most spirited of horses. She 

 gives the following description of her experience with the 

 Arabian horses : " I fear yau may deem me rather boastful of 

 my horsemanship when I tell you that the two Arab horses which 

 tlu-ew their cavaliers did not throw me. The cause of the 

 exception was not in me or my skill -, it was the very remark- 

 able prediliction these intelligent animals feel toward individ- 

 uals of the weaker sex. Let the wildest and fiercest Arabian 

 be mounted by a woman, and you will see him suddenly grow 

 mild and gentle as a lamb. I have had plenty of opportunities 

 to make the experiment, and in my own stables there is a beau- 

 tiful gray Arabian which nobody but myself dares to ride. He 

 knows me, anticipates my wishes, and judiciously calculates 

 the degree of fatigue I can bear without inconvenience. It is 

 curious to see how he can manage to quicken his pace without 

 shaking me, and the different sorts of steps he has invented to 

 realize those contradictory purposes. Horses being as liable to 

 forgetfulness as other organized beings, my incomparable gray 

 would allow his natural ambition to overcom.e his gallantry, and 

 if another horse threatened to pass him, would start off with the 

 speed of the whirlwind. Woe to me if, under these circumstances, 

 I were to trust to the strength of my arm or the power of the 

 bridle ! I knew my gallant charger better. Leaving my hand 

 quite loose, and abandoning all thoughts of compulsion, I would 

 take to persuasion J pat him on the neck 5 call him by his name; 

 beg him to be quiet and deserve the piece of sugar waiting for 

 him at home. Never did these gentle means fail. Instantly he 

 would slacken his pace, prick up his ears as if fully compre- 

 hending his error, and come back to a soft amble, gently neigh- 

 ing as if to crave pardon for his momentary offense." 



This power of women over the Arabian horses is partly due, 

 no doubt, to the fact that when still a colt he is reared in fhe 

 back part of the tent, the movable harem of the Arab. He is 

 constantly petted, and it is the women who see that he is sup- 

 plied with food, and tenderly cared for. It is the attachment 

 which is by these means awakened in the horse that leads him 

 to so cheerfully yield obedience to the female voice. Deservedly 

 high as may stand the Arabian horse for docility and sagacity, 

 it should not be forgotten that, in the absence of all other 

 amusements, the education of the foal becomes a pleasure as 

 well as a business ; it thus becomes attached to its biped com- 

 panions, and takes a pride in enacting all that is required of him. 

 If his rider fallsj the horse will stand by and neigh for assist- 

 ance 3 if he lies down to sleep, the horse will watch over him 



