14 THE HORSE Al^B ITS DISEASES. 



beneath tlie vaults of a Khan, along with the horses of 

 an Aga or Pacha. The women and the children will no 

 longer bring thee camels' milk and barley, and doura, in 

 the hollow of their hand. Thon wilt no longer range 

 freely through the desert, like the Egyptian wind, neither 

 will thy breast ever more cleave the waters of the Jordan. 

 If I am to live in slavery, do thou at least be free. 

 There, go, return to the well-known tent, to lick the 

 hands of my little children." While speaking thus, Abou- 

 el-Marsch had gnawed with his teeth the goats' hair rope 

 with which the horse was shackled, and the animal was 

 free ; but on beholding his master bound and wounded 

 at his feet, the faithful and intelligent courser instinct- 

 ively understood what no language would have been able 

 to explain to him, he lowered his head, snorted over his 

 master, and then seizing him in his teeth, with the 

 leathern girdle which encircled his waist, instantly 

 started off at full gallop, and carried him as far as his 

 own tent, when the faithful animal immediately fell 

 dead with exhaustion. 



Horses of different Countries. 



The Egyptian horses are preferable to the Earbary 

 ones in size, beauty, and goodness ; the modern horse of 

 this country has little to recommend him. The disposi- 

 tion under which the inhabitants groaned, altogether 

 discouraged the rearing of a valuable breed for theii' 

 profession, and were completely at the mercy of their 

 Turkish oppressors, and the choicest of their animals were 

 often taken from them without the slightest remuneration 

 for the wrong. It was therefore a common practice with 

 the owners of superior or good horses to blemish or to 

 lame them, in order that they might not be robbed of 

 them by order of the Bay. The testimony of Eurckhards 

 is to this effect : — '* The Egyptian horse is ugly, of coarse 

 shape, and looking more like a cart horse than a racer ; 

 thin legs and knees, and short and thick necks, are 

 frequent defects among them. The head is sometimes 



