172 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 



head and coarse legs, stood always in the palace yard, 

 or before the tent of the chief, blazing with gold and 

 precious stones, and was sometimes honored by being 

 crossed by Runjeet Singh himself. The mares were 

 never looked at, and were matters of utter indifference 

 to the Singh. 



When Runjeet Singh had become weak, he adopted 

 a singular method of mounting the tall horses on which 

 he loved to ride. A man knelt down before him, and 

 he threw his leg over his neck, whereupon the man 

 rose, with the Maharajah upon his shoulders, and ap- 

 proached the horse. Runjeet then putting his right 

 foot into the stirrup, and holding by the horse's mane, 

 threw his left leg, over the man's head and the back of 

 the horse, into the stirrup on the other side. 



The Persian cavalry was anciently the best in the 

 East, but the improved incomparable Arab breed of 

 horses was not then in existence. The modern Per- 

 sian horses seldom exceed fourteen, or fourteen and a 

 half hands high ; but on the whole, they are taller than 

 the Arabs. Their usual fodder is barley and chopped 

 straw ; and they are fed and watered only at sunrise 

 and sunset, when they are cleaned. Their bedding is 

 horsedung, dried in the sun, and pulverized. They 

 are carefully clad in clothing suited to the season, and 

 in summer they are kept entirely under shade during 

 the heat of the day. At night, besides having their 

 heads secured with double ropes, the heels of their 



