I20 The Arabian Horse. 



tribute, and they would do this far more readily than 

 they do now to the Sultan at Constantinople or the 

 Viceroy in Egypt, for they looked upon Solomon as a 

 kinsman, but they detest the Turks and despise them as 

 aliens. 



The statement alluded to just before, that, so late as 

 the seventh century, the Arabs had few horses, and 

 those of little value, is not supported by history, and 

 would appear to be based upon the absence of the horses 

 among the things plundered. This is very easily ex- 

 plained. Mohammed had a very up-hill game to fight. 

 During his early career he was badly off for horses, and 

 he could not possibly capture them. When successful 

 in action, or plundering caravans, he took much plunder ; 

 but, without cavalry, how could he capture Arab Jiorsc- 

 mcn ? But some he had at command. It is commonly 

 reported, he and his five followers fied from Mecca to 

 Medina on horses. The Arabs say he had only one 

 follower, and he went on a camel. But in the second 

 year of the Hegira, we read that Mohammed sent out 

 on one occasion a body of thirty horse to attack a rich 

 caravan going to Mecca ; on another, in the same year, 

 a body of sixty or eighty horse. 



It was at the battle of Ohod, in the third year of the 

 Hegira, that Mohammed is said to have had only two 

 horses with him. But that is no proof that there were 

 no horses in Arabia. For the Koreish met him with a 

 force of 800 men, 200 of whom were horsemen. Mo- 

 hammed suffered defeat by a charge of cavalry com- 

 manded by Calcd h2bn-el-Wallid. IMohammcd at this 



