FAMOUS ARABIAN HORSES. 39 



ability to travel great distances with untiring 

 speed." 



The last quality is a necessary one, when you are 

 running away with somebody else's property, eh, 

 Count? 



" Ah, I see you refer to Omar I. He was famous, 

 and now belongs to the Empress of Austria, the 

 finest horsewoman in Europe. For three days and 

 nights he travelled over the hot and barren plains of 

 the Arabian desert with but two quarts of barley for 

 food, and an occasional tuft of the Sahara clover. 

 Only twice was there water found for him to drink. 

 Fleet as a bird he ran, seemingly unconscious of his 

 burden, and arrived at the wall before Cairo, appar- 

 ently as fresh as when he started. The two Slughi, 

 enormous greyhounds called antelope catchers, 

 which were a part of Omar's outfit, always travelling 

 with him, were lagging many rods behind, footsore 

 and utterly bested. But Omar neighed cheerfully, 

 encouraging them to approach, and promising to 

 them, rest and refreshment in his sympathetic whin- 

 nies." 



Oh, pray describe him. He must have been won- 

 derful to look at ! 



" His skin was black, and shone through a fine 

 glossy coat of silver-gray hair; his mane full and 

 long, and his tail, which swept the ground, were 

 pink. About fifteen hands high, in form the most 

 beautiful that can be imagined in any four-footed 

 animal, he was fleet as the wind, graceful as the 

 antelope, trained to every agile movement, and with 

 an endurance inconceivable. In disposition faultless, 



