ANIMALS. 469 



tlieir security, in case of a surprise. As they arc never attacked 

 but at a disadvantage, whenever they sleep in the forests, they 

 have always one among their number that stands as centinel, to 

 give notice of any approaching danger; and this office they take 

 by turns.' If a man a])proaches them while they are feeding by 

 day, their centinel walks up boldly near him, as if to examine his 

 strength, or to intimidate him from proceeding ; but as the man 

 approaches ^^•ithin pistol-shot, the centinel then thinks it high 

 time to alarm his fellows ; this he does by a loud kind of snort- 

 ing, upon which they all take the signal, and fly off with the 

 speed of the wind ; their faithful centinel bringing up the I'ear.^ 

 It is not easy to say from what country the horse came origi- 

 nally.* It should seem that the colder climates do not a^ce 



2 Dicfionnaire Universelle des Animaux, p. 10. 

 3 Labat, torn. vii. 



• The period at which the horse was first domesticated is now lost in the 

 dimd of antiquity. He is mentioned by the oldest writers, and in ali^mba. 

 bility, his subjugation was nearly coeval with the earliest state of society. 

 From the Scriptures we learn, that 1702 years before the Christian era, 

 horses were used ; for, in the ■t7th chapter of Genesis, verse 17, it is said, 

 " And Joseph gave them (the Egyptians) bread in exchange for horses." 

 Again, in the 50th chapter of the same book, 1G89 years before Christ, it la 

 said, " And there went up with him (Joseph) both diariots and horsemen ; 

 and it was a very great company." These are the first instances of horses 

 being mentioned in Holy Writ ; and from what we read in the earlier chap- 

 ters of Genesis, it seems very probable that the horse was unknown to the 

 Hebrews and Egyptians before that period ; for, in the 12th chapter of that 

 book, it is said, " And he (Abram) had sheep, and oxen, and men-servants, 

 and maid-servants, and she-asses, and camels," but no mention is made of 

 horses. This was 1920 years before the birth of our Saviour. It would 

 therefore, appear, that horses were first introduced into Egypt a short time 

 before the year 1702 A.c. but whence we are not informed ; and they seem 

 to have propagated and increased in Canaan with great rapidity ; for, in the 

 nth chapter of Joshua, and 4th verse, we are told, "They (certain kings 

 opposed to Jr>sliua) went out, they and all their hosts with them, much 

 people, even as the sand that is upon the sea-shore in multitude, with horses 

 and chariots very many." This was ItSO years before the Christian era. I 

 is mentioned in Deuteronomy, chapter xvii. verse Ifi, " But (whoever shal 

 be king of Israel) shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people 

 to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses." Which proves 

 that Egypt, at that time, was the great place for breeding horses. 



Assyria, the most ancient empire, which is highly celebrated in the Ribie 

 for its horses, seems, from all accounts, to have obtained them from Armenia 

 Media, and Persia. The natives of Canaan are spoken of, in Judges, as hav. 

 ing used horses in battle, but no mention is made of the Israelites having 

 done so. This people, when at war, made their stronghold among the moun- 



2£l 



