258 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 
alleged pedigrees of Arabian horses, couched in 
romantic language, and represented as carried in a 
small bag hung by a cord around the animal’s neck, 
have been published; but these are forgeries, gotten 
up probably by horse-dealers, Egyptian, Syrian, or 
Persian. The breeding of every horse is a matter of 
common knowledge, and it would be impossible for 
his owner to fabricate a pedigree so as to deceive the 
natives, even if he were so inclined. The Bedouins, 
it seems necessary to admit, are, in general, great 
liars; and they will lie (to a stranger) about the age, 
the qualities, or the ownership of a horse; but they 
will not le about his pedigree, even when they can do 
so with impunity. To be truthful on this subject is 
almost a matter of religion, certainly a point of honor, 
in the desert. 
How far back do these pedigrees run, and what 
was the origin of the Arabian horse? These ques- 
tions it is impossible to answer definitely. The Bed- 
ouins themselves believe that Allah created the equine 
genus in their soil. “The root or spring of the horse 
is,” they say, “in the land of the Arab”; and again, 
“Tt was Allah who created him, for the happiness of 
believers.” 
This pious belief is shared by a few generous souls 
in England and America, a small but devoted band, 
who gallantly defend the cause of the Arabian horse 
against his only rival, the modern English thorough- 
bred. Chief among these faithful was the late Major 
R. D. Upton, who visited the desert himself, and who 
has recorded his experiences and his views.! Major 
1 “Tn Newmarket and Arabia,” a small book, which was first 
published in 1873; ‘Gleanings from the Desert,” a later work 
