THE SOUTIIEKN PLANTER. 



6G9 



wards spread throuojhout the whole cir- 

 cumference of the world. 



In fact, it was propagated in the East 

 and West with the Arabs, who at a later 

 time penetrated into the extremities of the 

 West and of the East. Long before Is- 

 lamism, Harmia Alien Melock and his de- 

 scendants reigned in the East during a 

 hundred years, founding that Medina and 

 Sakliachedad-Eben-Aad, and possessing 

 themselves of all the country unto the 

 Moghreb, where they built cities and har- 

 bors. Afrikes, who gave his name to 

 Africa, conquered unto Tandja, (Tan- 

 giers), while his son Chamar possessed 

 from the East unto China, entering the 

 city of Sad, which he destroyed. Because 

 of this, and from that time that ])lace was 

 called Chamarkenda, because kenda in the 

 Persian language means " he has des- 

 troyed," whence; the Arabs by corruption 

 have drawn Sainarkanda. 



After the birth of the religion of Islam, 

 the new invasions of the Musselmen ex- 

 tended even more the reputation of the 

 Arab horses in Italy, Spain, and also in 

 France in which, without doubt, they left 

 sorhe of their blood. But that which above 

 all caused Africa to be filled wi?h Arab 

 horses, was the invasion of Sidi-Okba, and 

 afterwards the deeds ot the fifth and sixth 

 centuries of the Hegira. With Sidi-Okba, 

 the Arabs had not done anything more 

 than to encamp in Africa ; while in the fifth 

 and sixth centui'ies they came as colonies 

 to instal themselves with their wives and 

 their children, with their horses 'and their 

 mares. .I| was in these last invasions that 

 the Arab tribes established themselves on 

 the soil of Algeria, especially the Mehall. 

 the Cjendel, Oalad-Mahadi. theDonaonda, 

 &c., &c., who were scattered over all parts, 

 constituting the true nobility of the coun- 

 try. These same invasions transplanted 

 the i\.rab horse unto Soudan ; and we can 

 say vvith reason that the Arab race is 

 one in Algeria as in the East. 



Thus, then, the history of the Arab 

 horses can be divided into four epochs : — 



L From Adam to Ishmael. 



2. From Ishmael to Solomon. 



3. From Solomon to Mahomet. 



4. From Mahomet to ourselves. 



It is conceived, nevertheless, that the 

 race of the principal epoch having been 

 divided into many branches, has necessari- 

 ly suffered modifications, in consequence of 



the climate, food, and more or less care — 

 in the same manner as those of the human 

 species have suffered. The color of the 

 coat has also changed under the influence 

 of the same circumstances.— the experi- 

 ence of the Arabs having proved that in 

 localities in which the ground is stony the 

 horses are generally gray, and in those 

 places which are white, ard Beda, the 

 greater part are white — observations the 

 correctness of which I have demonstrated 

 myself. 



I have now nothing more to do than to 

 satisfy another of your questions. 



You ask me by what signs the Arabs 

 know if a horse is noble — if he is a drinker 

 of the air ? 



Behold my answer : 



The horse of pure origin is distinguished 

 among us by the tenuity of the lips and of 

 the inferior cartilage of the nose ; by the 

 dilitation of the nostrils; by the dryness of 

 the flesh which enwraps the veins of the 

 head ; by the elegance of its shape ; by 

 the softness of the skin ; by the width of 

 breast, the thickness of the articulations, 

 and dryness of the extremities. 



According to the traditions of our prede- 

 cessors, they are also to be recognised by 

 moral indications m.uch m.ore than by ex- 

 ternal signs. By these you can prejudge 

 the race ; by the moral indications you can 

 arrive at a knowledge of the care Vv'hich 

 had been observed in the matches, [breed- 

 ing] of the interest with which crossing 

 had been avoided. 



The horses of race do not know effem- 

 inacy. The horse is the most beautiful 

 of the animals, and its moral, in our idea, 

 ought to correspond, not degenerate, to 

 his physical character. The Arabs have 

 such a conviction of this, that if a horse 

 or a mare gives any incontestible proof of 

 extraordinary quickness, of notable absti- 

 nence, of rare intelligence, or affection for 

 the hand that gives it its food, they will 

 make every possible sacrifice to draw a 

 race from it, being persuaded that the 

 qualities wich distinguished it will be man- 

 ifested in its breed. 



We believe, then, that a horse is truly 

 noble, when to a beautiful conformation it 

 unites valor and fierceness, and when it 

 evinces pride in the smoke of powder and 

 the combat. 



This horse will esteem its master, and 



