THE HOESE. 
Vll 
HISTORY. 
and in some cases even will eat of animal food. He prefers soft water, as that of rivers, nay, of standing pools, to the hard water 
of spiings. His stomach is of medium size, but the coecum is very large; and, though he seeks food frequently, he can endure 
considerable abstinence, but less than the Ass, the Mule, and the Camel. He can rest from fatigue, and enjoy sleep, in the 
standing posture. At the age of two years he is able to propagate his race ; and at the age of five he has arrived at the full ma¬ 
turity of youth. The male is a more powerful and courageous animal than the female, more ardent in his temper, more difficult 
of subjugation, but not less attached and generous. His neighing is more loud, sonorous, and frequent, and his action is more 
noble. When deprived of the virile powers, he approaches more to the character of the female; and although his strength, 
ardour, and noble carriage are lessened, he retains enough of these characters to fit him for every service, and becomes more 
gentle, tractable, and safe. The female goes with young eleven months, but with some variation, beyond the medium term, 
dependent upon food and temperament. The foal is born with long limbs, which enables it to reach the mammae of the mother. 
It has considerable strength even at the birth, and is soon able to follow the dam at speed, and learns to take solid food by her 
side. In the fifth or sixth month, it is able to dispense with the milk of the mother, and may be separated from her without 
injury to its growth. 
The biain of the Horse is small; but he manifests in a sufficient degree the sagacity which fits him for his condition. His 
sense of sight is modelately acute, and he has the faculty of seeing well in the dark; but the deficiency in the sense of touch at 
his extremities, which are defended by thick horn, render him not always sensible of the nature of the objects which are presented 
to him, on which account he is easily startled at the sight of what is unusual. His sense of hearing is good, and his large external 
ear is readily turned to collect distant sounds. He is cheered by the voice of his rider, and certain sounds give him pleasure, as 
the tones of distant music, the baying of the hounds when he has been used to the chase, and the noise of rejoicing and triumph. 
His memory is tenacious with regard to localities. He remembers the path which he has once travelled after a long interval, 
the place at which he is accustomed to feed, and the tanks and pools at which he has quenched his thirst. A horse which had 
been lost in the desert, has been known to find his way for 500 miles to his native farm. He has the faculty, like the Camel, of 
discovering water in the distance; and hence he has sometimes been able to save the life of the sinking traveller. 
The Horse is fond of caresses, and susceptible of attachment in a high degree. The Arabs, who never beat their horses, but 
treat them like the children of the tent, often owe their lives to their gentleness and fidelity. The Desert-Horse, so full of fire, 
should his master fall wounded or fainting from the saddle, will stand by him till he rise, and neigh for assistance, will shelter 
him from the burning sands of the desert, stand over him during the glare of noon, and stretch himself on the ground beside him 
when the dews of night begin to fall. Major Denham thus speaks of his feelings on the loss of a favourite Arab in the heart of 
Africa : “ The horse that carried me from Tripoli to Mourzuk, and back again, and on which I had ridden the whole journey 
from Tripoli to Bornou, had died a very hours after my departure from the latter. There are situations in a man’s life, in which 
losses of this nature are felt most keenly, and this was one of them. It was not grief, but it was something very nearly approach¬ 
ing to it; and though I felt ashamed of the degree of derangement which I suffered from it, yet it was several days before I could 
get over the loss. Let it be however remembered, that the poor animal had been my support and comfort,—may I not say com¬ 
panion,—through many a dreary day and night;—had endured both hunger and thirst in my service with the utmost patience; 
was so docile, though an Arabian, that he would stand still for hours in the desert, while I slept between his legs, his body afford¬ 
ing me the only shelter that could be obtained from the powerful influence of a noon-day sun.” * 
The Horse manifests sensibly the pleasure which he feels in the presence of those who treat him with kindness. The Turks, 
who use their horses with great humanity, may be sometimes seen followed by their fiery chargers as if they were household 
friends. Sometimes the Horse forms strong attachment to other animals which may have been useful to him, or which may have 
remained with him in his stall to cheer his solitude. Dogs are frequent favourites,—nay, other animals less likely to form the 
subject of attachment. Chillaby, a very ferocious horse, took an affection for a lamb which used to employ itself in butting away 
the flies. The Godolphin Barb formed an attachment to a cat, who used to sit upon his back when in the stable, or nestle close 
to him when he lay down; and the affection was mutual, for, on the death of the horse, the cat refused to take food, pined away, 
and died. 
As the Horse is susceptible of kindness, so he is resentful of wrongs. A foal that has been cruelly treated remembers, when 
he has arrived at his full strength, the person that had injured him, and sometimes endeavours to avenge the wrong. A fine 
Cleveland Bay, who was noted for the sweetness of his temper, had on several occasions been maltreated by a strange groom. 
Once an unmerited blow was given on the head, when the indignant animal raised his fore foot, and struck the offender dead in 
* Travels of Major Denham and Captain Clapperton. 
