THE HORSE. 103

end soon suggested to man the propriety of mounting his
back, and from the throne he thus acquired man has since
conquered the whole world. Man’s first appearance on horse-
back doubtless suggested the fable of the Centaur; those
unaccustomed to the sight imagining that they beheld a monster,
half man and half horse, as it is said the aborigines of
America did when they first saw Spanish equestrians. The
Egyptians are said to have been the first to cultivate the
horse, and the Persians the first to use him in battle.

Arabian The beauty, strength and speed of the Arabian

Horses. horse are well known, and the affection which
subsists between him and his master is the basis of many
a pathetic story. These horses are generally of a brown colour;
the mane and tail being short, and the hair black and
tufted. The Arabs for the most part use the mares in their
ordinary excursions, as they are less vicious than the males,
and are more capable of sustaining abstinence and fatigue.

The Arab often shares his tent with his mare, the husband,
the wife, the child, the mare, and the foal, lying together
indiscriminately; and the youngest branches of the family
embracing the neck, or reposing on the body, of the mare,
without any idea of fear or danger.

St. Pierre in his “Studies of Nature” tells a pretty story of
the Arab’s affection for his horse: “The whole stock of a
poor Arabian of the desert consisted of a beautiful mare;
this the French consul at Said offered to purchase, with an
intention to send her to Louis XIV. The Arab, pressed
by want, hesitated a long time, but at length consented, on
condition of receiving a very considerable sum of money,
which he named. The consul wrote to France for permission
to close the bargain; and, having obtained it, sent the
information to the Arab. The man, so indigent as to possess
only a miserable covering for his body, arrived with his
magnificent courser; he dismounted, and first looking at the
gold, then steadfastly at his mare, heaved a sigh. ‘To