The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-09-24

The French army, while serving in the
East, made Il special study of the horses
and hor>emen of Algeria and neighbour
ing provinces. He had unusual faciii-
ties for his work. For two years he
was Consul of France at Mascara; then
he was charged with Arabian affairs in
the province Of Gran, and WAS sglhse-
G~ucntiy made director of Central Ara
bian affairs of Algicrs. These positions
put him in connection with the chief
natives and the great families of the
country. lie learned their language,
mingled freely with them in their tents,
and studied his subject with the aid of
wide and varied personal observation
and experience. He got his informa-
ton, as he informs Us, from al classes
and conditions of society, from the
noble in his tent down to the simplest
native, whO," as he himself says, in his
picturesque way, ''haS no other profess
sion than that of living by his spurs;
and says Gen. Daumas, 81 shall nor
give my own ideas; | shall not simply
say thi, is good, this is bad, but shall
say, good or bad, this is what the Arabs
do"
The Generals book is a mclaHgc of
facts, le~end>, anecdotes, diSquiSitionS.
proverbs. and narratives. which dciicS
logical analysis or presentation. But it
is interesting and entertaining, and
gives radically new notions of both the
men and the horses of the desert. Ac-
cording to Gen. Daumas, 1.-the tribes
who iuhabit the Sahara have always
been better able than those of the
Tel to overcome the attacks of the
different invaders of Africa, and it is
evident that here the horses have pre-
served all the qualities of elegance, do
cilitv, and f~loctne<S for which they are
universally renowned. 1t is of these
horses that We are going TO speak. We
will give i portrait Of a
HORSE OF BLOOD
in the very words of the Algerine
Arabs:
"Thc horse of blood is well proper
toned: ears short and mobile; bones
strong but small checks free from hair:
noStrilS large rs those of Il lion; eyes
dark and set high in the head; neck
long: chest prominent; Withcr> project
ING; loinS massive; launches strong
and the sides of the fore parts longer
than those Of the hind parts: belly hol-
low; the cruppcr rounded; the horn of
the feet black. and of one color; hair
fine and thick; the tail thick at the root,
and small at the ends. In every horse
there should he four points large-the
forehead, the chest, the crupper, ami
Che limbs four lOnr-the neck, the bel
", the launches, and the superior rays .
/rnyOuS); four short-the loins. the pas
terms, the ears, and the tail. The mare
should have the courage and the head of
the boar; the grace, eye, and mouth of
the gazelle: the gayety and intclli gence
of the antelope; the neck and tlectneSS
of the ostrich; and the length of tail
like a snake. 4 good horse is also
known in other ways; he will not eat
his barley from another horses bag: he
loves the trees, the shade, and the run
ming brooks; as he eats he turns his
eyes from II side 10 the other, as
though h" wished to ask some question.
If to thi, he adds docilitv, he is rs
precious as though he had two wings.
Such Il horse will never consent to mate
with mother, sister, or dau~htcr.''
The most esteemed races in the west
ern part of the Sahara are three in num-
berthe IIaymour, the Bou-Gharcb, and
those of Mcrizique. Their offspring are
spread through a great number of tribes.
The Iiaymour are the rarc>t Of them all.
They have a fine form, are very light,
and pass for the t~leetest courscrs of the
Sahara. They live to Il very advanced
age, are believed to carry good luck,
and are possessed only by the rich and
noble. Next come the race of the Bou-
Ghareb, which are of lefty stature and
full development. They can run long
without fatigue, but are less fleet than
the liaymours, and like them they are
long lived. Lastly ome the Meri-
ziqucs. They are smaller than the others,
but strong, hardy, and docile. They
are much priced By the poorer horse
men. who have long journeys and great
fati@ues Ia support.
The ~IIaymour race is so superior to