The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-12-24
The Arab and His Mare.

Sontamm ben Sontamm of the tribe
of Aneyza has probably had more ex-
perience with horsedesh than any other
child of the desert From boyhood up
he has passed his life among the horses
of the Orient, and on more than one oc-
casion he has been obliged to trust him.
self to the ieetness of his courser to
escape from the hands of wandering
hordes while traversing the desert.
Some time since, Sontamm was seen
leading mare of extraordinary beauty
and symmetry through the streets of
Damascus. Upon being questioned
upon the breeding of the steed, he pro-
nounced her to be the famous Sherissa,
of the get of Abeyeh Shevrak, four
years old, her dam being Hagar, and
her sire Kehian Ajuz.
l asked him to tell me about the
breeds of Arabian horses.
''Our father, Ismail ben Ibrahim (Ish-
mael, son of Abraham)," he replied,
found two foals of the wild horse by
their dam, whom he had shot with on
arrow, and he put them in sack and
carried them on camel till they were
strong enough to walk, wherefore their
backs were curved in to meet the sad
| die, and they were called Binttl AhUdj
or the Daughters of the Crooked AS
they grew up he rode them, and the
wild horses followed them. From these
two foals, both FLIES, came our horses.
| Wherefore we Arabs reckon all our
pedigrees from the dam, not as the
fools of Franks do. from the sire"
care there any of the original breed
left?' ...
"Abd ell Kader-on whose head be all
! blessings-tells us that it is still found
among our brethren in the Sahara.
And have heard that in Uzd, in Ara
bia, is another strain of that blood,
called Zaid ell Musefar. Who can tellp
God knows"
(which are the best for speed?n
1.-The most noted for speed is Kehilan
Ajuz; for Kehilan has forty breeds. of
which Kehilan Ajuz is said to be the
swiftest, though it's mares are eve
necked and long-legeed. There are six
breeds of Seglawi, of which Seglawi
Sheyti is the BEST
"But Kehilan is the bestp"
"Ne, no. | have not said so. Kehi-
Ian alone is nothing. 1t is the secon d
name which shows the breed Kehilan
Ajuz is the swiftest, but Kehilan alone
is no breed. Abeyan Sherrak for
beauty, Saadan logan, Hamdan es
Simri and Seglawi Sheyt for speed and
bottom. All these are good, and this is
a mare to be proud of my son."
''And Franks think all Arab horses
are alike. How little they know"
Sontamm's lip curled 1.-THE Franks
have no horses. One of them sent
long-legged creature to Damascus. He
called it a thoroughbred and truly it
could run fast. But what of thatP 1t
could not run hundred miles day on
a few handfuls of barley, as our horses
can, and it had head like block of
wood. No Arab would send his mare
to such Kadish as that. Bahr'
''But have heard my father say that
the English once sent one of their mares
that they call a thoroughbred to Egypt
to run races with your horses, and that
she beat them all, the best in the Pa
sha's stable. How is thatp'
Sontamm smiled again.
"The Pasha of Egypt never had
| horse that was Hadud in his best days.
The Shammar and Aneyza have them
all. save those that are found in the
stables of Tyzoul Abdallah, at Doraiah.
Still, as l said, these English horses
can run we'll, but only for short dis.
tances and on good food. Take them
to the Desert on a ghazou for such
marches as we have, and they are gone
on the second day" -American Gentle
mems Magazine.