The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-16
STEED OF NIGEL
OF NOBLE BLOOD
HAD FIRE OF DEsTRIER AND EN-
DURANGO OF ARAB.
Pommers, Conan Doyle's Creation for
Sir Nigel, in His Remarkable Story,
Not a Libel on the Gentle Arabian
Horse-Character of Animal Comes
from His Wild Spanish Sire.

Horse-Character Of Animal Comes
from His Wild Spanish Sire.
Ellis sire, they say, was Spanish
the very breed which Saladin, whose
soul now reeks in hell, kept for his own
use, and even, it has been said, under
the folds of his own tent.
have heard that the beast has most
cyl eyil spirit, and has killed more men
Such is the description given of Sir
Nigel s horse by Conan Doyle in his
Sunday Magazine. Those who know the
Arabian horse and his gentle character
will be likely to exclaim, as / did at
first, that Sir Conan has libeled that
noble animal in the picture he has
however, as I shall presently show.
The pure Arab is Invariably gentle,
tho Of high spirit. Randolph Huntin
ton. the best authority in this country
on the Arab horse, says in his book on
General Grant 8 Arabian stallions:
During the spring and summer of
1880 and also 1881 l handled the two
time considered Linden vicious. y
Arabian stations are very sensitive to
words, quickly approaching the, kind,
cheerful good morning. The human
| voice has wonderful influence over
th9m and ep4ss ugly words thy VIII Ill
foas frcm the time they R %ere bo sae
be vicious. All are broken, and not
one has at any time offered to kick or
to strike, altho the dams of each Fone
were high-strung, high-tempered mares.
n When 2 years old, my daughter
could drive the son Of Leopard any
3 T;h ERE f., for he was fearless and re-
Lady Anne Blunt, one of the best
English authorities, says in her "Bed-
ouin Tribes Of the Euphrates:' GIN
disposition the Arabians are gentle and
afectionate, familiar, indeed, almost to
the extent of being troublesome. They
have no fear of man whatever, and
viii allow anyone to come up to them
T Will grazing and take them by by the
Arabian VICIOUS, shy, or showing signs
of fear. They do not vince at fire
arms, tho they are not at all accus-
toned to them, and in England no rail
way train or sudden noise gives them
the. least alarm, In this they are very
other foreign horses that l have hac
to do with.''
And this concerning the riding of the
Arab in his native country:
1.-The BedOuln never uses bit Of
bride of any sort, but instead a halter
with fine chain passing around the
nose. With this he controls his mare
easily and effectively. He rides on {
pad, Of cotton, fastened on the mare
back by surcingle, and uses no stir
, rups. This pad is the most uncomfort
) able and insecure seat Imaginable, bu
fortunately the animals are nearly
always gentle and without vice. have
never seen either violent plunging, rear
ing, or, indeed, any serious attempt t.
throw the rider.'
Destrier.
. This is certainly satisfactory evidence
J of the good character of the Arab horse
t but before Sir Conan Doyle is adjudge,
i guilty Of misstatement I shall mysel
l. enter a demurrer in his favor. "Pom
n mers' was not a pure Arab. Note tina
l his sire was Spanish destrier, or wal
horse, so called because he was led a
the ri ght hand by squire until wante.
4 in battle. He is spoken Of by Chauce
a and other old English writers, and W
. know that the animal, heavy and pow
= erful as he was required to be, was a
> different from his Barb ancestor as wa
\ the Syrian horse from the Arab: - .-
> We know that William the Conquer
|, cording to Giraldus Cambrensis. Roge
,. de Bellesime, a follower Of William
q afterward created earl of Shrewsbur,
y imported some stations from Spain int
England, the produce Of which was cell
brated by Drayton, the poet: Edwar
III also imported fifty Spanish horse
I was well-known in England long befo1
C the first Arabian was imported, whic
l. was in the time Of James I. As tn
r character of the horse comes from tt
!, sire, the writer has very properly give
"Pommers' the fighting qualities an
wildness of his Spanish ancestors, an
=. not the gentle qualities Of his Arab da1
the endurance Of the horse Of the deser
ii Blending Of the Two.
| Regarding these qualities Lady An,
Blunt says: .....-... ..
deed the bodest in rs the V world u Hitko
their own country they have absolute
no knowledge of fences, the mares !
brought over with us did not make tt
least difficulty about going at tt
fences we tried them at. One Of the1
| the evening of her arrival in Englan
on being let loose in the park, clear,
the fence, which is five feet eight inch
high. Another, tho only for
teen hands two inches, cleared sew
yards in her stride over a hurd
e*> 4 Of their galloping pow
~" =" over twenty miles, I am co
!, WINGED that none but very exception
English horses would be able to 90 wi
them. The Arabians seem capable
going on for surprising distances, und
heavy weights, without tiring.'
There you have the horse that Con
4 Doyle in his powerful story has dray
so accurately for Sir Nigel. A pow
full Barb, high strung and high te
i pered, with the affectionate charact
4 when thoroly broken, Of the Arabia
8 and the fleetness and endurance Of t
81 breed which Saladin kept for his o.
81 use. No one not well acquainted wi
3 the history Of English horse-breedi
could have drawn SO accurate VIC
picture of an animal that already h
= .~Gr WIN McCartnev