The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1907-08-15
Continued from page 81

said they never in all the journey
passed a tribesman who did not bow
down to the sands, crying. 20! great
horse, FAREWELL" Haleb's pedigree
runs back for hundreds OF years and
bears the seal of Hashem Bey, the
.sheik of all the sheiks and ruler of the
Anazeh. This is probably the most
remarkable stallion ever seen in this
country and one well known breeder
has expressed the opinion that loo
years from now every good horse in
the country will trace back TO Haleb.
We next saw Urfah, Seglawiet
Jedranieh mare. She was known for
miles along the Euphrates as the
most bloodlike mare in the northern
desert. Davenport went up to buy her
two sons, 2-year-old and a yearling
and made on offer for her, which was
refused. The Bedouin afterward came
in and after prices were agreed upon
several times, he agreed to take $ll00
for the mare Then he repeated his
performance of riding home without
completing the sale. Brought back
again. he agreed to finally close the
matter for $1100 and a Winchester
rifle which was of vastly more value
to him than the money. Again he dis
appeared and Sheik Akmut Hafez
said: ut is enough! Are we chill
dren to thus trihe with our dntin-
guished guest?' So he sent out
company Of soldiers who brought in
Urfah and delivered the money and
rifle to the Bedouin whether he would
or no. This transaction created
great commotion among the tribes
OF twenty-four desert bred Arabian
horses and mares brought out by Day
export more than naii ol them have
some such spectacular history. AS an
example Of money values on the des-
ert in connection with the price paid
/ for Urfah, Davenport says he hired
i two Bedouins to walk and lead the >
year-old and yearling the 200 miles
] they had to travel to Aleppo, and they
charged him 81 for the job. When
leaving Aleppo, Akmut HafeZ present
ed Davenport with Bedouin slave to
take care OF Wadduda. He is now ut
Morris Plains, where he slept in the
stall with the mare until it got so
cold Davenport made him sleep in a
warm room, and besides saying
prayer for her safety at shutdown
every day, he keeps a fetish around
her neck to keep the evil spirits away.
The only difficulty Davenport had
with this shipment of horses was af-
ter they arrived in this country. They
refused to eat either hay or grain and
nearly starved to death. In the de.
sert the principal foodstuff is barley,
which is thrashed on large screens
trodden over by oxen. large per
centage Of the barley is then in pow
der and this powder mixed with chaff,
sand and other dirt resulting from the
method OF thrashing, is fed to the
horses in nosebags and is the only
fodder used The Arabs water once
in twenty-four hours and then the ami
mails stand hobbled from cothood I'M
til they die, excepting when they are
being ridden, and they are saddled
ready to mount from the time they
can carry weight until their useful.
ness Is over. This results sometimes
In bad scars, but the Arabs horse
must always be ready to mount and
fight or run away. as the case may be.
The horses are now reconciled TO
American fodder and their new mode
of life and are thriving as well as on
/ their native desert.