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HORSES OF ANCIENT ARABIA. It was the fashion a few years ago to claim that the Arab horse did not exist, excepting as a figment of the imagination. Scientists later were compelled to acknowledge that there was such a horse, and that he differed from all others even in his ana tomy. Then a claim was put forward that what was called an Arab was really an African horse, originating in Lybia. the country lying between Egypt and Tripoli, on the shores of the Mediterranean. These wise people even asserted that the horses we had always called Arabians were never in Arabia until after the beginning of the Christian era, some going from Egypt, others sent from Cappadocia. north of the Taurus Mountains, on the Black Sea. Tlie fact that no* such horses remain either in Lybia or in Cappadocia, although they are numerous in Arabia, caused no embarrassment to these pundits. Had such special pleaders got their Xenophon or Herodotus from the upper shelves of their bookcases certain embarrassing facts might have caused them to modify their contention. They would have learned that Semiramis, who succeeded her husband. Nlmrod — builder of Nenevah — had an army in which were 300,000 cavalry, with which she invaded India, before she started to build Babylon. Nineveh is perpetuated by the present town of Mosul, built on its site, in tlie northeastern part of Arabia, on the Tigris river, and the ruins of Babylon are near Bagdad, on the Euphrates, both these points being in the heart of Arabia. • We are forced to believe, therefore, that there were some horses in Arabia at least 3.500 years B. C. Not only is this certain from the written record, but their representation is preserved by bas reliefs in stone uncovered by Layard when he explored the ruins of Nineveh in the middle of the nineteenth century. These show horses of the Arabian horse size and type, ridden by men making use of them in a manner such as no horse but an Arab was ever known to stand up to. The riders are hunting lions, with spears and arrows. It is notorious to this day that no horse but an Arab bas the courage to face a lion or a wild boar. If these would-be scientists still claim the proofs insufficient to establish our contention we turn to the history of Cyrus the Great as written by Xenophon. When Cyrus fought Croesus, King of Lydia, it is plainly stated that part of his cavalry were Arabians. In arranging his force to meet the enemy Harpagus suggested that he put. the camels he used for transport animals in front of his cavalry. And when they came up to the contest the Lydlan horses, terrified by the sight and smell of the camels, became unmanageable, while the horses of Cyrus army, having been brought up with camels and partly nourished on camels milk, were not afraid, dashed after I be Lydians and completely ronled them. Later, when Cyrus cap lured Babylon -the nighl of Bclshazzars fcasl he celebrated the event by a grand review of all his army. This was Mil B. .. ::.00 years after Semiramis. In that review Xenophon tells us Cyrus paraded 120.000 cavalry • more than all the cavalry in Europe today, besides his chariots drawn by four horses each. This parade was in the heart of Arabia: and the empire ruled by Cyrus extended from the Indus river on the east to the Red Sea. the Mediterranean, and Aegean on the west: from the. Black and Caspian seas on the north to tlie Indian Ocean on the south. In the days of Darius the Younger the Mnlo Persian empire had an enormous horse breeding e-tablisbmcnt in the plains near Mount Corone. From this source alone Darius drew 100.000 horses la oppose the Macedonian invasion, and still left oft.oOO in the pastures which Alexander saw in his march througii the country. It would appear safe to claim, therefore. tlat there were horses in Arabia liefore they were sent there from Lybia. Is it not more probable that the horses of Lybia were some left in that eountrv by Cambyses. son of Cyrus, who conquered Egy pt. and Lybia and Ethopia to add to the possessions left him by Cyrus ? The Egyptians had no cavalry any more than had the Persians until the time of Cyrus. Horses in Egypt came after tlie time when the shepherd kings were driven out. Four hundred years after the days of Joseph, when Pharaoh pursued the Hebrews who went out with Moses through the Red Sea, we are told that he followed with 00ft chariots — "all the chariots of Egypt" — according to the Bible statement. Horses were so scarce even then that each Egyptian chariot had onlv two horses aud all these were destroyed in t lie-Red Sea. And now in our day and country certain "progressive" Americans suggest that though there may have lieen Arab horses and they may have l oon good enough a long time ago. they are not such as would be suited to our modern conditions and American climate. The greater part of such people probably never saw an Arab horse. — Our Dumb Animals.
