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; I 1 . . 1 ! , t ■ r l 1 1 I ■ I 1 • 1 . 1 t [ 1 . . 1 - 1 1 . 7 ■ r 1 ■ 1 • I i- . 1 1 ■ - 1 I ■ • ■ - 1 1 t t - « . r 1 . • ; 1 ; - 1 I a i f ■ 1 1 . 1 , I I , II p e e t 1 . . Z - ROMANCE OF G0D0LPF.TN ARABIAN. How Scham. the Bavbary Horse, Came Into His Own in England, Early in the early part of tin- eighteenth cnlury Iaiglishineii were earnestly engaged in raising horses and .seeking to improve their sped and endurance mainly by ci nstantly selecting the native stock most pioniin- nt in those qualiin-. Meantime, several choice animals of Arabian or closely allied stock had been brought to England, among them tin- Byerty Tark, Corweaa Barb and the now worhl- l:i 111 us Dai ley Arabian. John Dull had bred some ot his best mares to these horses am! the result had been ino-t gratifying, but he had aot yet real- teed the full .significance of this fact, or that in Arabia- not in l.rigland -lies the true source of the qualities be was so -king. Ahead this time the bey of Tunis sent a- a present t" the king of France several choice Baj borscs, each with a Moorish -lave in attendance. They were Intended as and truly were a princely gift; but they were of a type to which the French king was wholly unaccustomed and he regarded them as of little value. Bnaare Dull, of Stafford- share, England, would have said: "Though not equal to our best British stock, vknovv. theyre pretty cattle, egad!" And Joel Eris. of Hanlgcrahldc Canter, Maim-, would have observed: "The cri 1 are put up just right for road service, bgosh!" I.ut his majesty with royal nonchalance ordered them sold for what they would bring and the groelus set at Hfaertr. in this way all th- horses but oae were completely lost shrbt of: and this on,-, whose M.i rteh name was Scham. wa- acquired by a drtiuk- en carter and set at w rk hauling a garbage cart. The bursts groom, whose nam was Agfaa, was thus separated from hi- charge and for weeks knew nothing of his whereabouts. Rut he was keenly alive to the fact that, however the horse might ■ -underestimated in France, in Tunis, where king and commoner alike wen- nor at men, he was adjudged of gnat value. He resolved to find the horse and. if possible, acquire him by a term of service. Adrift as lie was in a strange city and knowing but little of the teagnage, the search was no easy matter: and when he finally discovered the horse which was late one evening in one of the poorest parts of the city he found him miserably -tabled, eov- lied with harness galH and sores and s. emaciated as to be baldly recognisable. lie threw hi- arms around the horses neck and with many caresses and words of endearment proceeded to make him as comfortable a- the shed and its meager equipment permitted. While he wa- tlui- engaged the carter appeared. Scornfully and perhaps naturally rejecting Agbas offer to 1 on 1 1 •• ti,.- horse by a term of servli hi ordered the Moo,- out of the stable. The latter lad in- alternative but I. obey but he by no mean ivt up hi- purpose. In some amy and at some lime -o precious an animal inn t he rescued from Ins wretched situation. Meantime he must be eared for,* and bis strength kept np. I.v doing siimlr* odd j. -ns about the city Agba managed to pick up a little money; am! with this, often stinting himsell f 11c did food, he bought grain and medicine, and. surreptitiously visiting Scham at night, he fed bini, bathed hi- wounds and otherwise afforded him what oemlie-t he could. There i- little question that the horse would have died during this pel i d had it not. been for thi- care and attention. One day an English Quaker, who was staying in Paris, saw Sham pitifully struggling with a load that he could not draw, his master moan! line an plying a heavy whip. The Quaker, win. at once ordered a halt, was not only humane but ho was also a horseman an excellent combination, by the way; ami hi practiced eye pi pHv took In the I oints of equine excelh nee the iren Ii kiag so signally failed to discover. Clearly til- was no ordinary horse. Examining him and satisfying bini- self of bis age and soundness, he at once purchased hi, 11 of the carter. Agba, who - m learned of the event, now s night the Quaker an I told his story with the result that be was hired as groom for Scham, and both wen- si nt to the Quaker- untry eat in England in the " year 1730. Than, the horse first found himself on Englsh -nil: ami here, under ma d feed and ; re it ment. be soon regained his oojgina] beauty and spirit. I11-. deed, he regained the latter in too large a degree tor his own mod. for the Friends famly, accustomed as thc.v wen- to colder-blooded animals, became afraid of hi,,,: hat a borae should apparently be absolutely tireless and show at the end of a bum and ha d ride even m re spirit than at its start seemed to them almost um .limy. So he wad -M to a livery stable keeper ni -d Rogers. Agba. greatly chagrined at the occurrence, bit the Friends employ and tonght a [mi ition with Rogers; but the bitter refused t hire him. This proved a mi-take, for Scham wa- getting mire era in than he was accustomed to in hi- native land and he needed skillful management. I nder tin- can- of Rogers groom In- grec Irritable ami vicious, ami soon Rogers himself could do nothing with him. Agba n w applied a see mil time for employment doubtless with the "I told you so!" thai j always so exasperating to the man who is wrong. Sogers not only refused to hire bun but forbade him the premises. Agba. however, continued to hang around the stable, visiting the b -r-e when he could: and. to put a stop to this, he was Anally arrested when caught one night scaling the -tabic yard wall, with .nine carrots in his pocket that be had brought Im- Scham. and put into jail on a charge Of attempted burglary. News of tics occurrence reached Lord Godblphln. who lived in the neighb rhod and had already beard from tie Quaker the story of the bor-e and the Hoars remarkable devotion to him. He procured Agbas release, t -ok him into hi- own employ ami bought the borae of Rogers, who was exceedingly glad to get rill of him. Scham. with Agba in charge, wa-i tow sent to the Godolpuln breeding stables. Agba wa- overjoyed; the borae was mow again owned by a great sheik. I.ut il the Moor th ugh! a- he doubtle - did. that the horses leal va!m- was now recognired in- was -..on to barn hi- mis take, fir God Iphin regarded Scham only as an interesting specimen of tin- Oriental stock, ill no way comparable to the Engligb-bred In rscs that formed his stud, and had no thoaght of using blm a- a -ire. The bead of tin- stad the bore that held the place of honor in the stable- -was an Englsh bred stall! 11 named Hobgoblin, and to b m the best nines were bred. I.ut Agba ha I deli teiiniui-d that, by book or by crook, Scham bould have a chance ••• -how his value a .1 sire Anion-- others that bad been selected to breed to Hobgoblin wa- a beautiful mare named Roxana. She was a daughter • I Flying Childers an 1 U a de scenilant of the Darley Arabian, and was considered MM of the best Holies in the stable-. When the day arrived that she waj to be bred to Hobgoblin one of the grooms stood hosdhag hot mar the center if the stableyard, while from a gate at tile Farther end, the bead gram entered, leading ilobgobUn. A surprise was in stare tor the head groom. As be panned the I w burnt where Bchani was kept, ita door was sudd* nljr thrown wide open and Schani, with a shrill neigh, rushed out. Owing partly to his past record and partly to stories circulated by Agha. s.ham was greatly feared in tie stables, and when be came than loose into the yard both grooms deserted their horses ami lied. Hobgoblin, however, was more bra Ye; lie at once challenged the intruder, and in a moment the Oght was .ii. If tin ur us. from their reserved seats outside the gate, were not too frightened to offer a bet or two on tin resort of the eacoonter we may ha sure the] offered them on Hobgoblin, for he wai nnu-h the larger and heavier of the two horses. Bat they little knew the spirit of a true son of the desert: for. n t to go ino details, Si ham tlirashed the big stallimi. thrashed him thoroughly and well, thraabed liim till lie ign iminioasl? n. -,i . leaving Roxana to his . mqueror, who thus triumphed in both lore and war. When all waa over and Srliam. again in his stall. WM being petted and groomed by Agba. the head groom apoeared with the Information that the lat-Pr might •.nsider himself discharged fr in ser iee. ••Y.in bally eatlnn schemer! he shouted. "Just think of the hiirep.irable mi-chief youve done! Now u i 1 BOff tlie premises before is lordship as you put hoff!" r.ut success had transformed the Moor into a different creature. "Dog of an unbeliever! he screamed in his native tongue. "Hog of an unbeliever and vile travesty en horsemen, profane no longer the abode of a noble animal with thy destestable personality!" The dug of an unbeliever did not know what the words meant; but as they were re eafotccd by a good Moslem jab from the business end of a pitchfork he had no trouble in guessing their purport. He capitulated and at once sought Lord Godolphin. The tile -if the Moors duplicity tilled his hardship wilh rage: and. tbOBgb he did not dismiss lain from bis service. I,e gave him an opportunity !•• learn thai the English language contained pos-- bilitiea in invective not inferior to his own. As the wily Moor truly observed, however, this made lot little difference, as Roxana was now in leal to Schani. In due season Rmwi produced a fine colt, which was named I.ath. Lord Godolpbins views now began to change; for as Lath grew and dereloped he proved far superior in any if the get of Hobgoblin. And when, as a two-year eld. he easily bctt the best youngsters in England the value of his viie was tally established. Hobgoblin was deposed from his place of honor and Schani Installed in his stead as head of the stud, his owner giv ing him his own name; for Schani was none other one ol the greatest sires in all eipiine history. He died in 1753 at the supposed age of twenty-eight years. Breeders now bred back again and again to the Arabian strains till the blood of the barley and I G dolphin Arabians was in all their racing stock. And thus originated the English Thoroughbred: lor thoroughbred simply means bred thoroughly to the Arabian stock that formed its foundation. — David BulTum in Saturday Kvcning Tost.
