to whose rare qualities we have endeavoured to do justice, was very
inferior to the true Arabian. Notwithstanding a conviction based on a
lengthened experience and a grave study of the subject, we have made it
our duty to take up and discuss an opinion put forth with an air of
authority. We were willing to accept as umpire in this dispute, a man
whose intelligence, whose habits, whose whole life, render him a supreme
judge in all matters relating to horse-flesh—the Emir Abd-el-Kader. We
addressed to that genuine horseman a letter in which we frankly
expressed the objections which each of our assertions had encountered.
His reply to this letter is given below. It will be seen from this
curious document that the Emir does not confine himself to the
confirmation of the proposition we advanced, but develops by reflections
or by facts the whole of our opinions. According to his statement, the
Barbary horse, so far from degenerating from the Arab, is, on the
contrary, superior to him. The Berbers, he says, formerly inhabited
Palestine, where they reared the animal that has become the type of a
perfect war horse. Having emigrated to Africa through the vicissitudes
of their life of adventure, they paid the utmost attention to the guest
of their tents, the instrument of their hunting expeditions, their
comrade in the fight. Their horses thus preserved such eminent
qualities, that an Asiatic sovereign engaged in a perilous war, sent for
them from the Berbers. The reader will appreciate the value of this
historical dissertation which, from whatever point of view it be
examined, does not the less possess an interest that cannot be
contested. It is quite certain that the Barbary horse is indebted to the
climate in which he flourishes, to the education which he receives, to
the food that is given to him, to the privations that are familiar to
him, for a vigour that enables him to equal, if not to surpass the most
vaunted steeds of Persia and Upper Egypt. Supported by the following
letter, we hold ourselves justified in repeating that all the horses of
Asia and Africa may be blended together under one common denomination.
We oppose to the European horse, one identical horse—the horse of the
Orient—which, thanks to our conquest of Algeria, we believe will be
daily called upon to render to our country services more and more
valuable and more and more valued.
This is the letter from the Emir Abd-el-Kader, which he forwarded to me
from Broussa:
Praise to the one God! His reign alone is eternal!
May the profoundest peace and the most perfect divine beneficence be
extended to the person of General Daumas,—of him who ardently seeks for
the solution of the most obscure questions! May Allah conduct and
protect him!
To proceed: You have asked us our opinion on Barbary horses, their
character, and their origin. To give you satisfaction I am again turning
my attention to these subjects, and can do nothing better to-day than
send you some extracts taken from the poetical works of the famous
Aâmrou-el-Kaïs, who lived a short time before the coming of the Prophet.
They refer to the superiority of the horses of the Berbers, and I think
you will there find proofs against those who maintain that those
admirable animals are of an inferior stamp. The poet remarks, while
addressing himself to Cæsar, Emperor of Constantinople, in a long piece
of versification:
"And I answer thee, if ever I am reinstated as King, we will ride a race
where you shall see the horseman lean forward over his saddle to
increase the speed of his courser;
"A race across a space trampled down on all sides, where no higher marks
are distinguishable to direct the traveller, than the hump of an aged
Nabathæan camel loaded with years and uttering plaintive moanings.
"We shall be borne, I tell thee, on a horse accustomed to nocturnal
journeys, a steed of the Barbary race; with slender flanks like a wolf
of Gada; a steed that rushes along on his rapid course, and whose flanks
are running with sweat.
"When, slackening the bridle, the rider urges him on still faster by
striking him with the reins on either side, he quickens his rapid
course, bending his head to his flanks and champing the bit.
"And when I say: 'Let us rest;' the horseman stops as by enchantment and
begins to sing, remaining in the saddle on this vigorous horse, the
muscles of whose thighs are long drawn out and whose tendons are lean
and well apart."
Aâmrou-el-Kaïs was one of the ancient Kings of Arabia, who took infinite
pains to procure Barbary horses wherewith to combat his enemies. He was
doubtful of success if obliged to trust himself to the qualities of Arab
horses. It is not possible, in my opinion, to give a more invincible
proof of the superiority of the Barb. After testimony like this any one
who should dispute it would be quite unable to adduce an allegation of
the slightest value.
The Berbers, as stated by El-Massoudi, are descended from the
Beni-Ghassan, while other writers affirm that they come from the
Beni-Lekhm and the Djouzam. Their native country was Palestine, whence
they were expelled by one of the Kings of Persia. They then emigrated to
Egypt, but the souvereign of that country refusing them permission to
settle here, they crossed the Nile and spread over the regions to the
westward of the other side of the river.
Maleck-ben-el-Merahel says that the Berbers form a very numerous
population composed of Hymiar, Modher, Copts, Amalkas, and Kanéan, who
became amalgamated in the province of Sham (Syria) and took the name of
Berbers. Their immigration into the Maghreb, according to this historian
with whom El-Massoudi, El-Souheili, and El-Zabari also agree, was owing
to their marching under Ifrikesh to the conquest of the African
peninsula.
Ibn-el-Kelbi asserts that opinions are divided as to the real name of
the chief under whose guidance the Berbers emigrated from Syria towards
the Maghreb. Some will have it that it was under the Prophet David,
others name Youssha-ben-Enoun, others again Ifrikesh, and yet others
certain Kings of the Zobor.
El-Massoudi adds that they did not emigrate until after the death of
Goliath and that they established themselves in the province of Barka
and in the Maghreb, after having vanquished the Frendj (Franks). They
then invaded Sicily, Sardinia, the Balearic Isles, and Spain. Still
later it was stipulated between them and the Frendj that the latter
should occupy the towns, while the former should fix themselves in the
deserts which extend from Alexandria to the Ocean.
Ibn-Abd-el-Berr affirms that the establishment of the Berbers extended
from the extremity of Egypt, that is, from the regions situated behind
Barka to the Green Sea, and from the sea of Andalusia to the end of the
deserts which border on Soudan. On this frontier line a tribe bearing
the name of Berbers still exists between the Habeuch (Abyssinians) and
the Zendy (Zanzibar). The author of the _Kamous_ (an Arabic Dictionary)
makes mention of them, but they are a very insignificant tribe, whose
trivial and obscure history records not a single important event.
The essential point here is the extract from the poet Aâmrou-el-Kaïs on
the subject of Barbary horses. As for the Berbers themselves, every
thing proves that they have been known from time immemorial and that
they came from the East to settle in the Maghreb, where we find them at
the present day.
Peace be with you, at the end as at the beginning of this letter on the
part of your friend.
ABD-EL-KADER-BEN-MAHHIDDIN.
May Allah cover him with His blessings!
Broussa, the 1st of Safer, 1269-1854.
Since the above was written, I have received a proof confirmatory of my
opinion as to the excellence of the Barbary horse and its perfect
equality with other horses of oriental extraction. It is this:
Paris,—185—
MY DEAR GENERAL,
I forward you a copy of the official report of the races which came off
at Alexandria in Egypt on the 25th July, 1836. I give you full
permission to introduce it in your work as a useful argument in support
of your thesis on the excellence of the Barb. I have already related to
you how these races took place in consequence of a conversation I had
with Mehemet-Ali, in the course of which the Viceroy of Egypt bantered
me on the arrival of a horse which my brother Jules had sent me from
Tunis.
Accept, etc., etc.
FERD. DE LESSEPS.
DISTANCE RUN: 4-1/2 KILOMÈTRES (NEARLY 2-4/5 MILES) IN A STRAIGHT LINE.
=1st Heat.=
Nejdi horse, dappled-gray, 4-1/2 yrs, the property of Subi-Bey, ridden
by the owner.
Nejdi horse, bred in Cairo, bay, 9 yrs, the property of M. Jules Pastré,
ridden by the owner.
Anézé horse, from Syria, iron gray, 3-1/2 yrs, the property of M.
Méreinier, ridden by M. J. Dufey.
Nejdi horse, bred in Cairo, the property of H. E. Moharrem-Bey, son in
law of Mehemet-Ali, and ridden by Terata-Tutemy-i-Bashi of the Pasha.
* * * * *
The horse ridden by M. Jules Pastré was the first in.
=2nd Heat.=
Barbary horse, from Tunis, bay, 4 yrs, the property of M. Ferd. de
Lesseps, ridden by the owner.
Nejdi horse, white, 6-1/2 yrs, the property of M. Etienne Rolland,
ridden by M. J. Dufey.
Nejdi horse, bay, 5 yrs, the property of Subi-Bey, ridden by the owner.
Nejdi horse, bred in Cairo, 7 yrs, the property of H. E. Moharrem-Bey,
ridden by Cerkès-Osman-Sakallé.
* * * * *
The Barb ridden by M. de Lesseps was the winner.
=3rd Heat.=
Nejdi horse, bred in Cairo, gray, 6 yrs, the property of
Hussein-Effendi, ridden by the owner.
Nejdi horse, dappled-gray, 5-1/2 yrs, the property of Dr Gaetani-Bey,
ridden by M. Ferd. de Lesseps.
Nejdi horse, bred in Cairo, iron gray, 6 yrs, the property of M. W.
Peel, ridden by the owner.
Samian horse, bay, 9 yrs, the property of Ibrahim-Effendi-Bimbashi,
ridden by the owner.
* * * * *
The Egyptian horse ridden by Hussein-Effendi was the winner.
=4th Heat.=
Nejdi horse, bred in Cairo, bay, 8 yrs, the property of M. Henricy,
ridden by M. Escalon.
Egyptian horse, from Atfeh, bay, 8 yrs, the property of M. Samuel Muir
Junior, ridden by M. Sanders.
Nejdi horse, bred in Cairo, bay, 8 yrs, the property of Turki-Bashi,
ridden by the owner.
Nejdi horse, gray, 4 yrs, the property of M. Roquerbe, ridden by M.
Bartolomeo.
* * * * *
Won by the Nejdi horse ridden by M. Bartolomeo.
=Recapitulation of the Winners.=
1st Heat, Cairo horse, the property of M. Pastré, ridden by the owner.
2nd Heat, Barbary horse, the property of M. Ferd. de Lesseps, ridden by
the owner.
3rd Heat, Cairo horse, the property of Hussein-Effendi, ridden by the
owner.
4th Heat, Nejdi horse, the property of M. Roquerbe, ridden by M.
Bartolomeo.
* * * * *
According to previous agreement the four winning horses having gone over
the same ground, were to contend against one another in a fifth heat.
They came in in the following order:
1st. Barbary horse, the property of M. Ferd. de Lesseps, ridden by the
owner.
2nd. Cairo horse, the property of M. Jules Pastré, ridden by the owner.
3rd. Nejdi horse, the property of M. Roquerbe, ridden by M. Bartolomeo.
4th. Nejdi horse, the property of Hussein-Effendi, ridden by the owner.
Certified the accuracy of the above report.
_Signed_: FERD. DE LESSEPS.
To finish with the Barb and to give, over and above the other qualities
he possesses, an exact idea of his strength and spirit, I cannot do
better than state the weight carried in most of our expeditions by the
horse of a chasseur d'Afrique.
WEIGHT CARRIED BY THE HORSE OF A CHASSEUR D'AFRIQUE SETTING OUT ON AN
EXPEDITION.
Kilogr.[3] Hectogr. Décagr.
Horseman armed and in full uniform 82 — —
Equipments and pistol 24 — —
Bread for two days 1 5 —
Biscuit for three days 1 6 5
Coffee for five days — 6 —
Sugar for five days — 6 —
Bacon for five days 1 — —
Rice for five days — 3 —
Salt — — 8
Pressed hay for five days 25 — —
Barley for five days 20 — —
Three packets of cartridges 1 3 —
Four horse-shoes 1 6 —
---------- -------- -------
TOTAL (350 lbs) 159 6 3
159 kilogrammes, or 19 more than the horse of a carabineer, and 26 more
than the horse of a cuirassier in France. This weight, of course,
decreases as the column proceeds on its march.
Delivered the 31st February 1847, by Colonel Duringer, at the moment of
departure of a column.
Now, a horse that, in a country often rough and difficult, marches,
gallops, ascends, descends, endures unparalleled privations, and goes
through a campaign with spirit, with such a weight on his back, is he,
or is he not, a war horse?
THE HORSES OF THE SAHARA.
To a pastoral and a nomadic people, roaming our vast grazing grounds,
and whose numbers bear no proportion to the extent of their territories,
the horse is a necessity of life. With his horse, the Arab trades and
travels, looks after his numerous flocks, distinguishes himself in
battle, at weddings, and at the festivals of his marabouts. He makes
love, he makes war: space is nothing to him. Thus, the Arabs of the
Sahara still give themselves up with ardour to the rearing of horses.
They know full well the value of blood, they pay great attention to
crossing the breed, and try every means to improve the species. The
state of anarchy in which they have lived in these latter times has
naturally modified some of their habits, but it has effected no change
in this condition of their existence—the breeding, perfecting and
training of horses.
The love of the horse has passed into the Arab blood. That noble animal
is the friend and comrade of the chief of the tent. He is one of the
servants of the family. His habits, his requirements are made an object
of study. He is the burden of their songs, the favourite topic of
conversation. Day by day in the gatherings outside the _douar_, where
age alone enjoys the privilege of speech, and which are marked by the
decorous behaviour of the listeners, seated in a circle on the sand or
on the turf, the young men add to their practical knowledge the counsels
and traditions of their seniors. Religion, war, the chase, love, and
horses, inexhaustible subjects of observation, make regular schools of
these open air meetings, in which warriors are formed and develop their
intelligence in collecting a mass of facts, precepts, proverbs, and
sententious sayings, the application of which will only too frequently
occur in the course of the perilous life they have to lead. It is thus
they acquire that knowledge of horse-flesh which we are so astonished to
meet with in the humblest horseman of a desert tribe. He can neither
read nor write, and yet every phrase in his conversation rests upon the
authority of the learned commentators of the Koran, or of the Prophet
himself. "Our lord Mohammed declared"—"Sidi-Ahmed-ben-Youssef says in
addition"—"Si-ben-Dyab relates"—And you may take him on trust, this
learned ignoramus, for all these texts, all these anecdotes, which for
the most part are only to be found in books, he for his part derives
from the _tholbas_ or from his chiefs, who, unconsciously come, as it
were, to a mutual understanding, to develop or maintain among the people
the love of the horse, useful precepts, sound doctrines, and the best
rules of hygiene. The whole is sometimes tainted, no doubt, with gross
prejudices and ridiculous superstitions. It is a picture with much
shading. But let us not be too severe: it is not so very long since very
nearly the same absurdities were proclaimed in France as indisputable
truths.
I was talking one day with a marabout of the tribe of the
Oulad-Sidi-Schik about the horses of his country, and pretended to
question some of the opinions he had expressed. "You cannot understand
that, you Christians," he exclaimed, abruptly rising to his feet, "but
horses are our riches, our joys, our life, our religion. Has not the
Prophet said: 'The good things of this life, even to the day of the last
judgment, shall be suspended from the hairs which are between the eyes
of your horses?'"
"I have read the Koran," I replied, "but have never met with those
words."
"You will not find them in the Koran, which is the voice of Allah, but
in the conversations of our lord Mohammed (_Hadite sidna Mohammed_)."
"And you believe in them?" I retorted.
"Before taking my leave of you, I will show you what may happen to those
who have faith." And my companion gravely recited the following history:
"A poor man confiding in the words of the Prophet which I have just
repeated to you, came one day upon a dead mare. So he cut off her head
and buried it under the threshold of his door, saying to himself: 'I
shall become rich if it please Allah' (_An-sha-Allah_). Days, however,
followed each other, but no riches came, and yet the Believer never
doubted. The Sultan of the country being on his way to visit a holy
spot, happened by accident to pass before the lowly abode of the poor
Arab. It was situated at the end of a small plain bordered by large
trees and watered by a pretty rivulet. The scene pleasing him, he halted
his brilliant escort, and dismounted to rest himself in the shade. Just
as he was about to give the signal to continue the journey his steed,
which a slave was employed to look after, impatient to devour space,
began to neigh and to paw the ground, and presently broke loose. All the
efforts of the _saïs_ (grooms) to catch him again were for a long time
in vain and every one was in despair, when they beheld him stop suddenly
of himself at the threshold of an old hut which he smelt at while
throwing up the ground with his forefeet. An Arab, until that moment an
unmoved spectator, went up to him without frightening him, as if he had
been known to him, caressed him with hand and voice, laid hold of him by
the mane, the bridle being in a thousand pieces, and without any
difficulty led him quietly up to the astonished Sultan.
"How have you contrived," demanded his greatness, "thus to tame one of
the most fiery steeds of Arabia?"
"You will no longer be surprised, my lord," replied the man of faith,
"when you learn that, having been taught that all the good things of
this world unto the day of judgment shall be suspended from the hairs
which are between the eyes of our horses, I buried under the door-way of
my house the head of a mare I found lying dead. The rest has come to
pass through the blessing of Allah."
"The Sultan instantly caused the ground to be dug up at the spot
indicated, and when he had thus verified the statement of the Arab, he
hastened to recompense one who had not hesitated to give an entire faith
to the words of the Prophet. The poor man received the present of a fine
horse, superb garments, and riches enough to place him beyond the reach
of want for the rest of his days."
"You now know," continued the marabout, "what may happen to those who
believe," and without waiting for my reply he saluted me with the eyes
after the manner of the Arabs, and withdrew.
This legend is popular in the Sahara, and the words of the Prophet on
which it is founded are there an article of faith. Whether the Prophet
uttered them or not, they do not the less surely answer the end proposed
to himself by their imputed author. The Arab loves honours, power,
riches. To tell him that all that was attached to the long hairs of his
horse was to endear it to him, to bind it to him by the bond of a common
interest. The genius of the Prophet doubtless went much farther. He
fully understood that the mission of conquest which he had bequeathed to
his people could only be accomplished by hardy horsemen, and that the
love of the horse must be developed in them simultaneously with faith in
Islam. These injunctions, which all tend towards the same end, are
clothed in various forms. The marabout and the thaleb strung them
together as sayings and legends, the noble (_djieud_) as traditions, and
the common people as proverbs. Subsequently, proverbs, traditions, and
legends, assumed a religious character which has for ever accredited
them to the great family of Mussulmans: for it is the will of the
Prophet that his own people, to the exclusion of all infidels, should
reserve to themselves these powerful instruments of war, which in the
hands of the Christians might become so fatal to the Mussulman religion.
This inner motive, which the common people of the tent may not have
seen, through the symbolical veil behind which it was concealed, has not
escaped the perception of the Arab chiefs. The Emir Abd-el-Kader, when
at the height of his power, inflicted death without mercy on every
Believer convicted of having sold a horse to a Christian. In Morocco the
exportation of these animals is hampered with such heavy duties that the
permission to take them out of the kingdom is altogether illusory. At
Tunis the same reluctance yields only to the imperious necessities of
policy, and in like manner at Tripoli, in Egypt, at Constantinople, in
short in all Mussulman States.[4]
If you speak of horses to a _djieud_, the noble of the tent, who still
plumes himself on his ancestors having fought with ours in Palestine, he
will tell you:
The mounting of horses,
The letting slip greyhounds from the leash,
And the clinking of ear-rings,
Draw the maggots out of your head.
If your interlocutor is one of those horsemen (_mekhazeni_) whose
bronzed face, pepper-and-salt beard, and prominent exostosis[5] on the
tibia announce that he has gone through many adventures, he will say to
you:
Horses for a quarrel,
Camels for the desert,
And oxen for poverty.
Or he will remind you that when the Prophet was engaged in expeditions,
in order to induce the Arabs to tend their horses properly, he always
gave two-thirds of the prize to whomsoever had accompanied him on the
best horse.
The voluptuous Thaleb, man of God for the world who lives in
contemplative idleness, without any other occupation than that of
writing talismans and making amulets for all men and women who want
them, will repeat to you with his eyes on the ground:
The paradise of earth is to be found on horseback,
In the study of books,
Or on the bosom of a woman,
he will add if no prudish ears are at hand.
Again, if you question one of those aged patriarchs who are renowned for
their wisdom, their experience, and their hospitality, he will answer
you:
"Sidi-Aomar, the companion of the Prophet, hath said: 'Love horses, tend
them well, for they are worthy of your tenderness. Treat them like your
own children, nourish them like friends of the family, clothe them with
care! For the love of Allah, do not neglect to do this, or you will
repent of it _in this house and in the next_.'"
Finally, if you have the good fortune to encounter in your journey one
of those wandering story-tellers (_me-dahh_, _fessehh_) who pass their
lives in travelling about from tribe to tribe, to amuse the abundant
leisure of these warrior-shepherds, supported by a player on the flute
(_kuesob_), and accompanying himself on a tabour (_bendaïr_), he will
chaunt to you with a hollow but not unmusical voice:
My horse is the lord of horses!
He is blue as the pigeon beneath the shade,
And his black hairs are like waves;
He bears hunger and thirst; he outstrips the eyesight;
And, true drinker of air,
He blackens the heart of our enemies
In the days when muzzles touch each other.
Mebrouk[6] is the pride of the country.
My uncle has thoroughbred mares, whose distant sires
Are counted in our tribes since the ancient times,
Gentle and timid as daughters of the Guebla[7].
You would say they were gazelles
Feeding in the valleys under the eye of their dams.
To see them, is to forget the authors of our days.
Covered with _djellals_[8] which make our flowers look pale,
They march like Sultanas attired for a fête,
A negro of Kora[9] tends them,
Gives them pure barley, and milk to drink,
And leads them to the bath.
Allah preserve them from the evil eye![10]
For his much loved mares
My uncle demanded Mebrouk in marriage,
And I said to him: No;
Mebrouk is my support, I wish to keep him
Proud, full of health, dexterous and fleet.
Time turns on itself and returns;
There may be no dispute to-day, but to-morrow, perhaps, we shall see
The hour of strife approach with rapid strides.
For a skin full of blood, my uncle replied,
Thou hast made my face yellow[11] before all my children.
The earth is vast: adieu.
Mebrouk, why this neighing night and day?
Thou betrayest my ambush and warnest my enemies,
Thy thoughts wander too much to the daughters of our coursers,
I will marry thee, o my son!
But where shall I find my friends
Whose mares are so noble, and their she-camels such treasures?
Their tidings are buried in the earth;
Where are their spacious tents so pleasant to the eye?
In them were spread the carpet and the mat;
In them was offered the hospitality of Allah,
And the poor man filled his belly.
They are vanished!
The scout viewed the hillocks,
The brave marched in the front rank,
The shepherds drove the flocks after them,
And the hunters, on the track of their sharp greyhounds,
Chased the gazelle.
Have you heard speak of the tribe of my brethren?
No! Well, come with me and count their numerous horses:
There are colours which will please you.
Behold those horses white as snow that falls in its proper season;
Those black as the slave carried off from Soudan;
Those others green[12] as the reed that grows on the banks of rivers;
Those, again, red as blood that spirts first from a wound,
And those blue[13] as a pigeon when it flies beneath the sky.
Where are those rifles so straight,
quicker than the winking of an eye?
That powder from Tunis, and those balls turned out in moulds,[14]
Which pierced the bones, tore the liver,
And made the stricken perish with mouth wide open?
When I cease to sing, I am still transported thither by my heart;
For it burns for my brethren with a fire that consumes my interior.
Nowhere have I seen such warriors.
O Allah! strike with blindness those who bear them envy!
Have they not spacious tents well provided with carpets,
Mats, cushions, saddles, and rich arms?
The traveller and the orphan are they not always received there
By these words of our sires: "You are welcome!"
Their wives, bright as the corn-poppy,
Are they not borne on camels,
Those ships of the earth,
That march with the noble gait of the ostrich?
Are they not covered with veils
Which trailing far behind them fill even the marabouts with despair!
Are they not adorned with ornaments, gems enriched with coral,
And the blue tattoo on their arms, was it not pleasant to behold?
Every thing about them charmed the heart of the believers in Allah;
You would say they were bean-flowers created by the Eternal.