season, the wife employs herself in leading the horses to water if the
fountain be not too distant, and in that case she goes herself to fetch
the water in goat-skin bags. When water fails entirely, she gives them
ewe's or camel's milk. At this hour the tent of an Arab chief presents a
truly singular spectacle. Oftentimes may be seen between the legs of the
women and the horses, in presence of a crowd of picturesquely attired
children, by the side of falcons beating their wings or greyhounds in a
state of excitement, a gazelle, an antelope, or an ostrich, running in
and out and jumping about, to beg a drop of that liquid so rare in the
desert but which is nevertheless given in abundance to the favourite of
the family. Now the evening is at hand. What means that dark speck on
the horizon? It is the young men of the _douar_[41] wearily regaining
the encampment, mounted on horses with hollow flanks, worn out, and
shoe-less. They have been out the whole day hunting, without eating or
drinking. Camels loaded with gazelles, hares, bustards, etc., follow
behind, but this prize, tempting though it be, will not save them from
the storm that awaits them: "Young men," their mothers will exclaim with
an angry voice, "it is disgraceful thus to ruin our horses for the sake
of a little useless game. You would do far better to spare them for the
day when the saliva will dry up in the mouth, for the day when riches
will not ransom the head."
During the great heats the women bring the horses into the tent, to
shelter them from the fierce rays of the sun. They wash and cleanse
them, and in the evening fill the nose-bags with barley to hang round
the neck of their petted animals. Each one, and it is a very important
point, receives a ration proportioned to his age and temperament and the
work he has gone through. These every day attentions and kindnesses as
we have already remarked and can not too often repeat, render the horses
gentle and affectionate. They neigh with pleasure at the approach of her
who tends them, and, as soon as they see her, turn their head gracefully
towards her. They go up to her, and she lays hold of them whenever it
pleases her, and if any one expresses surprise she will reply with
perfect simplicity: "How can you suppose that our mares will not
recognize the hand that caresses and feeds them? To how many gambols do
they not betake themselves in my presence? And when rising up on their
hind-feet behind my back they gently rest their legs on my shoulders—and
when they carry a young lamb in their teeth by its wool—and when they
slip into the tent to steal our kouskoussou—these are all associations
very dear to us. Besides, is it not I who, by giving them at proper
times milk or barley, have succeeded in tightening their bellies,
developing their chests, sharpening their heads, widening their
foreheads, and hardening their limbs? Behold them pass by the side of a
herd of gazelles and you would see no difference between the one and the
other: the same grace, the same vigour in their bounding, the same
swiftness in the course. Like the gazelles have they not eyes level with
the head, large eyeballs, bold, sharp ears, thin legs, a rounded croup,
and hoofs hard and well knit?"
REMARKS BY THE EMIR ABD-EL-KADER.
The details touching the education of the colt are true. It is what we
really do. Too great fatigue and too long journeys do not suit the colt
because they prevent the development of his strength and stature. The
_djeda_, or less than three years old colt is like a shrub—any
impediment in his way stops his growth. But what does suit the colt is
exercise and a cautiously graduated fatigue. He must be accustomed to
the saddle and bridle, but should only be ridden by a child or by a man
of discretion whose weight is in proportion to the age and strength of
the animal.
A very customary kind of exercise is after this manner. The colt is
mounted by a child, who, with a light stick in his hand, sets off at
full gallop. When the colt is tired, he stops, and browses, and lies
down as soon as he returns home. On the following morning they give him
a feed of barley and take him back to the same starting point, whence he
again sets off. This time he is expected to go a greater distance, and
in this manner they continue until they have obtained from him a course
twice as long as that of the first day.
The Arabs look for a free-going pace in a young horse, and they demand
three varieties of gallop; 1st a short gallop, such as is usual in
taking a ride for pleasure; 2nd a strong and regular gallop, useful in
war, or in hunting wild beasts; 3rd a gallop at full speed, as in races
or in fleeing for one's life. This last should not be too freely
indulged in.
In fine, the education of the colt should be commenced very early. This
is an excellent practice, and not to conform to it is disgraceful—it is
making a horse unfit for war. An animal that is not thoroughly trained
from its earliest years is intractable, difficult, and awkward: with the
slightest exertion it bursts out into a sweat and is good for nothing.
It is therefore incumbent in sparing the colt, as I have already said,
whatever may check his growth and the full development of his
proportions, to endeavour to obtain by work a horse that is supple and
patient of fatigue.
The first horse possessed by the Prophet was called _Ouskoub_, by reason
of his speed, for the word _sakab_ denotes water that escapes.
Another horse belonging to the Prophet was named _Mortadjez_, because of
the beauty of his neigh which resembled poesy and the harmonious metres
of the _Aadjaz_. He was of a white colour, and was also styled
"Gracious" and "Noble."
A third was known as the "Trailer," as if he trailed his tail along the
ground. A fourth was _El Hezzez_, "the fixed" or "the adherent," as if
he were already fixed and adherent at the goal it was proposed to reach.
Others affirm that his name referred to the vigourous set of his limbs.
A fifth was named the "Hill," either because of his height, or because
of the power and hardness of his limbs. The Prophet's sixth horse was
called the "Rose," on account of the colour of its coat, which was a
cross between a chestnut and a dark bay. The seventh was named the
"Swimmer," because of the beautiful movements of his shoulders, and
because in galloping he raised his fore-legs as if he were swimming.
His first horse, _Ouskoub_, was his favourite. He had besides these the
"Sea," the "Wolf," etc., etc.
It has been my object in recalling to mind these notices to teach the
Arabs the rule they ought to follow in naming their horses, which should
always be called after those of the Prophet. _Djarada_, a
javelin,—_Delim_, male ostrich,—_Rakib_, vigilant (the wild ass), are
likewise designations suitable to horses.
There are three kinds of horses: the first loads with crimes and belongs
to Satan; the second preserves from eternal fire and belongs to man; the
third brings down rewards and belongs to Allah.
Loads with crimes and belongs to Satan the horse that is trained out of
pride and ostentation, and kept to support wagers to play at games of
hazard, or to do injury to Mussulmans.
Preserves from the fire and belongs to man the horse reared for the
purpose of reproduction, to save his owner from poverty, and to be
useful to him in his personal affairs, without his wandering from the
way of God.
Lastly, draws down rewards and belongs to Allah the horse destined
exclusively for good works, in the interest of religion. The grass eaten
by such a horse in the field or the garden, his evacuations, the water
he drinks with his master on his back while crossing a river, without
even any intention on the part of the latter to give him to drink, are
inscribed by Allah in the register of good works.
Remonstrate with your horses, and they will avoid the faults which have
brought down your anger upon them, for they understand the wrath of man.
Treat them, however, habitually with great gentleness; and when you
mount them, fear not to guide them into the midst of a crowd or of
uproar. Let them hear the report of fire-arms, the _guellal_ (the
tabour), the shouts of men, and the cries of camels; let them see
everything, too, which appears strange to them, and in a short time they
will manifest neither surprise nor terror.
A man of a noble family of the Oued-Shelif[42] setting out for Mecca,
started in company with a few friends who wished to do him honour. He
was riding a blood mare, still in the possession of the family. Suddenly
she stumbled, and to punish her he gave her a smart cut with his bridle
end, which put her into such a state of agitation that for some minutes
she did nothing but rear and jump about from right to left. On his
return from Mecca he rode the same animal, and the friends who had
accompanied him on his departure went forth to meet him and give him
welcome. Scarcely had they reached the spot where the mare was beaten
than she began to rear and caper about, going through absolutely the
same movements as on the day she was struck. Every one was astonished at
this proof of extraordinary memory in an animal that had preserved for
a whole year the recollection of a punishment, and of the place where
she received it.
"Our noble coursers pass their time in vying with each other in
swiftness."
"The women wipe off with their veils the sweat that runs down their
faces."
"They balance their heads as if they would free themselves from the
fastenings that hold them captive, and are attentive to the slightest
command."
"On their backs are mounted fierce lions."
DIET.
If in the Sahara ewe's or camel's milk is frequently given to horses, it
must not be supposed that that is their only drink. It is more generally
a substitute for barley, which is a scarce commodity, than for water,
which is not usually difficult to find. The Arabs are convinced that
milk maintains health and strengthens the fibre, without increasing the
fat. It is needless to add that the rich who possess many she-camels are
less sparing of milk than the poor, who have hardly enough to satisfy
the wants of their families. The latter dilute it with water when they
can. In the spring time they make use of ewe's milk, to which at other
seasons they add camel's milk.
At Souf, Tougourt, Ouargla, Metlili, Gueleâa, and in the Touat, where
there are more camels than horses and where grain is scarcer than in the
first zone of the desert, dates oftentimes take the place of barley.
When they are dry they are given in a nosebag. In eating them the horse,
of himself, rejects the stones with considerable address. In certain
districts the stones are taken out and crushed in a mortar, and are then
mixed with the dates, which are likewise slightly bruised. Dates are
also given to horses before they are perfectly ripe, and are eaten
stones and all—being quite soft they do no harm. When it is desired to
mix the dates with the drink, the Arabs proceed after this fashion.
After the fruit is gathered they take three or four pounds of fresh
dates, and manipulate them in a large vase full of water until the pulp
of the date has become a sort of liquid paste. The skins and stones are
removed and the mixture after being well shaken is presented to the
animal. The date regimen makes fat, but does not harden the fibre.
In the first zone of the Sahara the ordinary diet of the horse is as
follows for each season:—In the spring the shoes are generally removed,
and the animals are turned out on the pastures, which at that period of
the year abound with a succulent and fragrant herbage known under the
generic name of _el âacheub_. They are clogged. Care is taken to avoid
the districts where the _ledena_ is met with, a velvety plant the leaves
of which resemble a rat's ear. It grows close to the ground and is
usually covered up and hidden in the sand. It brings on colics that for
the most part terminate fatally. Persons of distinction who keep many
servants, and experienced horsemen, never give green food to their war
horses. Rich or poor, no one gives barley, which is replaced by ewe's
milk, which in this season is very abundant, and preserves the horse in
perfect condition. The animals are watered only once a day, at two in
the afternoon.
In summer the Saharenes proceed to the Tell to lay in their provision of
grain. They are surrounded by unfriendly strangers, and sometimes by
enemies. They do not, therefore, care to send their horses out to graze,
as they would run the risk of being stolen. Nor are they sorry to have
them close at hand in case of any of the numerous accidents happening
which so often occur. Barley and barley straw are purchased from their
hosts: it is the period of the year when the animals fare most
liberally. I mention barley straw, because no Arab would ever consent to
feed his horses on fresh wheaten straw. They fancy it produces jaundice
if used before the winter. If, perchance, any thing should prevent them
from going to buy grain in the Tell, as the plains afford no herbage but
what is dried up by the sun, they make for the mountains of the Sahara,
where there is a better chance of coming across rivers, or ponds, or at
least marshes. If this resource fails them, they encamp in the
neighbourhood of the _Kuesours_[43] where straw can be had for money or
in the way of barter. In either case the mares alone are sent out to
graze, the horses being fastened in front of the tents. Whatever be the
temperature, the Arabs never give their horses that mixture of bran,
barley meal, and water which we call a mash, and of which we make such a
mistaken use. They accuse it of relaxing the tissues and of weakening
the system, while favouring the growth of fat, an evil they dread above
all things. When their horses are over heated they lessen their work,
and if they can procure it they give them green barley straw, and if
that is not to be had they have recourse to cooling baths. As to the
barley, they like it heavy, without any bad smell, and free from the
dirt which gets mixed with it in the "silos," as well as from the black,
withered, and blighted grains which have been struck by the South wind.
In autumn the horses are again turned out into the pastures, where they
find the _shiehh_, that invaluable resource of the Sahara, so that it is
said in praise of a man who is as capable as he is modest:
So-and-so is like the shiehh:
He has parts, but is no prattler.
So much for the day. At night are given handfuls of _seurr_, a species
of thorny shrub. It is cut down close to the ground, and beaten with a
stick to get rid of the dry prickles, which might injure the œsophagus,
or the membranous lining of the stomach. It contains many nutritive
elements. Another plant somewhat resembling the common bramble and
called _el âdem_ is prepared in a similar manner.
The horse is watered only once in the twenty-four hours, about two in
the afternoon. That time is thought the most favourable because the
water will have lost something of its coldness,—the temperature then
falling every day. Those who are well off give barley, but the poor
cannot always do so.
In winter the horses continue to be sent to the pastures, which are now
verdant in proportion to the rain that has fallen. The _shiehh_, the
_âdem_, the _derine_,[44] etc., are met with, and afford a very
sufficient diet. At night _bouse_ is thrown to them in quantities. It is
called by the Arabs "brother of the barley," so highly do they
appreciate its nutritive properties. _Bouse_ is in fact, nothing else
than the _alfa_,[45] which, at the moment of forming its ear, having
been pulled by its upper part has come away and got separated from its
sheath. Being gathered into small sheaves it is cut up in pieces and
answers the purpose of chopped straw. The _alfa_ is turned to account in
yet another manner. Its roots are laid bare with a mattock and being
freed from their reddish coating, are eaten with avidity by the animal.
This article of food takes the name of _gueddeine_ or _zemouna_,
according to the locality. It is nutritious, but not a substitute for
barley. Hay is unknown in the desert. The Arabs might, if they chose,
lay up an abundant supply of it for the winter, but they reject it as
having a tendency to make a horse heavy, to soften the fibre, and in
the long run to occasion inflammatory disorders. The animals are watered
only once a day as in autumn. It is a proverbial saying with the Arabs
that "The food of the morning goes out into the draught, while that of
the evening passes into the croup." They affirm, therefore, that if the
horse has drunk sufficient over night, and eaten heartily through the
night, there is not the slightest inconvenience in not giving him
anything on the morrow, especially if he has to set out early in the
morning. Thus in our camps, with fifteen to eighteen hundred Arab
horsemen making part of the expedition, what did we witness? Every
officer of the old African army can vouch for the truth of what I am
about to say:
Contrary to our habits, to the very last moment the most perfect
tranquillity continued to reign in the Arab bivouac. Not a minute was
taken from the rest of the animal. They gave him nothing either to eat
or to drink. The instant before starting they rubbed him down with a
nose-bag. The saddle replaced the covering worn through the night. The
bridle was put on, the tents struck, the morning prayer offered up, and
at the hour named they were on the march. More than once I have happened
to testify my surprise at such a system, but always received the same
reply: "Why wouldst thou do for thy horse what thou wouldst not do for
thyself? If thou leavest the table at ten or eleven at night, canst thou
sit down again to it on the morrow at the dawn of day?" With this
regimen the animals remain thin and slender. They are always ready to
march or gallop, or do whatever hard work may be required of them. They
pick up in an astonishing manner when instead, of a few handfuls of
barley and what they can graze off plains parched by a burning sun, they
fall in with the produce of the Tell. How would it be, then, if they
were placed on the diet of European horses? Instead of their flesh being
firm they would get quite fat, and so gain in our estimation, but they
would lose in that of the Arabs, who little appreciate that style of
beauty generally acquired at the cost of the best qualities of a war
horse.
However, if the Arab is too genuine a horseman not to attach the
greatest importance to vigour, he is on the other hand too fond of pomp
and distinction and the _fantasia_—to use a word already popular in
Europe—not to bestow upon himself, when he can, the luxury of a horse
for show and parade. It is therefore no rare thing to see Arabs of high
position leave their favourite mares for three or four months fastened
in front of their tents, without putting them to any work. They thus get
into good condition, and are employed only at festivals and marriage
feasts and on occasions when the chiefs are particularly anxious to
distinguish themselves. For the chace, for razzias, and for long and
arduous journeys, they keep horses of less apparent value, but of which
they are sure, and do not fear to fatigue them. The mares to which we
have alluded are equipped with great ostentation. The _stara_, or
cloths, and the bridles are embroidered with pure gold, the stirrups are
plated or gilt, and the felt saddle-cloths are as fine as cloth; the
most esteemed coming from Ouareglâa.
REMARKS OF THE EMIR ABD-EL-KADER.
One of the Prophet's companions as he went out one morning found him
wiping with his cloak the head of his horse. "Why, with thy cloak?"
"What know'st thou?" replied the Prophet. "It may be that the Angel
Gabriel has been angry with me on his account last night." "At least let
me give him his food." "Ah!" cried the Prophet, "Thou would'st take for
thyself all the rewards, for the Angel Gabriel has told me that every
grain of barley eaten by the horse is accounted to me for a good work."
The Saharene gives his horse camel's milk to drink which has the
particular property of imparting speed, so that a man—according to what
is said by reliable persons who guarantee the truth of the statement—if
he takes nothing else for a sufficient time, will attain to such a
degree of swiftness that he may vie with the camels themselves. In fact,
camel's milk strengthens the brain and the tendons, and does away with
fat, which produces a relaxation of the muscles.
In some parts of the Sahara the chiefs and horsemen of renown never give
green food to their war horses. Milk, barley, and the plants known by
the names of _shiehh_, _derine_, _bouse_, and _seuliane_ form their sole
keep. This diet does not enlarge the belly or fatten like green food,
which distends the intestinal canal, partly because of the enormous
quantity consumed by the animal before he is satisfied, and partly
because of the water it contains.
In summer the horses are not watered until three o'clock in the
afternoon. In winter they are watered rather earlier—from noon to one.
It is the time of day when in the open air the water has lost much of
its coldness. These principles are expressed in the following proverb,
known to the meanest horseman of the desert:—
In the hot season[46] put back the hour of the watering-place
And put forward that of the nose-bag;
In the cold season put forward the hour of the watering-place,
And put back that of the nose-bag.
Among the desert tribes, for forty days counting from the month of
August, the horses are watered only every other day. The same method is
pursued during the last twenty days of December and the first twenty
days of January. In cold weather the rich let their horses have as much
barley as they can eat, but decrease the ration considerably in hot
weather. Milk and _bouse_ may be substituted for barley. It is seldom
that any thing to eat is given in the morning. The horse marches upon
the food of the previous evening, and not on that of the same day.
Looking at two horses, one from the Tell and the other from the Sahara,
a man who has not studied the subject will always prefer the former,
which he will find handsome, heavy, sleek, and fat, while he will
despise the second, fool that he is, and abuse the very points which
constitute his worth—that is, the fine, dry extremities, the tightened
belly, and the bare ribs. And yet this horse of the desert that has
never been accustomed to barley, green food, or straw, but only
_shiehh_, _bouse_, and _seuliane_, that has never had any thing but milk
to drink and from his earliest years has served at the chace and in war,
will have the swiftness of the gazelle and the patience of the dog,
while the other will never be any thing but an ox by his side.
The greatest enemies of the horse are repose and fat.
GROOMING, HYGIENE, PROPORTIONS.
Grooming is unknown in the Sahara. The horses are merely wiped down with
woollen rags, and covered with very good _djellale_, or rugs that
envelop both the croup and the chest. In truth, labour of this sort is
little wanted, the horses being habitually placed in a healthy spot, on
raised ground, and sheltered from draughts. Arabs who have observed us
grooming our horses morning and evening with elaborate carefulness,
pretend that this continual rubbing of the epidermis, especially with
the curry-comb, injures their health, and renders them delicate and
impressionable, and consequently incapable of supporting the fatigues of
war, or at all events more liable to disease.
When the weather is hot and facilities exist for the purpose, the horses
are washed morning and evening. Frequently in winter time they are
fastened up inside the tents, which are very roomy, to shelter them from
the sun and rain. The great thing is to keep them clean. One day a horse
was led up to the Prophet who examined it, rose up, and without saying a
word, wiped his face, eyes, and nostrils with the sleeves of his
under-garment. "What! with your own garments!" exclaimed the bystanders.
"Certainly," replied he; "the Angel Gabriel has more than once rebuked
me, and has commanded me to act thus."
In winter the covering is kept on day and night; and in summer until
three o'clock when it is taken off, but put on again at eight for the
whole night, to preserve the animal from cold and dew, which are all the
more dangerous, say the Arabs, because the skin has been heated
throughout the day by a burning sun. The following proverb expresses
their dread of the cold of summer nights:—
The cold of summer
Is worse than a sabre cut.