Journeys In Persia And Kurdistan ( Vol.Ii).

136 JOURNEYS IN PEBSIA LETTEK xxn

he " draws the line " is being led. He drags back, and a*
mulish look comes into his sweet eyes. But he follows
like a dog, and as I walk as much as I can I always have
him with me. He comes when I call him, stops when I
stop, goes off the road with me when I go in search of
flowers, and usually puts his head either on my shoulder or
under my arm. To him I am an embodiment of melons,
cucumbers, grapes, pears, peaches, biscuits, and sugar, with
a good deal of petting and ear-rubbing thrown in. Every
day he becomes more of a companion. He walks very
fast, gallops easily, never stumbles, can go anywhere, is
never tired, and is always hungry. I paid £4 :15s. for
him, hut he was bought from the Bakhtiaris for £3 :14s.
as a four-year-old. He is " up to " sixteen stone, jumps
very well, and is an excellent travelling horse.

Eedundant forelocks and wavy manes, uncut tails
carried in fiery fashion, small noses, quivering nostrils,
small restless ears, and sweet intelligent eyes add wonder-
fully to the attractiveness of the various points of ex-
cellence which attract a horse - fancier in Persia. A
Persian horse in good condition may be backed against
any horse in the world for weight-carrying powers,
endurance, steadiness, and surefootedness, is seldom un-
sound, and is to his rider a friend as well as a servant.
Generally speaking, a horse can carry his rider wherever
a mule can carry a load, and will do from thirty to forty
miles a day for almost any length of time.

The clothing of horses is an important matter. Even
in this hot weather they wear a good deal—first a parhan
or shirt of fine wool crossed over the chest; next the jul,
a similar garment, but in coarser wool; and at night over
all this is put the namad, a piece of felt half an inch
thick, so long that it wraps the animal from head to tail,
and so deep as to cover his body down to his knees. A
broad surcingle of woollen webbing keeps the whole in place.