Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/466

 4j8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fixteen hands high, of the breed of the old Saracen horfes, all finely made, and as llrong as our coach-horfes, but ex- ceedingly nimble in their motion ; rather thick and fliort in the forehand, but with the moil beautiful eyes, ears, and heads in the world ; they were moflly black, fome of them black and white, fome of them milk- white foaled, fo not white by age, with white eyes and white hoofs, not per- haps a great recommendation.

A STEEL fliirt of mail hung upon each man's quarters oppofite to his horfe, and by it an antelope's fkin made foft like Ihamoy, with which it was covered from the dew of the night. A head-piece of copper, without crell or plumage, was fufpended by a lace above the fliirt of mail, and was the moft pidlurefque part of the trophy. To thefe was add- ed an enormous broad-fword in a red leather fcabbard ; and upon the pummel hung two thick gloves, not divided into fingers as ours, but like hcdgers gloves, their finders in one poke. They told me, that, within that inclofure at Aira, there were 400 horfes, which, with the riders, and ar- mour complete for each of them, were all the property of Shekh Adelan, every horfeman being his flave, and bought with his money. There were five or h^ (I know not which) of thefe fquares or inclofures,noneof them.half amile from the othei-, which contained the king's horfes, flaves, and fer- vants. -Whether they were all in as good order as Adelan's 1 cannot fay, for I did not go further ; but no body of horfe could ever be more magnillcently difpofed^under the direc- tion of any Ghriftian power.

Adelan was then fitting upon a piece of the trunk of a

palm-tree, in the front of one of thefe divifions of liis hor-

2 fcs,