'Journal of a Journey from Persia to India through Herat and Candahar. Also Report of a Journey to the Wahebee Capital of Riyadh in Central Arabia' [‎103r] (205/268)

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78. To return to our conversation. However, concluded the
Imam, be Arabia what it may, it is ours. We dare say you wonder
how we can remain here thus cut off from the rest of the world.
Yet we are content. We are princes according to our degree.
“ We feel ourselves a king every inch.” He said that he could
manage his own Arabs; and that his plan was to come down
severely on his chiefs of tribes, when their followers plundered
or committed other crimes. If you would like to visit the jail,
you will see that there are at this moment more than 70 chiefs
there. He then went on half musingly, “ Yes, we are very
severe ; but we are just.” I asked him if he would allow me to
see his blood horses. He replied that just then they were
nearly all down at Seh in Kharej, grazing; but that if I liked to
take a trip down there, I might select any couple of horses I saw
and accept them as a present from himself; and that, afterwards,
if I wished to purchase any more, I could do so. I explained
that my intention in asking to see his horses was not to hint at a
gift; but that admiring first rate Arabs, I was naturally desirous
of availing myself of the present opportunity for seeing the finest
stud in the world. I added it was etiquette among ourselves
when one English gentleman asked to see the stud of another
to refrain from remark. I then told him that Sir Henry Kawlin-
son having taken a bay Najd horse to England its breed had
been called in question owing to its color ; and that I should be
glad to have his decision on the question of color in relation to
breed. He said that the finest and indeed all castes of Najd
horses might be of any color. But that the prevailing color
among the first blood was various shades of grey. As a rule,
he added, a foal receives its color from its sire. On the whole color
went for little, and height for nothing ; caste blood was every
thing.
79. The Imam evidently expected me to refer to the Muskat
quarrel, and to the proposition of the Sultan that I should arbitrate.
I considered, however, that I was as yet insufficiently acquainted
with the details of the case to permit of my hazarding any remark,
and that whatever might be said in this business, should bo said