without many remonstrances, for the prevention or repression of which
the _mekadim_ were instituted. Sometimes the chiefs make choice of five
or six individuals of approved discretion. At other times, after a
_razzia_ or capture of property, the booty is divided into four equal
parts. They who execute the enterprise form themselves into four
sections, and each section names a _mekadem_ whose business it is to
manage the subdivision. The _mekadim_ search out and demand the
restitution of all articles concealed by dishonourable persons, such as
jewelry, money, coral, etc. When an Arab is suspected of having
purloined things in this manner, and nothing is found upon him, the
_mekadim_ make him swear by Sidi-Ben-Abd-Allah, and that oath clears
him. In the Sahara, Sidi-Ben-Abd-Allah is held in great veneration. No
one would dare to invoke his name falsely, through fear of dying, or of
seeing his flocks waste away. The _mekadim_ are acknowledged to be
honest among pilferers. They are well treated and receive a handsome
remuneration, consisting for the most parts of articles not included in
the division of the spoils.
REMARKS BY THE EMIR ABD-EL-KADER.
I have surprised them with horses of pure race, with sleek coats,
foreheads adorned with stars announcing good fortune, flanks lean
through exercise, and flesh firm and hard. I have fallen upon them like
a cloud charged with lightning that hangs over a defile.
It is a horse that, without ever being fatigued, always finishes by
asking pardon of his rider. His head is lean, his ears and lips fine,
his nostrils well open, his neck slender, his skin black and soft, his
coat sleek, and his joints large. By the head of the Prophet! he is of
noble race, and you would never ask how much he cost if you had seen him
marching against the enemy.
When you see the horses of the _goum_ marching proudly, their heads up,
and making the air re-echo with their neighings, rest assured that
victory accompanies them. But, on the other hand, when you see the
horses of the _goum_ marching sadly, with their heads down, without
neighing, but lashing themselves with their tails, be sure that fortune
has abandoned them.
Nevertheless, Allah is wiser than man.
Oh! would that I could see my blood flowing over my _haïk_, white as
ivory from Soudan! It would be the more beautiful for it.
OSTRICH HUNTING.
In the desert there are two principal modes of hunting the ostrich—on
horseback, and in ambush. There is, indeed, a third method which is only
a modification of the second, and consists in killing the bird while
drinking at a stream of water.
The true sport is on horseback. Watching for the bird is no better than
taking a sitting shot with us. The former is a noble and royal pastime,
the latter is only fit for a common fellow, or a poacher. It is not
enough to kill, the thing is to run the bird down. For this purpose the
general sort of education given to a horse will not suffice. A special
preparation is required, just as a race-horse needs a particular
training for some days previous to the contest.
Seven or eight days before a hunting expedition, both grass and straw
are entirely stopped, and nothing but barley given. The horse is watered
only once a day, at sunset, when the water begins to get cool, and he is
then washed all over. He is taken out for a long ride every day, now
walking, now galloping, during which the rider carefully ascertains that
nothing is wanting to the equipment proper for the purpose. At the end
of these seven or eight days, say the Arabs, the belly disappears, while
the neck, chest, and croup show firm flesh. The animal is then ready to
endure the fatigue. This special training is called _teshaha_.
The equipment also is modified with a view to lighten the weight. The
stirrups should be much less heavy than usual, the saddle-bow very
light, the two _kerbouss_, or pommels, of less than the ordinary height
and without the _stara_. The breast-band is likewise omitted, and
instead of the seven pieces of felt only two are used. The bridle, in
like manner undergoes several metamorphoses. The blinkers and headstall
are omitted as too heavy, the bit being simply fastened to a tolerably
stout camel-rope, without any throat-band, and kept in its place by a
make-shift headstall of cord. The reins are also very light, but strong.
All four feet are shod.
The most favourable season for this sport is during the great heats of
summer. The higher the temperature, the less energy does the ostrich
possess to defend itself. The Arabs describe the exact period by saying
that it is when a man, standing upright, casts a shadow no longer than
the sole of his foot. Ostrich hunting implies a regular expedition
lasting over seven or eight days. It requires preparatory arrangements
which are concerted by ten or a dozen horsemen bound in "a knot," as for
a _razzia_. Each hunter is accompanied by a servant, called a _zemmal_,
who is mounted on a camel that carries, besides, four goat-skin bags
filled with water, barley for the horse, wheaten flour, another kind of
flour parched, dates, a pot to boil the food in, leather thongs, a
needle, and a set of horse-shoes and nails.
Each hunter should take only one woollen or cotton shirt, and one pair
of woollen trousers. He winds round his neck and ears a kind of thin
stuff called in the desert _haouli_, and fastens it with his camel-rope.
His feet are protected by sandals attached by cords, but he also puts on
light gaiters [_trabag_]. He takes neither rifle, nor pistol, nor
powder. His only weapon is a club of wild olive or tamarisk, four or
five feet long and terminating in a very heavy knob. The party do not
start until they have ascertained from travellers, or caravans, or from
messengers sent forward for that purpose, where a large number of
ostriches are collected at one point. These birds are generally met with
in places where there is a good deal of grass, and where rain has
recently fallen. According to the Arabs, whenever the ostrich sees the
lightnings flash and a thunder storm coming on, it immediately hastens
in that direction, however distant it may be, for it thinks nothing of
going ten days on the stretch. In the desert it is proverbially said of
a man who is particularly careful in tending his flocks and supplying
them with what is necessary, that "he is like the ostrich—where he sees
the lightning flash, he is there."
The start is made in the morning. At the end of one or two days' march,
when the hunters have arrived near to the spot where they were told to
look for ostriches, and where tracks are observable, they halt and
bivouac. On the morrow two intelligent servants, stripped to the skin,
and wearing nothing but a handkerchief round their loins, are sent
forward to reconnoitre. They take with them a goat's-skin bag suspended
from the side, and a small quantity of bread, and walk on until they
come upon the ostriches, which usually keep to the high ground. As soon
as they have sighted them, they lie down and observe their movements;
and then, while one remains, the other returns to the camp, and says
that he has seen thirty, forty, sixty ostriches—it is alleged that
_djeliba_ or troops to that number are really to be met with. At certain
times, and especially when mating, the ostriches are seldom found more
than three or four couples together.
Guided by the man who has brought the information, the hunters advance
cautiously in the direction of the ostriches, and on nearing the hillock
on which the birds were sighted, they use every precaution to avoid
being seen. Having at length reached the last inequality of ground that
affords them any sort of cover, they dismount, and two scouts crawl
forward to make sure that the birds are still in the same place. If
these bring confirmation of the former tidings, each rider gives his
horse a small draught of the water brought on a camel's back, for it is
rare to find a place where water is to be had. The baggage is piled up
where the halt takes place, without any one being left to watch it, so
certain are they of being able to retrace their steps to the identical
spot. Every hunter is provided with a _chibouta_, or goat's-skin bag of
water. The attendants follow the tracks of the horses—the camel carrying
only the horses' evening feed of barley and his own, and water for both
men and animals.
Carefully reconnoitring the ground occupied by the ostriches, the
hunters concert their mode of attack. Spreading out, they gradually form
a circle, in which they inclose the quarry at a sufficient distance not
to be seen, for the ostrich is very far-sighted. The attendants fill up
the gaps between the horsemen. Then, when all are at their respective
posts, the latter advance straight upon the ostriches, who flee
panic-stricken, but are met by the horsemen, who at first content
themselves by driving them back within the circle. The ostrich thus
exhausts its strength by the rapidity of its movements; for, when
surprised, it does not "husband its wind." Again and again it repeats
the same manœuvre, always trying to break through the circle and always
driven back in affright. At the first symptoms of fatigue, the hunters
dash at them, and presently the troop scatters in all directions. Those
that are losing strength open out their wings, which is a sure sign of
weariness. The hunters, now secure of their prey, hold in their horses.
Each one picks out a bird, rides after it, overtakes it, and, either
from behind or from the side, fetches it a terrible blow on the head
with the cudgel already mentioned. The head is bald and very sensitive,
whereas other parts of the body would offer greater resistance. Stunned
with the blow, the ostrich falls to the ground, and the hunter,
springing out of his saddle, cuts its throat, taking care, however, to
hold it away from the body, so that the wings may not be stained with
the blood.
The _delim_, or male bird, when its throat is cut, especially if near
its young ones, moans in a lamentable manner, but the _reumda_, or
female, utters not a sound. When the ostrich is on the point of being
overtaken, it is so exhausted that, if the hunter is willing to spare
its life, it is easy for him to lead it away captive, guiding it with
his cudgel; for by that time it can scarcely walk. Immediately after
being bled, the bird is carefully skinned, so as not to spoil the
feathers, and the skin is stretched on a tree or on a horse. When the
camels arrive, salt is plentifully rubbed in.
The servants now light fires and prepare the pots, in which they boil
for a long time over a fierce fire all the fat of the bird. As soon as
it is reduced to a very liquid state, it is poured into a sort of
leather bottle formed of the skin stripped off from the thigh to the
foot, and strongly tied at the lower end; it would spoil if put into
skin taken from any other part of the body. The fat of an ostrich in
good condition ought to fill both its legs. When the bird is brooding,
it is very lean, and at that time its fat would certainly not fill both
legs; and it is, at that time, hunted only for the sake of its feathers.
The rest of the flesh is served up for the hunters' supper, seasoned
with flour and pepper.
The attendants having watered the horses and given them a feed of
barley, and the hunters having refreshed themselves, they hasten, no
matter how fatiguing the chace may have been, to return to the spot
where they left their baggage. There they remain forty eight hours to
rest their horses, on whom they bestow the greatest care. After that,
they regain their tents. Sometimes they send the produce of the chace to
the _douar_, whence the servants bring back a fresh supply of
provisions, and, on receiving favourable intelligence, they start on a
new expedition.
In the desert, the male bird is called _delim_; the female, _reumda_; a
one-year old, _ral_; over one year, _oulid gleub_; a two-year old,
_oulid bou gleubtin_; a three-year old, _garah_, at which age the bird
attains its full growth.
The fat of the ostrich is used in the preparation of food—of
kouskoussou, for instance—and it is likewise eaten with bread. The Arabs
also apply it as a remedy in many diseases. It is sold in the
market-place, and in the tents of the rich a store of it is often kept
to give away to the poor, as a medicine. It is not, however, by any
means expensive—one pot of ostrich grease being exchanged for only three
pots of butter.
The plumes are sold in the _kuesours_, at Tougourt and at Leghrouât, and
among the Beni-Mzab, who, at the time of the purchase of grain, bring
ostrich skins down to the seaboard. Among the Oulad-Sidi-Shikh the skin
of the male was formerly sold at from four to five _douros_, and that of
the female at from ten to fifteen francs; but of late the price has
risen considerably. In the Sahara, before our time, the beautiful
ostrich plumes were only used to ornament the top of a tent or a straw
hat. The Shamba strengthen their shoes with the skin of the under part
of an ostrich's foot. They place a strip under the toes, and another
under the heel, and the sole will thus wear a long time. With the sinews
they make laces to sow the saddles, and to mend various articles made of
leather.
In the eyes of the Arab ostrich hunting possesses the double charm of
profit and pleasure. It is a favourite exercise of the horsemen of the
Sahara, and it is also a remunerative enterprise, the value of the skin
and fat much more than covering the expense. Notwithstanding the
numerous train indispensable for this species of sport, it is not by any
means the exclusive privilege of the rich. Any poor man who feels that
he can acquit himself well can generally contrive to join a party of
horsemen who propose to hunt the ostrich. He goes to a wealthy Arab, who
lends him a camel, a horse and harness, and two-thirds of the barley
required, two-thirds of the goat-skins, and two-thirds of the supply of
food. The other third of all things is provided by the borrower, and the
produce of the chace is divided between the two in the same proportions.
The servant who, during the expedition, rides the camel lent to the poor
man, receives from the latter two _boudjous_ for every male killed, and
one _boudjou_ for every female. He is, besides, fed from the provisions
taken with him by the horseman.
The ostrich is also hunted by lying in ambush, after it has laid its
eggs, or towards the middle of November. Five or six horsemen, taking
with them a couple of camels loaded with supplies for at least a month,
go in search of places where rain has recently fallen, or where ponds
are to be found. In such localities there is certain to be abundance of
herbage, which never fails to attract the ostriches in considerable
numbers. To avoid idle wanderings to and fro, they question every
individual, every caravan, they happen to meet: besides, they know
beforehand the most likely stations. On these occasions they provide
themselves, not with a cudgel, but with a rifle and an ample supply of
powder and ball.
As soon as they come upon ostrich tracks, the hunters examine them
closely. If they appear only in the form of patches here and there eaten
down to the ground, it shows that the ostrich has come here merely to
graze. But if the tracks cross each other in all directions, if the
grass has been trampled under foot, but not eaten, it is a sure sign
that the ostrich has made her nest in the neighbourhood. The hunters
thereupon search attentively for the spot where she has deposited her
eggs, and approach it with the greatest precautions. While the ostrich
is digging out her nest, all day long her plaintive moanings may be
heard, but after her eggs are laid she never utters her usual cry until
about three in the afternoon.
The female sits on her eggs from morning till mid-day, while the male
goes to the pasture. At noon he returns, and the female goes to feed in
her turn. When she comes back, she places herself four or five paces
from the nest, in front of the male, who incubates all night. The male
himself keeps watch over the eggs to defend them from all enemies.
Jackals, among others, often times place themselves in ambush near at
hand ready to play them an evil turn, and their bodies have frequently
been found by the hunters lying not far from the nests, stricken to
death by the male—the female being too timid to inspire any fear.
It is in the morning, during the time the female is sitting, that the
hunters dig on each side of the nest, and not above twenty paces
distant, a hole deep enough to contain a man. They then cover it over
with the long grass so common in the desert, so that only his rifle is
seen. The best marksmen are, of course, placed in these holes.
Seeing all these preparations, the female takes fright, and runs off to
join the male, who beats her and compels her to return to the nest. If
these preparations were to be made while the male is brooding, he would
go off to join the female, and neither of them would ever come back
again.
When the female returns to the nest, they take care not to molest her,
it being the rule to kill the male in the first instance. It is,
therefore, customary to await his return from the pasture, which happens
about noon, when the hunter holds himself ready. The ostrich, while
engaged in incubation, spreads out its wings so as to cover all the
eggs. In this position, with its legs bent under the body, the thighs
are very conspicuous. This circumstance is favourable to the marksman
who aims to break the leg of the bird. All chance of escape is thus cut
away, which would not be the case were it is wounded in any other part.
As soon as the ostrich is down the hunters run up and cut its throat.
The two marksmen come out of their holes, and their companions,
attracted by the report, lend their assistance. All traces of blood are
quickly covered with sand, and the body of the bird carefully concealed.
At sunset the female returns as usual to pass the night close to the
nest. The absence of the male causes her no anxiety, for she fancies he
has merely gone away to feed, and she quietly sits upon the eggs. She is
then killed in the same manner as her mate, by the hunter who has not
previously fired. The one who shot the male receives a _douro_ in
addition to his proper share; but if, what rarely happens, he should
miss his aim, he pays to his companions the value of the bird: "We chose
thee," they say, "as the best shot: we placed thee in the good position
to do us a benefit, and lo! thou workest us such a wrong as this. Thou
shalt pay for it." The hunter who killed the female receives only an egg
over and above his share. If he miss, he forfeits what would have come
to him from the price of the male and the eggs. The one who is to fire
at the male is appointed beforehand.
The nest of an ordinary couple contains from twenty five to thirty eggs,
but it frequently happens that several couples combine to lay in common.
In that case, they form a large enclosure, and the oldest couple are
placed in the centre, with the others around them in regular order—so
that, if they are four in number, they will occupy the four angles of a
square. When the eggs are all laid they are pushed towards the centre,
but not mingled together; and when the oldest male comes to sit the
others take their places around, where their eggs were laid—and the same
with the females. These companies are composed of the young of the same
family—in fact, of the young of the oldest couple. They do not all lay
the same number of eggs. The one-year olds, for instance, do not lay
more than four or five, and those of a small size. At times as many as a
hundred eggs are found in the same nest. These family gatherings are
most common where the herbage is most abundant. The Arabs have observed
a very singular circumstance. The eggs of each couple in these monster
nests are carefully piled up together, with one egg conspicuously at the
top. It is the one first laid, and it serves for a special purpose. As
soon as the male perceives that the moment has arrived for hatching, he
breaks with his beak the egg he judges to be the most forward, and at
the same time very carefully makes a small hole in the one which
surmounts the others. The latter furnishes their first meal to all the
young ones as they are hatched, and, though open, will remain sweet for
a considerable time. This quality is peculiarly useful; for the male
does not break all the eggs on the same day, but only three or four at a
time, when he hears the young ones moving inside. The egg which supplies
them with nourishment is always liquid, whether through the prevision of
nature, or that the old birds have instinctively avoided sitting on it.
The fledglings, after having partaken of their first meal, and being
speedily dried in the sun, begin at once to run about, and at the end of
a few days follow the parent birds to the pasture: in the nest, they
always nestle under their wings. The nest is generally of a circular
form, and is formed in a sandy soil. The ostrich constructs it with its
feet, by simply throwing out the sand from the centre to the
circumference. The dust raised by this operation may be seen at some
distance. The period of incubation lasts ninety nights.
The hunters eat the eggs if they are fresh, and not near ready to be
hatched. The shells they either throw away, or take with them, to give
as presents to friends, or to deposit them in the _koubba_.[85] However,
for some time past, the Arabs have become aware that eggs are an article
of traffic on the seaboard, and they now reserve them for that object.
The ambush hunt is very lucrative. It is quite possible to kill several
birds and carry off their eggs. At that season, the ostrich itself is
very lean; but, on the other hand, the feathers are better and hold more
firmly together. Where several couples are assembled together in one
nest, it is only the oldest male and female that are killed. Were the
hunters to make as many holes as there are birds, they would very soon
be discovered, and the whole company would take to flight.
According to the Arabs, ostriches kill vipers with a stroke of their
beak, and swallow them. They eat, also, serpents, locusts, scorpions,
lizards, and a very large fruit called _hadj_, abundant in the desert,
and produced by a creeping plant, bitter as turpentine, having leaves
like those of a water-melon: in short, they digest anything, even
stones. Such is the voracity of this bird that where it is kept in a
domesticated state, it bolts everything it comes across, knives,
jewelry, bits of iron. The Arab who gave me these details declared that
a woman one day had a coral necklace snatched from her neck and
swallowed by an ostrich, and I have heard an officer of the African army
relate how one tore off and bolted a button from his tunic. It is at the
same time very adroit, and will snatch a date from a man's lips without
hurting him. When lightnings flash and announce a coming storm, they
cannot contain themselves for joy. They jump about, and hasten towards
the water of which they are so fond, though capable of long endurance of
thirst.
Paternal love is a strong passion in the male ostrich. He never deserts
his young, and fears no danger, be it what it may, whether from dogs,
hyænas, or man himself. The female, on the contrary, is easily
frightened, and forsakes all in her terror. Thus, in speaking of a man
who defends his tent with courage, they compare him to the _delim_;
while a feeble, timid man is likened to the _reumda_. Ostriches are
generally met travelling together in couples, or in family parties of
four or five couples. But, where rain has fallen, one is certain to find
two or three hundreds of these birds together. From a distance, they
resemble a flock of camels. They never approach a spot that is inhabited
except to drink, after which they flee away in haste.