SPORTING EXPERIENCES.
El Greesh.--Shooting Hyenas.--An Expedition with the Arabs.--The
Caid and his Family.--Another Wild Boar.
The next day I rode on to a place called El Greesh, about twenty miles
from Sleeman. I wanted to pitch my tent at the base of the purple
mountain, outside the village, where I was sure we should have got a
great deal of game, as the mountains were covered with thick
underwood. A----, however, and the rest were opposed to it, so I
yielded, and pitched my tent in the village itself, where I soon had
the entire tribe around me, examining me and my arms, my gestures, and
everything, as if I was an event. After a cup of coffee, I determined
to start in search of game, and, with a little backsheesh, got an Arab
to accompany us to one of the neighbouring defiles, where, after
waiting about an hour and a half, I managed to bag a very fine hyena.
He was just sneaking out of his hole, and was about 150 yards off. On
my return, the natives manifested great joy, shook my hands, made a
circle round me, tapped me on the back, &c., to my chagrin. As I was
tremendously fatigued, I retired to my sheepskin in my tent with
great satisfaction. The natives all slept around our tents on the
ground, and some of them kicked up a most infernal noise till about
two in the morning, singing a sort of chorus. The following morning
the whole tribe collected around our tents and watched _our toilette
du matin_ with the most intense eagerness.
[Illustration: R. Pheney, lith.
M. & N. Hanhart, Impt.
SHOOTING HYENAS ON THE PURPLE MOUNTAINS NEAR EL GREESHE.]
The greater part of them had brought their matchlocks, as the day was
to be a grand field-day, and they were all in the highest spirits,
laughing, and cracking jokes to an extraordinary amount. We started
about seven A.M., and I remained till eleven A.M., till which time
they had not succeeded in driving anything out of cover. Here I
sprained my ankle in descending a broken gully, and was obliged to
return to the tent. I came back about four P.M., with only small game.
After sun-down we went out a second time in ambush after hyena. A lion
or panther came, a little after sunset, and frightened the horses so
that they broke loose, and we returned to the tents about eleven P.M.
The next day we started early, in order to return to Sleeman. We
stopped an hour on the banks of our old friend, the river Oued el
Ahwenah, for luncheon, where I shot several quail and snipes, and a
large bird, whose name I ignore, also a hare, the only one I saw in
Tunisia. About four P.M., I reached the Caid's house; a woman, for a
wonder, opened the door. As the Caid was there, I looked anywhere but
at her. The next day we went out all day, after boar, to the river,
with an Italian and some Arabs. I stood up to my knees in the river
for about an hour in the brush-wood, when one rushed by; I fired, and
he rushed forward badly damaged. The rest fired, and he was found dead
a few yards off. The Italian's steed broke loose, and he left us in
search of it. I broke from my _corps de garde_. My horse lost a shoe,
and then broke loose, and I had to follow him for more than a mile. I
had a kind of dumbshow conversation with the Caid's son on my return,
a very fine, handsome lad, about seventeen. I hear his sister is most
beautiful, and I promised to send him a present, on getting to Tunis,
and he is to write to me and tell me if he receives it. After dinner
the Caid came and smoked two or three pipes, drank coffee, and wished
us adieu in a most gracious manner.
We had considerable difficulty in bringing home the boar, as our Arabs
all deserted us on account of its being the Ramadhan; but Angelo and
B---- managed to carry it back between them. I returned to Tunis next
day.