However, On The Morning
Of The 29th June, Shortly After The Start At About 6 A.M., We
Perceived Three Of These Beautiful Creatures On Our Left--An Ass,
A Female, And A Foal.
They were about half a mile distant when
first observed, and upon our approach to within half that
distance they halted and faced about; they were evidently on
their return to the desert from the river.
Those who have seen
donkeys in their civilized state have no conception of the beauty
of the wild and original animal. Far from the passive and subdued
appearance of the English ass, the animal in its native desert is
the perfection of activity and courage; there is a high-bred tone
in the deportment, a high-actioned step when it trots freely over
the rocks and sand, with the speed of a horse when it gallops
over the boundless desert. No animal is more difficult of
approach; and, although they are frequently captured by the
Arabs, those taken are invariably the foals, which are ridden
down by fast dromedaries, while the mothers escape. The colour of
the wild ass is a reddish cream tinged with the shade most
prevalent of the ground that it inhabits; thus it much resembles
the sand of the desert. I wished to obtain a specimen, and
accordingly I exerted my utmost knowledge of stalking to obtain
a shot at the male. After at least an hour and a half I succeeded
in obtaining a long shot with a single rifle, which passed
through the shoulder, and I secured my first and last donkey.
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