He
Has Overseers In Certain Districts, To Whom He Gives So Many Camels;
These Let Them Out To Other Persons For Mills And Agricultural Labours,
At So Much Per Head.
The overseers annually render an account of them to
Government, and, when called upon, supply the number required.
At this
time, owing to a disorder which had caused a great mortality, camels had
been very scarce, and this was the reason of the extensive seizure just
mentioned. If an Arab commits manslaughter, his tribe is mulcted
thirty-three camels; and, as the crime is rather common in the Bedouin
districts, the Bey's acquisition in this way is considerable. A few
years ago, a Sicilian nobleman exported from Tunis to Sicily some eighty
camels, the duty for which the Bey remitted. The camel, if ever so
healthy and thriving in the islands of the Mediterranean, could never
supersede the labour of mules. The camel is only useful where there are
vast plains to travel, as in North Africa, Arabia, Persia, Australasia,
and some parts of the East Indies.
A hundred more Arabs joined, who passed in a single file before the Bey
for inspection: they came rushing into the camp by twos and threes,
firing off their long guns.
We crossed large plains, over which ran troops of gazelles, and had many
gallops after them; but they go much faster than the greyhound, and,
unless headed and bullied, there is little chance of taking them, except
found asleep. On coming on a troop unawares, R. shot one, which the dogs
caught. R. went up afterwards to cut its throat _a la Moresque_, when he
was insulted by an Arab. R. noticed the fellow, and afterwards told the
Bey, who instantly ordered him to receive two hundred bastinadoes, and
to be put in chains; but, just as they had begun to whip him, R. went up
and generously begged him off. This is the end of most bastinados in the
country. We passed a stream which they said had swallowed up some
persons, and was very dangerous. A muddy stream, they add, is often very
fatal to travellers. The Bey surprised Captain B. by sending him a
handsome black horse as a present; he also sent a grey one to the
Frenchman, who, when complaining of it, saying that it was a bad one, to
the Bey's mamelukes, his Highness sent for it, and gave him another.
Under such circumstances, Saint Mary ought to have looked very foolish.
The Bey shot a kader, a handsome bird, rather larger than a partridge,
with black wings, and flies like a plover. We had a large
hawking-establishment with us, some twenty birds, very fine falconry,
which sometimes carried off hares, and even attacked young goat-kids.
Marched to a place called Gilma, near which the road passes through an
ancient town. Shaw says, "Gilma, the ancient Cilma, or Oppidum
Chilmanenense, is six leagues to the east-south-east of Spaitla. We have
here the remains of a large city, with the area of a temple, and some
other fragments of large buildings. According to the tradition of the
Arabs, this place received its name in consequence of a miracle
pretended to have been wrought by one of their marabouts, in bringing
hither the river of Spaitla, after it was lost underground. For Ja Elma
signifies, in their language, 'The water comes!' an expression we are to
imagine of surprise at the arrival of the stream."
During our tour, the mornings were generally cold. We proceeded about
twenty miles, and encamped near a place called Wady Tuckah. This river
comes from the hills about three or four miles off, and when the camp
arrives at Kairwan, the Bey sends an order to the Arabs of the district
to let the water run down to the place where the tents are pitched. When
we arrived, the water had just come. We saw warrens of hares, and caught
many with the dogs. Troops of gazelles were also surprised; one was
fired at, and went off scampering on three legs. The hawks caught a
beautiful bird called hobara, or habary, [34] about the size of the
small hen-turkey, lily white on the back, light brown brindle, tuft of
long white feathers on its head, and ruffle of long black feathers,
which they stretch out at pleasure, with a large grey eye. A curious
prickly plant grows about here, something like a dwarf broom, if its
leaves were sharp thorns, it is called Kardert. The Bey made R. a
present of the hobara.
One day three gazelles were caught, and also a fox, by R.'s greyhound,
which behaved extremely well, and left the other dogs in the rear, every
now and then attacking him in the hind-quarters. Saw seven or eight
hobaras, but too windy for the hawks to be flown. Captain B. chased a
gazelle himself, and had the good fortune to catch him. As soon as an
Arab secures an animal, he immediately cuts its throat, repeating
"Bismillah, Allah Akbar," "In the name (of God), God is great."
We marched seventeen miles to a place called Aly Ben Own, the name of
the saint buried close by. The plain we crossed must have been once
thickly inhabited, as there were many remains. We were joined by more
Arabs, and our force continued to augment. The Bey, being in want of
horses, the same system of seizing them was adopted as with the camels.
One splendid morning that broke over our encampment we had an
opportunity of witnessing Africa's most gorgeous scenery. [35] Plenty of
hobaras; they fly like a goose. The hawks took two or three of them,
also some hares. The poor hare does not know what to make of the hawks;
after a little running, it gives itself up for death, only first dodging
out of the bird's pounce, or hiding itself in a tuft of grass or a bush,
but which it is not long allowed to do, for the Arabs soon drive it out
from its vain retreat.
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