OP THE HYJENA. $9 



been at the risk of breaking my quadrant, or other 

 furniture ; and he seemed by keeping the candle* 

 steadily in his mouth to wish for no other prey at 

 that time. As his mouth was full, and he had no 

 claw to tear with, I was not afraid of him ; but with 

 a pike struck him as near the heart as I could judge ; 

 it was not till then he shewed any signs of fierce- 

 ness, but on feeling his wound he let drop the cand- 

 ies and endeavoured to run up the shaft of the 

 spear to arrive at me ; so that I was obliged to draw 

 my pistol from my girdle, and shot him ; and near- 

 ly at the same time my servant cleft his skull with 

 a battle-axe. In a word the Hyaena was the plague 

 of our lives, the terror of our night walks, and the 

 destruction of our mules and asses, which above 

 every thing else are his favourite food." 



Besides the striped Hyaena, which is the most 

 savage species, there is a less ferocious, or spotted 

 one, which inhabits the Cape of Good Hope, and 

 lives principally on carrion ; he is seldom seen by 

 day, but prowls by night, and clears the plains of 

 the carcases, and even skeletons, which the vultures 

 have picked clean in preference to attacking any 

 living creature. The Turks are said to lay stonet 

 upon their graves, to protect the bodies from these 

 creatures. Browne also, in his Travels to Darfur, 

 describes the Hyaenas as coming in the night, in 

 herds of six, eight, and often more, into villages) 

 and carrying off with them whatever they are abl 

 to master. They will kill dogs and asses, even 

 within the enclosure of houses, and fail not to as- 

 semble wherever a dead camel or other animal is 



