GBEYHOUNDS & THEIR ARAB MASTERS 311 



number will betake themselves to the walls, while others 

 mount to the thatched roofs of the low round, huts, and 

 lie quietly down, their eyes open and their ears at full cock, 

 waiting to catch the slightest sound. Sometimes, when the 

 hyaenas and leopards have been particularly fierce, a dog 

 or two will take up positions in the outskirts of the 

 village, to give the first warning of danger. Here and 

 there, early in the evening, a bark or a growl may be 

 heard, but as the darkness deepens these die away and 

 all is still, till suddenly the village is awakened by the 

 sound of a battle. Barely does a night pass without 

 something of the kind. In a few minutes every dog is 

 gathered at the place where the enemy has come up, and 

 directly he is dead on the ground, they leave him there, 

 and go proudly back to their posts. Only on one occasion 

 is their courage known to fail, and that is when the robber 

 turns out to be a lion. Then the conquerors of leopards 

 and hyaenas tremble with fear, and shrink howling into 

 some safe corner or hide themselves amongst the thorny 

 hedges that surround the village. 



Twice in every week the dogs were given a rare treat. 

 Very early on these mornings the sound of a horn was 

 heard, and then what stir there was among them ! From 

 each house three or four came bounding to the place from 

 which the noise proceeded, and in a few minutes after 

 the first blast, fifty or sixty dogs were gathered together. 

 Like eager boys they crowded round the man, jumping 

 up on him or running to and fro with excitement, howling, 

 barking, yelping, snarling, jostling each other to get 

 nearest to the trumpeter, and really behaving as if they had 

 all gone mad. In the midst of all this confusion the 

 young men arrived, bearing in their hands lances and 

 ropes, and sought out their own dogs from the throng. 

 From five to six were led by each man, and hard work it 

 was to get the restless creatures leashed together, 

 jumping and barking all the while with joy ! At last 

 all was ready and the hunting procession moved out of 



