AFETCAN HORSE.] MODEKN VETEEINAEY PEACTICE. [desekt houses. 



and meeting a most formidable wave, caused 

 him to lose his balance, and he was over- 

 whelmed in a moment. The horse swam 

 safely to land, but his gallant rider, alas ! was 

 no more." 



Whilst giving a description of the horse's 

 services in this dangerous undertaking, we re- 

 gret the writer has not rescued from oblivion 

 the name of its gallant rider. The exploit of 

 the horse becomes the more prominent 

 feature in this description ; but without any 

 wish to decry the merits of this noble animal, 

 we think, in justice to its rider, who fell a 

 sacrifice to his humanity, an effort should have 

 been made to preserve the name of the man 

 who had performed such repeated acts of 

 heroism. The colony was at this time in the 

 possession of the Dutch ; and, we believe, 

 a vessel was named after the rider, and a 

 pillar ordered to be erected to his memory. 

 The local authorities, however, with the pro- 

 verbial meanness of little minds, refused to 

 bestow upon the son a trifling place which had 

 been filled by his generous father. 



THE DESERT HORSE, AND SWIFT HEIRIES 

 OF AFRICA, Etc. 

 As we proceed towards the west coast of 

 Africa, the Barb is said to improve both in 

 form and gracefulness of action ; but deep in 

 the Sahara desert, tliere is a species called 

 the " wind-sucker, or desert horse" — a de- 

 scription of which, in conjunction with that of 

 the heiries, will now occupy our attention. 

 Mr. Jackson, in his account of Morocco, says, 

 that the shruhach errech, or desert horse, is to 

 the common horse what the desert camel is to 

 the camel of burden ; the only difiereuce be- 

 tween them in point of feeding is, that this 

 horse requires a portion of camel's milk every 

 day ; if it cannot get this, and is obliged, from 

 hunger, to eat barley and straw, particularly 

 when first brought to Morocco, it falls away. 

 However, it gradually recovers, fills up, and 

 becomes handsome to the siglit, but loses all 

 its former speed, so that it is afterwards em- 

 ployed to hunt ostriches, at which sport it is 

 very expert. To the Arabs of the desert, the 

 <)hase of the ostrich is the most attractive 

 and eagerly sought of the many aristocratic 

 diversions in which they indulge ; and the 

 training through which the horse passes, previ- 



ous to the sport, is rather hard. Seven or 

 eight days before the intended hunt, they are 

 entirely deprived of straw and grass, and fed 

 on barley only. They are only allowed to 

 drink once a-day, and tliat at sunset— the 

 time when the water begins to freshen : at 

 that time also they are washed. They take 

 long daily exercises, and are occasionally 

 galloped, at which time care is taken that the 

 harness is right, and suited to the chase of 

 the ostrich. " After seven or eight days," 

 says the Arab, " the stomach of the horse dis- 

 appears ; while the chest, the breast, and tlie 

 croup remain in flesh : the animal is then fit 

 to endure fatigue." They call this training 

 tecTiaha. The harness used for the purpose in 

 question is lighter than ordinary, especially 

 the stirrups and saddle, and the martingale is 

 removed. The bridle, too, undergoes many 

 metamorphoses ; the mountings and ear-fla])3 

 are taken away, as too heavy. The bit is made 

 of a camel rope, without a throat-band, and 

 the frontlet is also of cord ; and the reins, 

 though strong, are very light. The period 

 most favourable for ostrich-hunting is that of 

 the great heat ; the higher the temperature, 

 the less is the ostrich able to defend himself. 

 The Arabs describe the precise time as that, 

 when a man stands upright, his shadow haa 

 the length only of the sole of his foot. 



Each horseman is accompanied by a servant 

 called zemmal, mounted on a camel, carrying 

 four goat- skins filled with water, barley for 

 the horse, wheat-flour for the rider, some dates, 

 a kettle to cook the food, and everything 

 which can possibly be required for the repair 

 of the harness. The horseman contents him- 

 self with a linen vest and trousers, and covers 

 his neck and ears with a light material called 

 havuli, tied with a strip of camel's hide ; his 

 feet are protected with sandals, and his legs 

 with liglit gaiters called trabag. He is armed 

 with neitlier gun nor pistol, his only weapon 

 being a wild olive or tamarind stick, five or six 

 feet long, with a heavy knob at one end. 



The exact position of the ostriches being 

 known, the plans are arranged ; the horsemen 

 divide and form a circle round the game at 

 such a distance as not to be seen. The ser- 

 vants wait where the horsemen have separated, 

 and as soon as they see them at their posts, 

 they walk right before them j the ostriches fly, 



15 



