THE PORCUPINE AND SMALL GAME. 117 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE PORCUPINE AND SMALL GAME. 



THE PORCUPINE. 



There are several porcupine hunting clubs and societies in 

 Constantine, called by the Arabs Hatcheichia, because they 

 smoke hatchich instead of tobacco. The members of these 

 different clubs are of Kabyle origin. 



Their name of Hatcheichia, that is to say, men who lose 

 their reason by smoking, has gained for them the contempt 

 of all the natives. In order to console themselves for this 

 general opprobrium, they gather together every evening to 

 smoke to the sound of tum-tum, and roar like beasts until 

 they sink to the floor under the combined influence of sleep 

 and hatchich. There exists such a rivalry among these 

 different clubs, that, before the taking of Constantine, on the 

 day of the Spring Feast, those of the El-Kantara, and those 

 of the Jebia gates joined in bloody battles, in which defensive 

 and offensive arms were equally used, and were equally pro- 

 ductive of injury. 



The French authorities have put an end to these meetings 



