Birds. 2847 



like the Arab of the Desert, they view thetn with unmingled fear and 

 horror. Never is there one seen there, unless it be some poor captive, 

 pining away his life for want of fresh air and freedom. 



We profess not, however, to write the history of the tribe : suffice 

 it that we glance at one event which has been chronicled by the local 

 historian, and which occurred somewhat more than half a century ago. 

 Historians, it has been remarked, fill their pages with little more than 

 details of wars and conquests : we are sorry our episode partakes of 

 the same character. Our fishermen had long occupied a certain ter- 

 ritory, living in harmony with, and as they naturally supposed, giving 

 no offence to, their neighbours. But on an ill-fated day, their ancient 

 settlement was attacked without notice, and with such violence (their 

 houses being literally pulled down over their heads) that many of the 

 junior members of the community perished in the ruins. Ejected 

 somewhat in the style of an Irish eviction, they sought an asylum 

 near their old neighbours, where there was room more than enough 

 for both parties, and where they might have lived peaceably together 

 had there been a proper Christian disposition existing. This had in- 

 deed been the case in prosperous times ; " but misery makes a man 

 acquainted with strange bedfellows," as will appear in the sequel. It 

 should be mentioned that the tribe near whom our exiles sought 

 shelter in their calamity, are a swarthy, dark-hued race, by no means 

 of respectable character; indeed they lead a kind of vagabond life to 

 this day, living by plunder wherever they can pick it up. Even the 

 farmer's grain in the fields is not at all safe from their depredations. 

 But lax as are their notions of the relation of meum and tuum, and 

 regardless as they are of the property of others, it seemed in this 

 case they were tenacious of what they regarded as their own. For 

 hardly had our poor piscatory friends settled down in their new 

 quarters, before they were attacked with the greatest fury ; and the 

 habitations which they had begun to erect, pulled down, and the 

 materials scattered to the winds. It could hardly be expected that 

 the whites would endure quietly this treatment from the blacks, and 

 submit tamely to a second ejectment : so far from it, they stood up 

 manfully for what they deemed their rights, and the consequence was, 

 a most obstinate contest took place, which was carried on with vari- 

 ous success during the spring and the ensuing summer. We have 

 not been able to obtain an exact account of killed and wounded, as 

 no returns were made that we ever heard of, but they were pretty 

 numerous on both sides. The opposing armies were indeed more 

 equally matched than might be supposed ; for although the blacks 



