476 
march he is often placed on camel-back, 
and at times when hunting, till the game 
is approached, is carried on horseback in 
front of his master. A French writer in 
describing the Bedawin says: “If I want 
SLUGH!| LUMAN (AGE 114 YEARS) 
PROPERTY OF THE HON. FLORENCE AMHERST. 
to point out how truly the Arabs are gentle- 
men I should give one simple proof, namely, 
the affection they show to their Greyhounds.” 
The Arabs themselves say: ‘‘ Ah, he is a 
gentleman indeed, he has been brought up 
with the Slughi.” In 1216 a Persian 
historian quotes the story of a great prince, 
who contrasts the hard life he has out hunt- 
ing all day with the merry life of his much 
spoilt and pampered Tazi. 
Not only to those who seek the distrac- 
tions of sport is the Gazelle Hound of value. 
In the far off deserts he has a more important 
part to play. It is to the “ prince of swift- 
ness” that the Arab must often trust for 
his supply of food. 
The Slughi is used in the present day, 
as in ancient times, for hunting gazelle, 
antelope, hares, foxes, and other desert 
animals. It is employed for hawking, 
coursing, and all such sports. He can pull 
down the gazelle, hares, and foxes alone, 
and although, as a rule, hawks are used to 
assist, the test of a good dog is that he can 
bring down a gazelle by himself. He is 
THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 
described as having ‘‘a most perfect eye,” 
and is also said to have “a wonderful nose 
for game.” 
There are various methods of using the 
Gazelle Hound for sport. “‘ The hawk, when 
free, rises in the air, and, perceiving its prey, 
swoops down upon it, and attacks the head 
of the gazelle and confuses it till it falls an 
easy prey to the Greyhounds in pursuit.” 
Where the bushes are high the dogs are 
said to pursue the hare by following the 
flight of the hawk. 
On the desert round Cairo a Khedivial 
hawking party is described. The princes 
ride out, “with a gay retinue, with hawk 
on wrist, and Sluhgi in the leash.”” When 
the gazelle is sighted, “with a peculiar 
shrill cry ” the prince lets his hawk fly, the 
Greyhounds following with their tails waving 
like banners, which are said to ‘‘ steer them 
over the breezy plain.” A favourite sport 
in Persia is to gallop on horseback and shoot 
mouflon from the saddle, driven from the 
mountains and pursued by Tazi on the plain. 
A Sheikh of the Anezeh (in the Hauran), 
giving his opinion of hawking, adds: “ We 
prefer to run down the gazelle with our 
Greyhounds . . for therein is more 
sport.” A great hunter in the Sinai 
Peninsula thus speaks of hunting gazelle 
without a hawk: “The sportsman keeps 
hold of his dog up wind, till within 
about 500 yards of them, and then sends 
him away, and he easily catches the prey. 
They run over the desert hare almost in a 
moment.” Dogs are sometimes placed along 
the track where the game is likely to pass. 
Throwing-sticks are also used for catching 
hares, assisted by the Slughi. Hunting 
with the Khan of Kelat they are described 
as “‘ galloping over country that was boulder 
strewn,” and have been seen in Arabia to 
course hares “over ground that would have 
broken every bone in an English Greyhound, 
without hurting themselves.” They can 
also jump a very great height. Coursing 
matches are known in the East. The speed 
Gazelle Hounds are credited with is 20 to 30 
métres (about 21 to 32 yards) per second in 
spite of the sand in which their paws dive 
heavily. Added to the above qualities they 
