OSTRICHES. 145 



work — would be sent, often a long journey of three or 

 more days, to bring it hack. 



A returning runaway, always a joyful sight to us, 

 was also rather a laughable one. As he was marched 

 along between the two men, each with a tight grip on 

 his shoulder, he looked just like a pickpocket in the 

 hands of the police, going to prison ; and a large piece 

 of sacking, roughly sewn round his body to give his 

 captors a firmer hold, made him appear as though 

 already in convict dress. Then, to prevent his giving 

 trouble on the road, his head would be in a bag. As 

 often as not this bag would be one of my pillow-cases, 

 surreptitiously abstracted by T from the linen- 

 drawer before sending off the men. 



The very necessary operation of branding is per- 

 formed on the ostrich's large, bare thigh, which seems 

 just made for the purpose. Sometimes a considerable 

 number of our young or newly-purchased birds would 

 be branded at once. The irons with our brand, the 

 Turkish crescent, were heated in a little portable forge 

 placed in one corner of the plucking-kraal ; and each 

 poor bird in turn received the mark of our ownership 

 with an agonized start on one side ; the smell, and the 

 hissing sound of the frizzling flesh always reminding 

 me unpleasantly of the horrible performances of the 

 Aissaoua, which (because every one else went) I was 

 once foolish enough to go and see in Algiers. Old 

 birds, which have frequently changed hands, some- 

 times display a fine collection of initials and difi'erent 

 designs, covering both thighs. 



