182 DEATH OF TPIE HY.ENA. 



pan of his large lock, told that at length the death 

 of our victim was determined. We were, how- 

 ever, disappointed, for no report followed, and 

 again w r e had to wait for the long operation, of 

 pricking and priming the touch-hole afresh, and we 

 certainly began to think that before Himyah could 

 get ready, the hyaena would be off. But he was a 

 doomed beast, and his senses had left him ; so at 

 last bang went the match-lock, knocking Himyah 

 into sight one way by the recoil, and on the other, 

 the hyaena over and over into the open ground, 

 where Zaido and Allee, racing to be first, soon 

 terminated his struggles with their spears. Himyah 

 was delighted with the success of his shot. Ohmed 

 Medina thought the old matchlock was a " tihebe 

 bandook ' (a capital gun), whilst Zaido and Allee 

 were beckoning a crowd of Bedouins and Kafllah 

 men, who had heard the report, and were now 

 hastening in a long line, to witness the grand feat 

 in the sporting annals of their country, the honour 

 of which belonged entirely to them, through 

 Himyah's creditable firing, and who was saluted 

 accordingly by several as an " Engrees got-tam," 

 (English soldier.)* 



* Unfortunately, the very blasphemous ejaculation, so frequently 

 used by our soldiers in their conversations, has become their 

 cognomen in the East, and is the only word which the Dankalli 

 employ to designate them. I well recollect that when Ohmed 

 Mahomed was telling me about the murder at Gunguntur, on my 

 asking him how many were killed, he replied " Two got-tam," (the 

 two soldiers) "and one radgpoot," this being the Portuguese cook. 



