BLOOD-VENGEANCE AND PARDON IN ALBANIA. 529 



sometimes in one way and sometimes in another, is not unfavor- 

 able to this hypothesis. It is with plants as with animals. One 

 animal endures by means of his agility, another by his thick skin ; 

 another by this kind of defense, and another by that. The field 

 opened by M. Stahl is one that has as yet been but little explored. 

 It promises much that is novel, and bids fair to afford a new and 

 most interesting chapter in the history of natural selection. — 

 Translated for the Popular Science Monthly from the Revue Scl- 

 ent ifique. 



■*»*■ 



BLOOD-VENGEANCE AND PAEDON IN ALBANIA. 



By HEBE J. OEIE. 



THE Albanians are accustomed to train ganders for fighting, 

 for which purpose they feed them with such herbs as con- 

 tribute most to the development of a pugnacious disposition. 

 "When one among them thinks his goose's courage has been suffi- 

 ciently developed, he sends out a herald to go through the village 

 uttering a challenge for any townsman having a gander which 

 he is ready to pit in a combat to bring him to the ring for a 

 match. 



Such a challenge was sounded in the village of Unter Rogiza 

 in the later days of August of last year. It was answered by a 

 wealthy Albanian, who at once betook himself with his goose to 

 the place where such spectacles were exhibited. His antagonist 

 was already in waiting, with about a hundred on-lookers. The 

 match had gone on for about two hours, when one of the cham- 

 pions began to fail. His owner wanted to help him, but the 

 proprietor of the conquering goose would not permit it. Irritated 

 by this, the losing owner raised his gun and shot the other man 

 down on the spot. The spectators of the tragedy were so aston- 

 ished for the moment that no movement was made to arrest the 

 murderer, and he fled to the mountain. The friends of the mur- 

 dered man instituted a pursuit of him, which was kept up for sev- 

 eral hours, the murderer running up and down the hills, and his 

 pursuers following him closely. Finally, when he saw that he 

 could not escape, he turned toward the village and took refuge in 

 the house of his victim. The dead Arso was lying in the room, 

 and his mother beside him was weeping and lamenting the death 

 of her only son. The murderer set his gun in the corner and said : 

 " I am in your house ; give me bessd (oath of protection), for they 

 are going to kill me." He continued repeating these words till 

 the old mother gave him the bessd. When his pursuers came up 

 to the house, the mother of the dead Arso stepped to the door and 

 waved a handkerchief toward them as a sign that no one should 

 vot. xxsv. — 34 



