THE GREYHOUND.
If it were necessary to prove how aristocratic are the habits of the people of the Sahara, how lordly their tastes, I could give yet another very simple proof, which some persons may regard as puerile—I mean the love they have for theslougui, or greyhound.
In the Sahara, as in all Arab countries, the dog is looked upon as a servant in disgrace, troublesome, and cast off, no matter how useful he may be in guarding thedouar, or in looking after the flocks. The greyhound alone enjoys the esteem, the consideration, the tender attention of his master. The rich as well as the poor regard him as a companion of their chivalrous pastimes; while for the latter he is also the purveyor that supplies them with food. They do not grudge him, therefore, the most assiduous care. The couplings are as scrupulously superintended as those of their horses. A Saharene will go twenty or thirty leagues to couple a handsome greyhound bitch with a dog of established reputation; for one that is really famous will run down a gazelle. "When he perceives a gazelle cropping a blade of grass, he overtakes her before she has time toswallow what she already holds in her mouth." This is an hyperbolical expression, no doubt, but still it is based on a certain degree of truth.
When theslouguïa, or bitch, has pupped, the litter is never lost sight of for an instant. The women will sometimes give their own milk to them. Visitors arrive in troops, the more numerous and eager according to the reputation of the mother. They surround the owner, offering him dates, kouskoussou, etc. There is no sort of flattery they will not lavish upon him in the hope of obtaining a pup: "I am thy friend. Prithee, give me what I ask of thee. I will attend thee in thy hunts," etc. To all these solicitations, the owner usually replies that he will not decide upon what pups he means to keep for himself until after seven days. This reservation has its motive in a very singular observation, or fancy, of the Arabs: in every litter, one of the pups gets upon the back of the others. Is it a sign of greater vigour? or is it mere chance? To ascertain this point they remove it from its habitual position, and if it returns to it for seven consecutive days, the owner builds upon it such extravagant expectations, that he would not accept a negress in exchange. A prejudice causes them to attach the greatest value to the first, third, and fifth pups, in fact, to all the odd numbers.
The pups are weaned at the end of forty days, but are still fed with goat's, or camel's milk, thickened with dates, or kouskoussou. In the Sahara, the flocks are so numerous and milk so abundant, that it is not at all surprising that wealthy Arabs, after having weaned their greyhound pups, should set aside so many she-goats for their nourishment. When the pups are three or fourmonths old, their education commences. The boys drive out of their holes the jerboa, or the rat calledboualal, and set the pups at them. The latter by degrees get excited, dash after them at full speed, bark furiously at their holes, and only give up the pursuit to begin another. At the age of five or six months, they are assigned a prey more difficult to catch—the hare. Men on foot lead the greyhound close to the form where the animal is couched. Then, by a slight exclamation, they set the young dog, who rushes at the hare, and soon acquires the habit of coursing with speed and intelligence. From the hare, they pass to the young of the gazelle. The Arabs approach the spot where these are lying near their mother, and direct the attention of the greyhound to them. As soon as he is thoroughly excited and rears up with impatience, they let him go. After a few lessons of this kind, the greyhound understands perfectly what to do, and begins to press forward resolutely in chace of the old hinds themselves.
When a year old the greyhound has very nearly reached its full strength. His scent is developed, and he follows the gazelle by its slot. Nevertheless, he is kept under some restraint, and not until the age of fifteen to eighteen months is he regularly allowed to hunt. From that period, however, he is held in leash, and often with great difficulty; for the Arabs say that when the greyhound scents the game, his muscular power becomes so great that, if he stiffens himself upon his paws, a man can hardly make him lift a leg. As soon as he sights a herd of thirty or forty gazelles, he trembles with joy, and looks up at his master, who cries to him: "Ah son of a Jew! thou canst not say this timethat thou didst not see them." The hunter then takes off his goat's-skin bag, and pours a little water on the back and belly of the hound, who, in his impatience, casts a suppliant eye on his master. At last, he is free and bounds forward. Presently, he tries to hide himself, stoops down, and follows a circuitous course until he is within an easy distance, when he springs forward with all his might, and picks out for his victim the finest male in the herd. When the hunter cuts up the gazelle, he throws to theslouguithe flesh around the kidneys. If he were to offer him the intestines, he would reject them with disdain.
The greyhound that cannot hunt at two years old, will never be able do so. There is a saying to this effect,
A greyhound after two yearsAnd a man after two fasts [fifteen years];
A greyhound after two yearsAnd a man after two fasts [fifteen years];
A greyhound after two years
And a man after two fasts [fifteen years];
meaning thereby that that is the proper age to judge what either will ever be worth.
The greyhound is an intelligent animal and full of self-love. If, in slipping him, a fine gazelle is pointed out to him, and he kills only a common looking one, he is very sensible of the reproaches addressed to him, and slinks off, ashamed of himself, without claiming his portion. He has no lack of vanity, and indulges much in fantasia. A thoroughbredslouguiwill neither eat nor drink from a dirty vessel, and refuses milk in which the hand has been dipped. Has he not been taught this disdainful daintiness? And yet the utmost that is done for the common dog, their faithful and vigilant guardian, is to let him find his food among the offal and bones that are lying about. And while the latter is driven with hootingsfrom tent and table, the greyhound sleeps in the compartment reserved for men, on carpets by his master's side, or on his very bed. He is clothed and sheltered from the cold, like the horse, and is even preferred for being chilly, as that is an additional proof of the purity of his race. The women take pleasure in bedecking him with ornaments, in tying collars of shells round his neck, and in securing him from the evil eye by fastening talismans on him. He is fed with care, nicety, and caution, kouskoussou being lavished upon him. In summer-time, to give him strength, they make a paste of milk and dates, of which the stones have been extracted. There are some who never feed their greyhounds during the day. Nor is this all. Theslouguiaccompanies his master when on a visit, and receives the same hospitality with him, having a portion of every dish.
A thoroughbred greyhound will hunt with no one but his master. By his cleanliness, his respect for decency and the graciousness of his manner, he shows that he recognizes the attention paid to him. On his master's return after a somewhat prolonged absence, theslouguileaps with a bound on to his saddle, and caresses him. The Arabs talk to him: "O friend, listen to me! You must bring me some meat. I am tired of eating dates," and flatter him in many ways. The petted animal leaps about in a frolicsome manner, and seems not only to understand but to wish to reply. The death of aslouguifills the whole tent with mourning, the women and children bewailing him as if he were one of the family. Sometimes it falls to the greyhound to find food for all, and one that nourishes a family can never be for sale.Now and then, however, he may be given away in compliance with the supplications of women and relatives, or of the most respected marabouts.
A greyhound that catches with ease thesineand theademi, is worth a she-camel; but one that can overtake therimeis priced as a valuable horse. They are very generally namedghezalorghezala, "a gazelle." Frequently wagers are laid on such or such aslougui, the stakes being sheep, or a feast oftaam, dates, etc.
The greyhound of the Sahara is far superior to that of the Tell. He is of a tawny colour, and tall, with a sharp snout, broad forehead, short ears, and muscular neck; the muscles of the hindquarters being, also, very prominent. He has no belly, clean limbs, well detached sinews, the hock near the ground, the under part of the paw small and dry, the palate and the tongue black, and the hair very soft. Between the two ilia, there should be the breadth of four fingers, and the tip of the tail should be able to pass under the thigh and reach the hip-bone. Both the fore-arms are generally fired in five lines to harden the muscles.
The most renowned greyhounds of the Sahara are those of the Hamiân, the Oulad-Sidi-Shikh, the Harar, the Arbâa, and the Oulad-Naïl.