The Nineteenth Century , No 182, Apr 1892 [‎69v] (143/244)

628
THE NINETEENTH
April
night we could hear, at intervals, heavy showers of rain beating down
on our tent, and felt sadly anxious about the weather for next day -
but at 6.30, when the camp began to bestir itself, although the day
looked doubtful, no rain was falling ; and by breakfast time we began
to hope the weather would hold up. It looked still so unsettled,
though, that six of the ladies and several men decided to return to
Tangier ; the rest of us made up our minds to stay another night.
By nine o'clock, when we were all in the saddle ready for the start,
the day had cleared up and the sun was out. I and another woman
and two men were sent with the beaters, while the others cantered
on to take up positions ahead, where it was supposed likely that the
pigs would break cover. Down the hill, therefore, I rode with the
motley assemblage of Arabs and dogs, till we came to a strip of
shrubs growing in detached clumps (rather like rhododendrons)
along the sea-shore; here we found more beaters waiting with their
dogs, and the Sheik mounted on a ragged-looking mule. And now
came the oddest sight I had yet seen in this queer land of surprises.
The Arabs gathered together in a semicircle with their dogs at their
feet, and the Sheik rode forward to address them. With much
gesture, and in a loud clear voice, he prayed in his strange, guttural
language that Allah would bless the Sultan, and all the men piously
touched their fingers together and cried Amen; then that he would
give them fine weather and good crops, and again they cried Amen ;
that he would bless their sport and give them many pigs—and again
Amen—and then he exhorted them to beat well, and not to quarrel,,
but to be peaceable and friendly, and that Allah then would bless-
them, and their crops, and their families, and their sport, and all
would be well; and he bade them depart and begin. And once more
they all cried Amen; and the dogs sprang to their feet, the men
gathered up guns and sticks, and we were all ready for the fray.
The Arabs kept a very good line, shouting all the time their
strange quavering Arab cry, encouraging the dogs, adjuring the pigs—
we on horseback following as well as the stones and bushes would
allow ; but no pigs showed themselves. Everywhere we came upon
traces of the pigs having recently turned up the ground in search of
roots—but there it ended. All the morning it was the same thing—
the day was beautiful, the ride delightful, but no pigs. By luncheon
time only one pig had been found; it was very disheartening.
After luncheon we started afresh, still with the same result; and
I began to think the pig must have become a very rare animal. We
had now gone over a good deal of ground; it was three o'clock, and we
had reached a cork wood with thinly scattered trees, many low shrubs,
and a quantity of something like our broom in glorious flower.
Suddenly one of the beaters fired his gun—he had seen a pig ! Then
another and another fired; it was going along the line; it was
breaking back ! Away past me through the bushes spurred the Due