Part 20 (2/2)

The _Chark_ (? Falco cervialis), the usual falcon of the Bedouins, always strikes its quarry on the ground, except the eagle, which it azelles and bustards, but will also take hares and other game

The bird usually hawked by the Arabs is the middle-sized bustard, or houbara It is alorously ings and beak against its assailant, which is often disabled in the encounter The falcon is generally trained to this quarry with a fowl The ht to take its rawdaily increased by the falconer When the habit is acquired, the flesh is tied to the back of a fowl; the falcon will at once seize its usual food, and receives also the liver of the fohich is immediately killed A bustard is then, if possible, captured alive, and used in the sa is coround

The falconry, however, in which Easterns take azelle For this very noble and exciting sport, the falcon and greyhound ether by a process unfortunately soht to eat its daily ration of raw azelle The next step is to accustoazelle The distance between the animal and the falconer is daily increased, until the haill seek its reyhound is now loosed upon the gazelle, the falcon being flown at the same When the animal is seized, which of course soon takes place, its throat is cut, and the hawk is fed with a part of its flesh After thus sacrificing three gazelles, the education of the falcon and greyhound is declared to be cole out the saling on the ground with the quarry The greyhound, however, soon learns to watch the movements of its companion, without whose assistance it could not capture its prey

The falcon, when loosed froround towards the retreating gazelles, andone, soon separates it frohted aniround, or only checks it in its rapid course The greyhound rarely comes up before the blow has been more than once repeated The falconer then hastens to secure the quarry Should the dog not succeed in capturing the gazelle after it has been struck for the third or fourth tier I once saw a very powerful falcon belonging to Abde Pasha hold a gazelle until the horseazelle is so great, that, without the aid of the hawk, very few dogs can overtake it, unless the ground be heavy after rain

The pursuit of the gazelle with the falcon and hound over the boundless plains of assyria and Babylonia is one of theequally the noble qualities of the horse, the dog, and the bird

The ti, before the eagles and kites are soaring in the sky The falcon should not be fed for several hours before it is taken to the chase When not hunting, the Arabs give it meat only once a day Some hawks require to be hooded, such as the Chark and the Shaheen; others need no covering for the eyes The hood is generally made of colored leather, with eyes worked on it in beads, and gold and variegated threads Tassels and ornareat chiefs frequently adorn a favourite bird with pearls and precious stones To the legs are sometimes fastened small bells Feill return to the falconer without the lure, which consists of the wing of a bustard or fowl, or of a piece ofround in the air The Eastern huntsood chark will soazelles in the course of a

I have introduced these remarks on falconry, founded on personal experience, as this noble science is probably of the greatest antiquity, and is still the favorite pursuit of the Eastern warrior

Before leaving the camp I obtained letters to the principal chiefs of the southern tribes from the Pasha as well as from Wadi, the Sheikh of the Zobeide, and other influential Sheikhs After riding about four hours we perceived a huge hill to the south As we drew nearer, its flat table-like top and perpendicular sides, rising abruptly from an alluvial plain, showed that it was the work of th we could plainly distinguish around it great embankments, the remains of walls and canals Gradually, as the caravan slowly advanced, the ruin assumed a definite shape It was the mound of Babel, better known to travellers as the Mujelibe, a naiven to it by the Arab inhabitants of the surrounding country

This is the first great ruin seen on approaching ancient Babylon fro lines of palh the midst of the ancient city To the vastheaps of earth, bricks, and pottery A solitary est mound, marks the remains known to the Arabs as the ”Mujelibe,” or the ”overturned”[192]

Other shapeless heaps of rubbish cover for lass, led with that peculiar nitrous and blanched soil, which, bred froetation, and renders the site of Babylon a naked and hideous waste

Owls start froh the furrows Truly ”the glory of kingdoms and the beauty of the Chaldees'

excellency is as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah Wild beasts of the desert lie there; and their houses are full of doleful creatures; and oell there, and satyrs dance there And the wild beasts of the islands cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces,” for her day has come[193]

A few black tents and flocks of sheep and caed chiefly to the Zobeide, an ancient tribe, renowned in the history of the conquering Arabs under their first caliphs, and now pasturing their flocks in the wilds of Babylonia[194] Froreat roves of pals the traveller to the falling gateway of the town of Hillah A mean bazar, croith Arabs, cae of boats across the Euphrates The principal part of the town, containing the fort and the residence of the governor, is on the opposite side of the river We turned off, however, to the left, as our quarters had been ular troops sent out toon the very edge of the strea to one of the principal families of the place

It had once contained rich furniture, and handsomely decorated roo into utter ruin The cold histled through the rotten wooden panels of the s, for there was no glass, and the cruether In this frail dwelling we prepared to pass a part of our winter in Babylonia

[Illustration: The Mujelibe or Kasr (from Rich)]

CHAPTER XXII

THE CHIEFS OF HILLAH--PRESENT OF LIONS--THE SON OF THE GOVERNOR--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN--ZAID--THE RUINS OF BABYLON--CHANGES IN THE COURSE OF THE EUPHRATES--THE WALLS--VISIT TO THE BIRS NIMROUD--DESCRIPTION OF THE RUIN--VIEW FROM IT--EXCAVATIONS AND DISCOVERIES IN THE MOUND OF BABEL--IN THE MUJELIBe OR KASR--THE TREE ATHELe--EXCAVATIONS IN THE RUIN OF AMRAN--BOWLS, WITH INSCRIPTIONS IN HEBREW AND SYRIAC CHARACTERS--THE JEWS OF BABYLONIA

My first care on arriving at Hillah was to establish friendly relations with the principal inhabitants of the town as well as with the Turkish officer in couarded its eneral, receivedthe reave me all the help I could require On my first visit he presented me with two lions One was nearly of fall size, and ell known in the bazars and thoroughfares of Hillah, through which he was allowed to wander unrestrained He was accustomed to help himself at the stalls of the butchers, and from the wicker boats of the fishermen; and when full, he allowed the boys to play their pranks upon hi, and, like the lion, generally found on the banks of the rivers of Mesopotay mane of the African species The other lion was but a cub, and had recently been found by an Arab in the Hindiyah e, to which the animal when confined is very liable, and soon after died The other was too old to be sent to England by land, and I was thus unable to procure specimens for this country of the Babylonian lion, which has not, I believe, been seen in Europe

The Mudir, or governor of Hillah, was Shabib Agha, the head of one of the principal faht to this office He was aged and infire public affairs, which were chiefly confided to his youngest and favorite son, a boy of about twelve years old It ith this child that, in common with the inhabitants of Hillah, I transacted business He received and paid visits onderful dignity and decorum His notes and his inquiries after my health and wants were couched in the most eloquent and suitable terms He showed a warm and affectionate interest in s which was quite touching

Everyhe crossed the river with a crowd of secretaries, slaves, and attendants, to ascertain by personal inspection whether I needed any help He was a noble boy, with black sparkling eyes, and a bright olive co silken robes of a town Arab, with the fringed keffieh or striped headkerchief of the Bedouin falling over his shoulders

On the whole, he overnor as I have often met with in an Eastern town, and was an instance of that precocity which is frequently seen in Eastern children A cordial friendshi+p was soon established between us, and, during ha, for such was his nauest