During our tour, the mornings were generally cold.  We proceeded about twenty miles, and encamped near a place called Wady Tuckah.  This river comes from the hills about three or four miles off, and when the camp arrives at Kairwan, the Bey sends an order to the Arabs of the district to let the water run down to the place where the tents are pitched.  When we arrived, the water had just come.  We saw warrens of hares, and caught many with the dogs.  Troops of gazelles were also surprised; one was fired at, and went off scampering on three legs.  The hawks caught a beautiful bird called hobara, or habary, [34] about the size of the small hen-turkey, lily white on the back, light brown brindle, tuft of long white feathers on its head, and ruffle of long black feathers, which they stretch out at pleasure, with a large grey eye.  A curious prickly plant grows about here, something like a dwarf broom, if its leaves were sharp thorns, it is called Kardert.  The Bey made R. a present of the hobara.

One day three gazelles were caught, and also a fox, by R.’s greyhound, which behaved extremely well, and left the other dogs in the rear, every now and then attacking him in the hind-quarters.  Saw seven or eight hobaras, but too windy for the hawks to be flown.  Captain B. chased a gazelle himself, and had the good fortune to catch him.  As soon as an Arab secures an animal, he immediately cuts its throat, repeating “Bismillah, Allah Akbar,” “In the name (of God), God is great.”

We marched seventeen miles to a place called Aly Ben Own, the name of the saint buried close by.  The plain we crossed must have been once thickly inhabited, as there were many remains.  We were joined by more Arabs, and our force continued to augment.  The Bey, being in want of horses, the same system of seizing them was adopted as with the camels.

One splendid morning that broke over our encampment we had an opportunity of witnessing Africa’s most gorgeous scenery. [35] Plenty of hobaras; they fly like a goose.  The hawks took two or three of them, also some hares.  The poor hare does not know what to make of the hawks; after a little running, it gives itself up for death, only first dodging out of the bird’s pounce, or hiding itself in a tuft of grass or a bush, but which it is not long allowed to do, for the Arabs soon drive it out from its vain retreat.  The hawk, when he seizes the hare with one claw, catches hold of any tuft of grass or irregularity of the ground with the other; a strong leather strap is also fastened from one leg to the other, to prevent them from being pulled open or strained.  We came upon a herd of small deer, called ebba, which are a little larger than the gazelle, but they soon bounded beyond our pursuit, leaving us scarcely time to admire their delicate make and unapproachable speed.