The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-03-04
The slaughter OF Animals, and Declension
IN Nm Ra "a

The practice Of hunting wild animals for
food engenders disregard Of animal life,
which gradually extends to fellow human
beings. All history will bear testimony TO
the fact, that hunters are men Of violence,
from Esau, who frightened Jacob, down TO
Grantley Berkeley, who punches the heads
OF peasants. 1t was our fortune, good or
bad, to sojoum for long period in sunny
climes, amongst human tribes, half pastoral
half predatory, who lived on horseback,
whose sole food was the flesh Of recently
slain animals, and their drink brackish wa
ter, their couch the grassy plain, and their
roof the blue heaven. Lean, why, and 1.-THE
OF body, with cat-like, halfsleepy eyes, and
long black horse looking hair, these people
possessed the attributes of tigers, and they
passed their time, half in sloth, and half in
ferocity. Often witnessing, and sometimes
compelled to join in the eating Of half
roasted flesh, torn from an animal, Just
slain, and the mass still quivering, we have
learned how, by slight degrees, refinement
departs, and the mind becomes callous to
horrors and bloodshed. The slightest word
Of provocation, and drawn knives to crafty
revenge, the dried blood Of the animal on
the blade, mingling with the red torrent
flowing from human veins, was a common
occurrence. To dress wounds was an al
most daily task, and at last drudgery,
from which even compassion shrunk. The
gradual callousness Of the natives Of more
civilized climes was remarkable. Wounds
became matter for mirth. On one occa-
sion, encamPed rudely, awaiting the attack
Of some hostile tribes, with bristling spears
and preparedl rifles, native Of Scotland, a
mechanic of ordinary decent habits, tolera-
bly, educated, and possessing some five thou
sand pounds capital, entered into CONVEX
sation with us, calculating the strategy of
their position, and the number that would
be slain, all in the cool, quiet, cultural
Saxon dialect denominated Lowland Scotch.
And gliding from one subject to another, as
easily as if discussing a chapter of Adam
Smith, he thus went on: avail, moo, AVN
thinkin' that we've tried maist kinds o flesh
meat-bull and quey and caul, and horse
duu huitt dihu itOli anu uttI, anu OSlllCf
and armadillo, and bees catcher, and your
common swine-so when the fight is over,
| should like TO cut steaks from one of those
brown deevils of Ingeuns yonder to try
what he eats like" We looked at the
speaker, thinking he TESTED, but it was no
Jest. 1t was simply man of average in
tellect, and very coarse nerves, who stood
before U.s. one, who by force Of habit, might
have obeyed moral laws, but too coldly
practical ever to discover them for himself
He was merely going little beyond the
practices Of his wild companions. They,
albeit Christians, were in the habit of skin
ming their human foes to make horse-trap-
pings Of their hides; he from curiosity, was
DESTROYS to taste their flesh. Possibly he
might have called himself Christian also.
We did not ask him his descent, but il
struck US that, after all, the story of Sawney
Beane might be no fable. Such a man,
placed in position where the only food
was human flesh, would have made his ex-
pertinent habit, and would have enjoyed
his cannibal meals with as much relish as
chief Of the Feejee Islands, Westminster
Regieio.