Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1853-10-06
Sagacity Of the Hyena,

during the mission with which | was
charged in ls4s, TO Algeria, says Mr..
BerthOud, the French naturalist, some of
The natives gave me Young hyena,
which soon became attached To me after
The manner of faithful and gentle dog.
This creature became The inseparable
companion of my rambles. ith an
instinct aided bv her uncommonly acute
sense of smell. she served me as a guide,
and with her felt certain of never going
asirav, to whatever distance might pen
citrate, either into fores, or mountain
ravlne, or among those immense sandy
plans which so much resemble the sea.
As soon as | wished to return-even be
fore 1t, if she herself felt weary-the
hyena. with Gilated nosiri's, snutTed the
soil, and after few moments spent in
careful investigation, she used to walk
rapidly on before me. Never did she
deviate from the track by which we had
come, as | constantly perceived by the
mark which my foot had made in stop
ping TO pluck some rare herb, or the evi.
derGe of where my hand had broken a
branch from a stunted shrub. From time
To time she used TO stop aud seat herself
on her launches like a dog, fawning for a
caress, and after obtaining it she would
tro. on again. II any noise was heard
in the profound silence of the desert she
erected her ears and made inquisition
with her quick scent and hearing. II
'he result produced nothing alarming,
she would gaily pursue her route. II an
Arab appeared, she bristed up her name
and took refuge between my legs, and
remained there until she saw him pass
on, after exchanging with me the ssluta.
ilon which every native beslows on the
traveller whom he meets.
One morning. enticed onward by The
strong phantasmagoria of a mirage in the
sandy plain near Thehassa, found my
self al length in the midst of desert
| could see nothing on every side but
sand, heaped up like waves. aud over
which the burning hea. OF 'he atmos-
phere formed that sort OF undulatng re.
tiectlon which produces the illusions OF
the,mirage. Fatigue a, length overcame
me; suddenly fell to the ground with.
out any strength, my head burning, and
ready to perish with thirst. The pant
Ing hyena came up to me, and smell of
lie with apparent dtsquletude. Sudden
ly she darled off so abrubdy, and with
such fearfalrapidily. tha. tbongh, she
had Ieit me to my fate. ir.ed to rise
and follow her, but could not. Ten min.
utes passed, and saw my faithful pet
returning. She rushed towards me, and
began to HEX my hands with her cool
tongue, while her hps were dripping with
fresh water. | observed that the track
through the sand was marked by drops
of moisture.
The certainty Of finding water at once
restored my strength. arose and man.
aged to follow the hyens, who walked
on slowly IN advance. turning her head
from time to time toward me. Ere long
| reached hole scooped out Of The sand:
It's bottom was moist, but contained no
water tried to dig i, deeper. but my
hands, scorched by the sand, reached no
water. Meantime the hyena wandered
about seeming The ground. Suddenly
she began to work with her paws. and
made small hole, which speedily be.
came filed with water. Although some
wha, brackish, il seemed to me delicious.
| drank of i. freely, ba,hed my head and
face, and then proceeded homeward, fol
lowing my faithful guide.
Such was the extreme acuieness of This
creatures sense of smell. that al the dis.
lance of five or six leagues from the
house which inhabited, at Phiiipsville,
she used to discover The existence of The
carcass Of dead animal. Then the nat
ural instinct of the wild beast awoke.
and would no, be restra ined. She used
TO manage to elude my vigilance, dart of
with marvellous rapidity, and ere long re.
turn, gorged with flesh, and half dead
with fatigue. Ii was in one of th0se
gastronomic excursi ons that hos, her.
a panther which had commi,ed great
rayages in the district. sssacked and
wounded her SO severely shal she died IN
few hours after her return home.