Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-04
An Ostrich Hunt in Africa,

English Shipmaster in Boston Commercial Bulletin The ostrich hunt was an exciting event. Those who had chargs of the camsIs myself among the resi- followed after the horsemen. urging our fleet footed animals to their high- est speed. I had now an opportunity of witnessing the extraordinary 1eetness of the Arabian horses. They seemed to skim over the surface of the desert. Our camels were flying over the ground at 8 rapi1 pace, but we seemed to be standing still so rapidly did they increase their distance from us. On they went in straight line toward the south
 the birds some half a mile ahead. In g short time the horsemen disappeared below the horizon, but we still continued our rapid race in the direction in which they had gone
 The wind of the desert died away or rather we outran iG the sun grew fiercely hot, and the occasional stretches of sand that we passed over throw clouds of the smallest particles into the air under the disturbance of the camefs feet, producing a choking thirst. Still we keep on ; for long time we travelled in this rapid manner.
 About four hours, as I judged it, after starting ont on the chase the forms of the horses once more loomed against the hori- zon. We speedily came up to them and found that the chase had been successful
 About dozen dead ostriches lay on the des- ert, some of them with their beautiful pIu. mage bedabbled with gora.- Red spots ap- peared here and there, showing where the birds had fallen and poured out their life blood. By the tims we reached the hunters the horses had been rubbsd down and their trappings removed. They were now supposed to have been sufficiently breathed, and each animal was given as much water and camePs milk to drink, from the skins which we carried on the camele, as it wanted
 The ostriches were then packed on the camels; the hunters, each with his halter of skin ill his hand or attached to his arm lead ing his horse, mounted their camels and we set off at rapid pace toward the north, reaching the tents shortly after sunset.
 In reply to questions put to Mohammed next day learned that the object of taking the camels to the hunting grounds and lead ing the horses thither was to keep the latter animals fresh for the racs. In reply to nv question as to why they chased the ostriches fo the southward instead of to the north, thus carrying them in direction away from their tents, he replied that it was necessary to chase tho ostriches before the wind-the desert wind usually blows from the north going before the wind the birds lose their breath or they could not be captured. With the wind in it's face full grown ostrich could easily outrun the best horse on the desert. In the race esery bird that turns and gets around the Hanks of the pursuers with it's head in an opposite direction is lost
 The speed of the bird is remarkable and it's endurance something to wonder at Against the wind the ostrich can run from sunrise to sunset without in the least abating it's speed. I asked him if the ostrich wheu pursued ever stuck it's head into hole in the ground into bush and ceased to fly, thinking itself safe. He said he had no knowledge of any such habit ou the part of the bird. If it would do that it's capture
 would be easy. AS it was, however, the bird was difficult to capture. Only the feet est horses of the desert were of any use in chasing it, and it's pursuit could not be con- tinued regularly, because no horse had the endurance necessary for continuous ostrich chasing. Once in 8 moon was sufficient for any horse to be used in ostrich hunting. The object of hunting the bird was to procure it's feathers to exchange with Arab merchants for haioks, gunpowder, bullets beads, shells, etc. and it's flesh for food