Page 140 - Arabian Studies (II)

132 Arabian Studies 11

in the Libyan Desert, is without doubt much exaggerated.7 9 In
short, the gazelle is as swift as, and perhaps even swifter than, the
saluki, though ultimately the tremendous stamina of the latter will
keep him running when the gazelle is exhausted.
The course will thus be a long one,80 and it was undoubtedly
early in the history of gazelle hunting in the Middle East that the
idea was conceived to work the hawk together with the saluki,
though the former appeared in a supporting role, probably slipped
only if the course proved long and a particular strain on the hounds.
The hawk was specially trained to attack the head of the victim, in
an attempt to confuse the running animal. It may also bind to the
neck or back of the gazelle, in which case the latter may stop and roll
over to try to dislodge the hawk. In any event, precious seconds and
energy are lost in this tussle, and all the time the hounds draw closer
to the heels of the prey until at last, too exhausted to continue the
fight, the gazelle is dragged down and held for the knife of the
hunter who has followed the chase on camel or horseback. It should
be mentioned that in such cases the hawk does more than slow down
the gazelle for the salukis. In hilly, sandy country, where the gazelle
may pass out of sight of the hounds, the hawk serves as a marker as it
flies over the prey, so that they, pursuing always by sight, do not lose
the animal. In this connection, Thesiger81 mentions salukis following
the flight of a hawk at houbara.

4. The Oryx

Our literary sources indicate that the oryx has been hunted by
salukis in the Peninsula from earliest known times and continued
into the medieval period, perhaps even later. Poems on the oryx hunt
from the pre-Islamic era are not difficult to find, the best known
being the Mu'allaqah of Labld, the qasidah of al-Nabighah and those
of ‘Abdah b. al-Jablb and Khuwaylid b. Khalid, Abu Dhu’ayb, both
contained in the Mufaddaliyat.82 We have several such accounts in
the poetry of Ghaylan b. ‘Uqbah, Dhu’l-Rummah, the Umayyad poet
who died in 1 17/735—6.8 3 Assuming — as we think we may — that
the ayyil/iyyal is indeed the oryx, we have our proof from the
Bayzarah, a 4th/10th century work, that the saluki was still engaged
in hunting this antelope at this time.8 4
In using the pre-Islamic and Umayyad poetical sources, we are
faced with one great difficulty. Literary convention of the time
dictated the result of the struggle between oryx and hounds: in
poems of elegy (marthiyah) or exhortation (maw'izah) it was
required that the hounds kill the oryx; but in poems of eulogy