The natives of Barbary are indolent to a very astonishing degree, unless when accidentally roused to some sudden fit of exertion ; and hence their amuse ments are always in extremes, either of the most seden tary, or of the most violent description. They may often be seen in considerable numbers sitting on their hams, leaning against a wall, in complete apathy and silence, smoking their pipes, their beards; or repeating their prayers with a rosary in their hands, or conversing together with the utmost vehemence. They are so extremely averse from standing or walk ing, that, if two or three should chance to meet, they instantly squat themselves down on the first clean spot which they can find, though the interview may not be intended to last above a few minutes. They spend great part of their time in the barbers' shops, which are the chief places of concourse, and the great sources of all intelligence or in the coffee-houses, tea and coffee, or playing at a kind of chess, in which they are very expert ; but all games of hazard are strictly prohibited by their law, and they seldom play for money in any case. Tribes of wandering his torians, or romancers, often amuse the vulgar by their wonderful relations ; and, dancers and jugglers by their tricks and agility. The young men, and espe cially the soldiery, often make merry with their con cubines, with wine and music, in the taverns, or in the fields. The natives of this country are, in gene ral, greatly delighted with music ; and their quick tunes are very beautiful and simple ; but their slow airs have a tiresome, melancholy sameness. Their principal instruments are the hautboy, the mandoline, (a Spanish instrument), a violin with two strings, the drum, the common pipe and tabor. Their more ac tive diversions are, leapfrog, jumping, wrestling, and particularly football; in Which last exercise, they do not attempt to send the ball to a goal, but amuse themselves by kicking it up in the air, without any definite object. Another favourite amusement, or rather military exercise, in which they continue for several hours at a time, is what they call the game of gun-powder ; which consists in one party of horse men riding full gallop against another, or merely to wards a wall, suddenly stopping short, discharging their muskets, and retiring to resume the onset. Those arc considered as the most expert in this amusement, who advance nearest the wall, and who stop short most instantaneously. This is their mode of engaging in battle, and also of complimenting a stranger. They load their pieces with loose powder; ride up violently to the persons, whom they mean to salute ; and then suddenly checking their horses, dis charge their muskets full in the face of the ho noured individual.
The care and management of their horse is their greatest pleasure and accomplishment ; and it must be admitted that they excel in horsemanship. Their mode of training and riding, however, is very cruel and pernicious to these noble animals. They break them in when very young, by making them perform long and fatiguing journies, over a mountainous and rocky surface. They then teach them to rear up, to stand fire, to go at full speed, and to stop short, as hag been described. Their horses, of consequence, have no other pace than a walk or gallop ; and, by being broken in so early, and treated so barbarously, they are very soon rendered unfit for service. Thew bridles have only one rein of very great length, which serves also the purpose of a whip ; and the bit is so constructed, that, by a very slight pressure on the horse's tongue and lower jaw, it fills mouth with blood ; and, if not used with the utmost caution,. would be so powerful in its check, as to throw hit. completely on his back. Their saddles are in some degree similar to the Spanish ; but the pummel is still higher peaked, rising in a perpendicular direc tion, while the back part is elevated in such a man lier, as to support the rider, as high as the loins.•
They are covered with red woollen Floth, or even, with red sattin ; and are fastened upon the horse by one girth round the body, and another across his shoulders. The stirrups are hung very short ; form ed so as to cover the foot, like a slipper; and placed far back, so as to give the rider a firmer seat by in ducing him to grasp the horse's sides with his knees., The spur is a spike, about six inches in length, hung loosely at the heel of the stirrup, a very barbarous looking weapon, which appears to a stranger ready to rip up the sides of the animal, but which a skil ful rider keeps always between four Or eight inches from the horse's belly, and seldom uses it so as to do him any injury.
Among the amusements of the Moors may be men tioned the sports of the field, such as hawking, which is much practised in the kingdom ofTunis, where there is a great variety of falcons; and fowling, in which the sportsman makes no use of dugs, but conceals himself under an oblong frame of canvass, painted like a leo pard, in which are two or three holes, that he may per ceive what passes, and may push out his musket when he is sufficiently near to the birds. They often take partridges by tunnelling, or inclosing them in a net by means of a decoy bird in a cage ; and sometimes by springing the coveys repeatedly, till the birds be come fatigued, when they take them with dogs, or knock them down with sticks. A whole district is often assembled to hunt the lion and leopard. The company encompass a space of three or four miles in circumference, gradually contracting their circle as they proceed; the footmen with dogs and spears advancing in the front, while the horsemen are a little behind, ready to charge upon the first sally of the wild beast. Sometimes they form traps for these animals by digging holes in the ground, formed like an inverted cone, and slightly covered with earth. At other times, the Shelltdis and l3erebbers take their station, near the resort of these destructive animals, sometimes on the top of a tree, and sometimes in small round towers built for the purpose, with a hole or two in the wall for the musket ; and will remain in these places for whole days, living on bar ley meal and water. Their manner of-hunting the hyxma i3 also very singular, and deserves to be parti cularly mentioned. Ten or twelve persons repair to the cave, which the animal is understood to fre quent, and in which he. always remains through the .
r• day. One of these himself naked, seizes a dagger in one hand, and taking the end of a rope with a noose in the other, he advances gradually into 'the cave, speaking gently, with an insinuating tone of voice, as if with a view to-fascinate the hyaena. When he has reached the animal, he stroaks his back in order to soothe him, dexterously slips the noose round his neck, throws a piece of cloth over his face, pulls the rope at the same instant to indicate to his companions that it is fixed ; and then, retiring be hind, urges the animal forward, while the dogs at tack him in front, as he is dragged along. In the pursuit of the ostrich, the Arabs make use of the desert horse, and set out in a party of twenty or more, riding gently against the wind, one after the other, at the distance of about half a mile asunder, till they discover the foot marks of the bird. When they come in sight of their game, they rush forwards at full speed, alwaybk.,observing the same relative distance. The ostrich finding her wings an impediment to her progress when thus moving against the wind, turns towards her pursuers, endeavouring to pass them; and though she may escape the first or second, she is generally brought down by the musket or bludgeon of those that follow.