The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of Spain — John Shaqi
The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of SpainBorrow, George
History
The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of Spain
Borrow, George
Romanies -- Languages; Romanies -- Spain
The accusation of producing disease and death amongst the cattle was far
from groundless. Indeed, however strange and incredible it may sound in
the present day to those who are unacquainted with this caste, and the
peculiar habits of the Rommanees, the practice is still occasionally
pursued in England and many other countries where they are found. From
this practice, when they are not detected, they derive considerable
advantage. Poisoning cattle is exercised by them in two ways: by one,
they merely cause disease in the animals, with the view of receiving
money for curing them upon offering their services; the poison is
generally administered by powders cast at night into the mangers of the
animals: this way is only practised upon the larger cattle, such as
horses and cows. By the other, which they practise chiefly on swine,
speedy death is almost invariably produced, the drug administered being
of a highly intoxicating nature, and affecting the brain. They then
apply at the house or farm where the disaster has occurred for the
carcase of the animal, which is generally given them without suspicion,
and then they feast on the flesh, which is not injured by the poison,
which only affects the head.
The English Gypsies are constant attendants at the racecourse; what
jockey is not? Perhaps jockeyism originated with them, and even racing,
at least in England. Jockeyism properly implies _the management of a
whip_, and the word jockey is neither more nor less than the term
slightly modified, by which they designate the formidable whips which
they usually carry, and which are at present in general use amongst
horse-traffickers, under the title of jockey whips. They are likewise
fond of resorting to the prize-ring, and have occasionally even attained
some eminence, as principals, in those disgraceful and brutalising
exhibitions called pugilistic combats. I believe a great deal has been
written on the subject of the English Gypsies, but the writers have dwelt
too much in generalities; they have been afraid to take the Gypsy by the
hand, lead him forth from the crowd, and exhibit him in the area; he is
well worth observing. When a boy of fourteen, I was present at a
prize-fight; why should I hide the truth? It took place on a green
meadow, beside a running stream, close by the old church of E-, and
within a league of the ancient town of N-, the capital of one of the
eastern counties. The terrible Thurtell was present, lord of the
concourse; for wherever he moved he was master, and whenever he spoke,
even when in chains, every other voice was silent. He stood on the mead,
grim and pale as usual, with his bruisers around. He it was, indeed, who
_got up_ the fight, as he had previously done twenty others; it being his
frequent boast that he had first introduced bruising and bloodshed amidst
rural scenes, and transformed a quiet slumbering town into a den of Jews
and metropolitan thieves. Some time before the commencement of the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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