Travels into Turkey: Containing the most accurate account of the Turks, and neighbouring nations, their manners, customs, religion, superstition, policy, riches, coins, &c.Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de
History
Travels into Turkey: Containing the most accurate account of the Turks, and neighbouring nations, their manners, customs, religion, superstition, policy, riches, coins, &c.
Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de
Turkey -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
If you please to hear me, I’ll tell you another story of a Bird: I have,
among my other Birds, a _Balearic_ Crane, which differs from the ordinary
sort of Cranes by a white Plume of Feathers, that grows hanging down from
both her Ears; and besides, all the fore-part of her Neck-Feathers were
black, and the _Turks_ adorn their Turbants with it; and there is some
Difference in their Bigness. This _Balearic_ Bird was mightily affected
with a _Spanish_ Soldier, whom I had redeemed out of his Chains; when
he walked abroad, the Bird would walk with him, though for many Hours
together; when he stood still, so did the Crane; when he sat down, she
would stand by him, and suffer him to handle her, and stroke down her
Feathers, whereas she would not suffer any body else so much as to touch
her; whenever he was gone from Home, she would come to his Chamber-door
and knock against it with her Beak; if any body open’d it, she would look
all about, to see whether he were in the Room; and, not finding him, she
would traverse it about, making such a shrill Din and Noise, that nothing
living could endure it; so that we were forced to shut her up, that her
Noise might not offend us. But when he returned, as soon as ever she
fixed her Eyes on him, she would make to him, clapping her Wings with
such an antick Posture of her Body as Dancers in a Jig use to do; or as
if she had been to prepare herself for Combat with a Pygmy. In fine, she
at last used to lie under his Bed at Night, where she laid him an Egg.
Thus I have given the story of the Loves of brute Animals towards Man,
now prepare your Ears for another Story of a contrary Import, _viz._ the
Cruelty and Ingratitude of another Brute towards Man. I had a Hart, that
lived very quiet and tame with me for many Months; but, when her rutting
or coupling Time came, she grew on a sudden so wild, that, forgetting
all our Respects, she flew upon every body that she met, as if she would
have killed them with her Horns, so that we were compelled, for our own
Security, to hamper her, and to shut her up in a walled Place; but one
Night, she broke from her Prison, and ran amongst all the Horses, which,
as I told you, in _Turkey_, use to stand all Night in the Yard, and where
she made such a Tumult amongst them, that she forced the Grooms to drive
her to her Hold; she wounded many of them, which set them into a Rage, so
that at last they drove her into a large Stable, and there I gave them
leave, with what Weapons came next to hand, to destroy her: She defended
her self stoutly at first; but they, being forty to one, at last felled
her, and made her pay for her breach of Hospitality. When she was dead, I
cut her in pieces, and made a Feast for the Ambassadors that then resided
at _Constantinople_. It was a Hart or Stag, of a huge Bulk, such as use
to come in the beginning of _Autumn_, out of _Hungary_ into _Austria_,
at rutting Times. I bought him of some Beggars, that made a Gain of that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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