On the third day, if the crane will fly, well and good; but if not, it must be cast off a mound or from some high place—the meat as before being bound on its back—so that the hawk may bind to it in the air, and both birds come to the ground together. If you find that she binds to the crane’s head and pays no attention to the meat, you should, if possible, cut the crane’s throat, and feed up your “ignoramus”—it being of course understood that you have plenty of bagged cranes or the means of obtaining them. If, however, you have but this one “train,” you must stealthily introduce under the crane’s wing a blue-rock or any pigeon coloured like the crane, and feed the hawk on it; or else introduce a chicken under the wing, and putting its head into the hawk’s foot, so cut the throat that the hawk may not hear the chicken’s cries.
On the following day fly the hawk at the crane from a longer distance.
Now when you see that your hawk thoroughly recognizes a crane, and will resolutely fly at any train first shown to it and then released from the hand, you must proceed as follows:—
Get a crane, and as before tie meat on to its back. Cut its sharp front claw—a claw as sharp and deadly as a hawk’s—and insert a string through the nostrils; then bind the two mandibles together, so that the crane may in no way frighten or injure the hawk, neither with its feet nor with its beak. Now seel the eyes and drive it off ten or twenty yards, and fly your hawk at it while it is on the move. Continue this practice, increasing the distance, but lessening the meat till no meat remains, and until your hawk, rising from your fist without hesitation, will make straight for the crane, and after one or two stoops bind to its head.
On the morrow, if you have a fresh crane that will fly, you should unhood the hawk and fly her at that, after it is put on the wing; but, if the crane will not fly, you must get an assistant to carry it to a distance and there release it. He must then either lie flat on the ground, or conceal himself behind some cover, so that he may be near to render speedy assistance to the hawk by seizing the crane’s legs as soon as the hawk binds to its head.
For a few days, too, you should release two cranes and three cranes in company, so that your hawk may single out one.
If, in the district where you are, there are still cranes to be found, i.e., if they have not yet migrated out of the country, go out into the open country and take with you a make-hawk too, and somehow or other with the latter take a crane. Then, as soon as possible, let this freshly caught crane fly, and when it has flown about a hundred yards, unhood and cast off your young hawk. She is sure to take the crane. Cut the crane’s throat, and feed up the hawk, giving her the heart; give her, too, some of the small neck feathers as a “casting.”
Next take your hawk out into the country, and if you happen to find a solitary crane put your trust in God and fly her at it. If, however, you find a flock of ten or twenty, on no account fly her; do not even think of doing so. If you fail to find a solitary crane, you must with your made hawks take a crane, and at once give it to your young hawk as a flying “train”—as you did yesterday.
On the next day, again go out hawking, and if you find a solitary crane, fly her at it. Have by you a “make-hawk,” but if your falconer’s knowledge tells you that your young hawk is master of the situation, do nothing: if, however, you see that the young hawk is not flying with resolution, then without loss of time cast off the “make-hawk” to her assistance. When the crane is taken, feed up the young hawk on it.
If during this Spring she takes one or two cranes, return thanks to God, and fly her at nothing else; set her down in the “mew”[617] to moult[618] and act as will be explained later. Leave her in the “mew” till all your hawks are moulted. When she comes out of the moult, you must treat her again exactly as you did when she was “ignorant.”[619] As soon as you have re-made her to the lure, go and fly her at a common heron. If she takes it, nothing can be better: feed her up. If she has no inclination for it, or if she does not work well, give her a good active heron as a “train,” releasing it at a distance. If to-day she takes the “train,” to-morrow she will take a wild heron. After she has taken one or two common herons, you must turn your attention to cranes.