271 



made lively music. We were no less excited ourselves, each 

 hurr3'ing oil', cutting his own way through vines (v), prickly palms 

 (iv), undergrowth, and other obstacles, hoping to be first on the 

 scene of the terrible fight which is sure to take place when the 

 prey is brought to bay. The pursuit was vigorously kept up for 

 fully an hour, when the hoped for goal was reached, and it was 

 found that the object of our chase had taken refuge within the 

 hollow trunk of a gigantic balata tree, lying prostrate a stately 

 wreck, probably for over two generations. Within about fifteen 

 minutes after the ari'ival of the first, the I'emainder of the party 

 came up. Stopping both ends of the trunk with fallen branches, 

 we sat down and rested for ten minutes to recover breath and 

 relieve our jaded muscles, considering the safest and easiest way 

 to capture our prisoner. After this short rest, we began 

 opei'ations with the sharp-edged axe on this dead but hardshelled 

 giant of the forest, and worked incessantly for about an hour 

 before we reached the now maddened creature, the chattering of 

 whose tusks bespoke danger and warned us to be careful. A 

 wide enough entrance having been hewn, I asked to be allowed 

 to shoot, as the uninitiated would surely make mischief. This 

 request was quickly granted, when at the report of my shot and 

 to our pleasant surprise, two more frightened members of the 

 same band, who thought discretion the better part of valour, 

 jumped right amongst us from the opening we had efiected and made 

 clear their way befoi'e the remainder of the party had time to 

 snatch up their guns. After a short run, however, they were 

 brought to bay ])y four ofthedogs while the remaining five stood 

 guarding the dead quank. This, 1 may say en jxissant, is a habit 

 of our hunting-dogs ; they are so trained, with the object of 

 keeping off a certain class of hunters or ' sneak thieves' (Amei*.) I 

 should rather call them, who follow noiselessly upon the heels of 

 the unsuspecting hunter with the view of "annexing " his game 

 if left ungua,rded. These faithful animals can be relied upon, as 

 tliey bark furiously at the approach of a stranger, and the hunter 

 whose practised ear seldom fails to recognise the thousand and 

 one sounds peculiar to the forest, including the bai^k peculiar to 

 each of his dogs, hurries tow-ards his faithful guards to find that 

 the intruder has either used his better judgment and moved ofi' 

 as fast as his locomotive powers would allow, or is standing sur- 

 rounded by his anything but pleasant companions, whose furious 

 barking and threatening attitude make matters verjj- uncomfortable 

 for him. Should one of these rascals be caught, he is dealt with 

 summarily, and taught a lesson that he does not readily forget. 

 To continue, we quickly followed, and witnessed one of the most 

 determined fights betv/een l)east and beast. Here v/ere two full- 

 grown quanks, foaming v>dth rage, their backs against the trunk 



