THE SIEGE RAISED. 108 



from the tree, and away the whole herd went 

 after him, making such a noise I never heard 

 before or since. Remaining up the tree for 

 several minutes, until all was quiet, I loaded 

 both barrels very carefiilly with ball, and 

 slipping down to the ground ran away, in a 

 contrary direction to the one they had taken, 

 as fast as my legs could carry me. 



In about an hour's time a party of us 

 returned to the spot on horseback and carried 

 the brute home, after cutting him up, as he 

 was too heavy to carry whole. 



He was a large, strong-made beast, but 

 seemed more nimbly and less massively 

 formed than the boar of Germany or Spain ; 

 the colour was not so brindled, but more of a 

 dirty yellowish brown ; the bristles were also 

 far from being so strong or thick, owing, most 

 hkely, to the heat of the climate. There 

 were no means at hand for weighing him, 

 but^he was estimated at about three hundred 

 and fifty pounds, which is much under a ftill- 

 grown European boar in good condition : the 

 tusks were long, pointed, and very sharp 

 edged ; and the flesh (this was before the 

 dinner off the musk-pig) rather hard, but very 

 well flavoured. Had the head received the 

 same scientific preparation that a German or 



