6 THE WILD BOAR. 



lighter than an old tusker I killed the previous autumn near Yen-an Fu 

 in Shensi. This latter animal gave me a good run requiring four bullets 

 to finish it. 



It will be gathered from these two narratives that the mountainous 

 nature of the country in which they live renders impossible any other 

 method of hunting these pigs than by shooting them. The method 

 employed in India and elsewhere of running down and spearing the 

 wild boar would be quite out of the question in North China. 



Pig. hunting with the aid of the rifle is naturally a far less danger- 

 ous sport than when the spear is used. Nevertheless one can have some 

 exciting moments. 



On one occasion accompanied by two natives I succeeded in driv- 

 ing some seven or eight pigs out of a dense pine wood at the top of 

 a wide valley. The pigs ran down the side of the valley and took 

 shelter in a clump of stunted oaks. Sending the natives up above 

 them to drive them out I waited below. The men missed their 

 bearings and came upon the pigs in such a manner as to cause the 

 whole herd to break cover and come thundering like a troup of cavalry 

 straight towards me. Fortunately, however, they swerved to right and 

 left when within a few yards of me, and I managed to hit one as it 

 rushed past. The wounded animal broke away from the rest of the 

 sounder, and tried to cross the valley, so that I was able to knock it over 

 as it was climbing the opposite slope. 



Winter is undoubtedly the season for pig hunting as the chase 

 is altogether too arduous for the hot weather, while the foliage of the 

 summer and autumn increases the difficulty of finding the quarry, and 

 of keeping it in sight when put up. Few of the residents of North 

 China can spare the time required to hunt the wild boar, as it often 

 takes a week or more to locate the game after one has reached the 

 hunting ground, but once having gleaned the necessary knowledge of 

 the country one can enjoy good shooting. I once managed to get three 

 pigs in four days, and on another occasion bagged a fine tusker and 

 two roedeer in twelve hours. My companion on that occasion also shot 

 two roedeer. 



