PAKHAL NADDI OF THE PALM TREES 121 



two natives, who had been cutting brushwood quite two 

 hundred yards away, rushed from the ndla in suppliant 

 attitudes ; and we understood thereby that the pigs were 

 taking a line straight away through the ndla for the now 

 familiar Chandrabhaga. Crossing the stream at a little 

 clearing therefore, H. went up the far side, while I trotted 

 up mine : the others had taken up unlucky positions and 

 could not be seen. 



Near the head of the sendhibund, where it ceased and the 

 ordinary dry samatu-bushed watercourse began, I halted, 

 concealed myself, and awaited events ; but my luck was 

 out, for the boars did not come out so far up, and I shortly 

 spied two rapidly moving objects half a mile away, and 

 made out H. riding a big pig single-handed. 



To gallop across the shingle and set the mare going in 

 this direction was the work of a moment ; and, my mount 

 being fresh, I rapidly approached the scene of action, just 

 too late however, for, as we forged alongside, H. scored first 

 spear a bit " abaft o' the mizzen " however, and the boar, 

 the heaviest I had yet seen, and evidently our black ac- 

 quaintance of a few minutes before, jinked across my front. 

 Gallantly the little mare responded, and, with a bound 

 forward, the spear-point entered behind the small ribs, 

 high up, and stood out from his brawny chest. None of us 

 were rich in spears in those early days, so, fearing a smash, 

 I let go ; and the pig, with the magic wand swaying from 

 his flank, charged H., missed his horse, stumbled, recovered 

 desperately, stumbled again, and fell on his knees, to sink 

 slowly with a sigh on his side and roll up the whites of his 

 game little eyes dead. 



Meanwhile a more animated scene was being enacted 

 nearer covert. 



A big boar, so fat that he had only cantered a short 

 distance into the open before lying up in wrath under a 

 bush, had been attacked; but, in spite of several severe 

 wounds, had cut one horse and regained the shelter of the 



