THE NARBADA VALLEY. 75 



carried off the morning of my arrival. It is scarcely 

 credible that I could not at first obtain sufficient beaters 

 to drive the cover where these two atrocious brutes were 

 gorging on their unholy meal. At last a few of the 

 outcaste helots who act as village drudges in those parts 

 were induced to take sticks and accompany my horse- 

 keeper with a hog-spear, and my Sikh orderly with his 

 sword, through the belt of grass, while I posted myself 

 behind a tree with a double rifle at the other end. In 

 about five minutes the pair walked leisurely out into an 

 open space within twenty paces of me. They were 

 evidently mother and son ; the latter about three- 

 quarters grown, with a reddish-yellow well-farred coat, 

 and plump appearance ; the mother a lean and grizzled 

 hag, with hideous pendent dugs, and slaver dropping 

 from her disgusting jaws. I gave her the benefit of the 

 first barrel, and dropped her with a shot through both 

 her shoulders. The whelp started off, but the second 

 barrel arrested him also with a bullet in the neck ; and 

 I watched with satisfaction the struggles of the mother 

 till my man came up with the hog-spear, which I 

 defiled by finishing her. In the cover they had come 

 through, my men said that their lairs in the grass were 

 numerous, and filled with fragments of bones ; so that 

 there was little doubt that the brutes thus so happily 

 disposed of, had long been perfectly at home in the 

 neighbourhood of these miserable superstitious villagers. 

 Dogs that are in the way of hunting jackals will 

 readily pursue a wolf, so long as he runs away. But 

 the wolf generally tries the effect of his bared teeth 

 on his pursuers before running very far, and only the 

 most resolute hounds can be brought to face them. 

 I have several times had my dogs chased back close 



