THE " PATIALE " ON FIRE. 39 



trusted, as it had only a few months before killed a man 

 and two women ! ! 



We put up several sounders of pigs, but owing to 

 the thickness of the jungle we could not see if there 

 were any good boars among them. By the time we 

 got back to the house the rest of the fellows had 

 arrived. 



After having seen the horses properly stabled for the 

 night, and an early dinner, and a rubber or two at whist 

 we retired to our virtuous couches. 



Next morning after we were dressed and chota hazree 

 over, we made a move towards the patiale. Two parties 

 were made as to riding the pigs — Archie Hills, Lyall and 

 Roberton made the first, and Ferguson, Irvine and my- 

 self the second. The first party won the toss and, of 

 course, got the ride of the first boar that broke. 



We had seven elephants and about sixty coolies. To 

 make as much noise as possible, we had put three big 

 drums on the backs of the elephants, and a lot of bombs 

 to be let off in the stern of some refractory old boar. 

 As all my readers may not exactly know what is meant 

 by bombs or bomes, I will explain in a few words. 

 Bombs or bomes, is the name given by natives to a kind 

 of firework used only to make as much noise as pos- 

 sible, and the report made by one of them is not very 

 unlike to that made by a small gun. A cocoa-nut shell, 

 scooped out and left whole, is filled with gunpowder, 

 and then wrapped round tight with jute, till about the 

 size of a small child's head. A fuse is attached, and 



