114 REMINISCENCES OF PIG-STICKING. 



we soon found this out by losing sight of Abbott, who 

 disappeared in an old mulburry ditch overgrown with 

 grass, out of which he had to be pulled : Mr. Shrimp 

 rather enjoying the fun, and thinking it only as part of 

 the performance he would have to go through ! ! ! 



The first bit of cover we went in brought out only a 

 couple of sows that gave us a good spin, as having 

 had a rather long start, and the grass being high, we 

 mistook them for boars. Riding back to the cover we 

 saw a big-looking pig come out of the jungle and have 

 a look at us, and as he turned round to go in certain 

 unmistakable formations behind showed us that it was a 

 boar. Having taken up our position outside we put 

 the beaters in and anxiously waited for the "hoorosh ! I" 

 Five, ten, fifteen minutes went by, and still no signs of 

 piggy coming out, we waited in vain, the coolies, who 

 had been going backward and forward, swore there 

 was no pig in the place, neither the sign of one. We had 

 seen the boar go in, and were pretty certain he was 

 still there ; so after having spent all our volubility on 

 our beaters in trying to explain to them the close rela- 

 tionship they bore to all the porcine tribes, we ourselves 

 rode into the grass. 



Having made a close formation we advanced, stirring 

 up every bit of cover wherever our friend might have 

 concealed himself, and we had nearly gone through, 

 without seeing any signs of him when Hayes, who was 

 riding along the outside edge of the grass, was nearly un- 

 seated by his horse shying and swerving round. Riding 



