116 REMINISCENCES OF PIG-STICKING. 



the boar feel very sick, and Gregson soon put him out 

 of his pains. This was not a big boar as he measured 

 about 31" ; but was very thick-set and showed plenty 

 of pluck, and the thick coating of grey-looking mud he 

 had on him was what had made him look so very much 

 like those mounds of earth thrown up by the rats. By 

 the time this pig had been killed Molesworth made his 

 reappearance, his horse a good deal less impetuous and 

 ardent. 



Having got the beaters together, we next made our 

 way to another extensive patch of thatching-grass with 

 a lot or mimosa trees in it. As before we rode with the 

 line of beaters — Archie Hills and Gregson to the left, 

 Abbott in the centre, Hayes and myself on the right. 

 We had thus gone for a short distance when Hayes 

 shouted Tally ho ! Pigs in the maidan. Of course, 

 there was a rush forward, Abbott and Gregson going 

 after one of the pigs that had broken and gone to 

 the right ; while Hills, Hayes and myself went ahead. 

 We were riding parallel to each other : Archie Hills 

 to the left, a slight fringe of tall grass intervening 

 between him and ourselves. We had gone for about 

 a quarter of mile or so when, noticing the pigs we 

 were after were sows, I turned round to call out to 

 Archie and let him know about this, when to my 

 astonishment I found he had disappeared. Shouting 

 to Hayes I rode across the intervening grass, and just 

 as 1 got on the other side I saw Archie, who evidently 

 had had a bad fall, get up and pull his mare after 



