"soncrantie" meet. 135 



Our beaters had now grown beatifully less and less, 

 so though it was still early, we thought the best thing 

 would be to get back to the factory and refresh our- 

 selves and come out again in the evening and watch 

 if we could not catch a pig or two as they left the 

 patiale for their feeding grounds. After a tub Morey 

 introduced a novel pick-me-up, tinned lobsters seasoned 

 with hot chilly-vinegar and bread and butter, washed 

 down with sundry bottles of Bass's Pale Ale ! Just 

 before sun-down we rode back to the patiale^ and took 

 our positions behind some big trees and waited for our 

 porcine foes to come out ; but we waited in vain till 

 night " cast her sable mantle o'er the scene." 



Early next morning, just as we were getting on our 

 horses to get back to our different destinations, we saw 

 in the distance a long line of some black-looking objects, 

 — that they were pigs there was not the slightest doubt. 

 As they came nearer we saw that there were nearly 

 a dozen pigs of all sizes, and one among them a perfect 

 monster. Forgetting our leave-taking for the time 

 being, we got hold of some spears and down we went. 

 The sounder rather startled in seeing us went away at 

 their best pace for the friendly cover of the patiale ; 

 but the old gentleman, a perfect monster of a boar, 

 never intended running and Morey was soon alongside, 

 and though only a few paces from the patiale he made 

 a determined charge. Morey got in a good spear and 

 left it in ; but the boar also managed to get in and give 

 a nasty cut to Punch. Into the patiale the pig dashed, 



