JACKAL HUNTING ON THE NEILGHEIUUES, 1876. 139 



Hounds had followed, as we thought, a jackal to ground in a 

 natural drain, the two openings some fifteen yards apart. Veera- 

 sawmy made an opening, rescued the hounds, and pushed a long- 

 bamboo up the drain. First whip stood at the other end, when 

 right at him flew a huge porcupine, buzzing open his quills as a 

 peacock does his tail, scored both his tops deep with his sharp 

 spears, then dashed straight at Chaunter, driving a quill three 

 inches home. In frantic anxiety we yelled and trumpeted to 

 call hounds in an opposite direction ; but Dalesman, Auditor, 

 and the startled Chaunter were on him in a moment, and in 

 another he was in pieces, though the mouth of the first-named 

 was bristling with the quills, and Auditor was impaled through 

 the leg, to be lame till date. Last year a hound was killed, and 

 others maimed, in a similar encounter. 



