324 .4 BOAR HUNT BY MOONLIGHT 



At a distance of about one thousand feet, the pea- 

 stacks stood out distinctly against the wintry sky, and 

 all eyes were immediately turned in that direction. 

 In his capacity of leader of the hunt, Ivan gave the 

 order to drive slowly towards the stacks in a large half 

 circle with a gap between each sledge, and to let loose the 

 dogs as soon as the boars should begin to run. 



When they had come to within three hundred feet of 

 the stacks, they distinctly saw a large herd of black pigs 

 busily engaged in their work of destruction. As soon as 

 the creatures became aware of the approaching enemy 

 they drew closer together. At a signal from Ivan the greater 

 part of the dogs were let loose, and they rushed barking 

 loudly on the common foe. The whole herd gathered 

 close together in a tangled mass, and took flight across 

 the fields in the opposite direction. Six sledges, manned 

 by pike-armed peasants, pursued them quickly, while the 

 remaining five sledges with the rest of the dogs, drove 

 slowly after them so as to be able to cut off the retreat of 

 the pigs into the forest. 



When these last sledges had come to within a 

 hundred and twenty feet of the stacks, the occupants saw 

 a huge dark mass moving among the rooted up straw. 



' That must be an old boar, what they call a " hermit," 

 said Ivan, ' a dangerous creature that fears neither dogs 

 nor men.' 



And, as if to prove the truth of his words, the monster 

 then slowly turned his broadside to the sledge, without 

 interrupting his eating and crunching. 



' If only I had my good rifle here ! ' exclaimed Wult- 

 kiewicz excitedly, ' but with shot one cannot pierce a 

 hide like that.' 



Vomhammel, who sat on the same sledge beside the 

 driver, no sooner heard these words than he sprang up, 

 threw his long legs over the splash-board, jumped out, 

 and revolver in hand, advanced on the boar with huge 

 strides. 



