REMINISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 257 



such a monster, and not the General, who was 

 a real good shot and accustomed to such game. 

 Carabine declared he was bent on giving me a 

 chance of redeeming my character ; that there 

 I should stand, and nowhere else ;' and that if 

 I missed ! — he looked unutterable things — and 

 away with him to the piqueurs and the hounds. 

 And here was I left, an unprotected babe in 

 the woods, a long way from any one, to 

 encounter the furious animal. I loaded my 

 gun carefully, putting two balls, screwed to- 

 gether, in each barrel. I laid my gun against 

 the tree, and sat me down to rest and gaze. 

 After a long time, I heard a distant noise and 

 cries. Gradually the note of hounds came 

 nearer — nearer — nearer, till it seemed to reach 

 the copse-hill before me. Once or twice I caught 

 a glimpse of something coming through it, 

 and at last saw it clearly — a beast of some sort. 

 It broke, and lo ! and behold ! it was a kind 

 of a bluish, brownish, slate-coloured animal, 

 decidedly of the pig kind. It was not going 

 very fast ; it looked very hot, very fat, very 

 sulky. It wended its way across the flat to- 

 wards the stream, and, merciful powers ! as if 

 it was taking aim at the very tree under which 

 I stood. I was very keen, but I was troubled 

 in my mind. At last my gentleman, as he 



