PIGS 



its tracks " shot at an animal which was at the time well 

 on the alert always a satisfactory conclusion. 



There is, however, little sport in pig shooting in the 

 low country. 



It is a tame proceeding, seeing it usually involves no 

 skill in stalking, there seldom being any difficulty in getting 

 within easy shot distance, and there is practically no risk 

 or danger about it. The tusks, however, form an interest- 

 ing trophy, and, if you care for such things, a good boar's 

 head properly set up looks very well among other trophies 

 of your rifle. 



Nobody as a rule would think of shooting a pig at 

 a water-hole at night, but I have done so once or twice 

 when nothing else offered. 



I was once watching in a " rifle pit " in the bed of a 

 nearly dry tank, between the one remaining pool of water 

 and the jungle edge, distant about 100 yards from each, 

 and nothing had come along except some deer, which I 

 would not fire at, so I was waxing impatient. At a rather 

 late hour I suddenly saw a long string of smallish animals 

 coming towards me from the jungle, and the dim moon- 

 light soon showed them to be pigs, moving along, as they 

 usually do at night when not disturbed, at a quick trot in a 

 long drawn-out line in single file. My companion was an 

 old Moorman, a faithful follower of the Prophet, and he 

 became so ludicrously agitated at the sight of the advancing 

 line, wanting to drive them away by a shout, that I shoved 

 him down in the bottom of the hole we were sitting in, and 

 put my knee on top of him to keep him there, threatening 

 all sorts of violence if he moved or uttered a sound. I 

 then turned my attention to the pigs, and as they filed past 

 at about 30 yards I selected the biggest one I could see, 

 and bowled it over in its tracks. The other pigs scattered 



315 



