1 82 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



a right good fellow ; C., S., and B., of my own corps, 

 and a few others, about a dozen riders in all. I was 

 stationed with B. in a dry watercourse. The beat 

 had not commenced very long when there was a 

 whoof-whoof, and a boar most unexpectedly broke 

 cover near by. Our horses, unaccustomed to the 

 sport, spun round on their heels. I was on the 

 chestnut, and cramming in the persuaders, I got off on 

 good terms with the hog, a very old fellow with 

 splendid tusks. I could hear the clattering of horses' 

 hoofs after me, so pressed mine to the utmost, thinking 

 to distinguish myself and take first spear, for certainly 

 I had a good chance. My mount though vicious was 

 fast and a good fencer. No one near me and the pig 

 not fifty yards ahead, so I raced along and was 

 rapidly coming to close quarters, when the boar 

 "jinked," and as he did so I endeavoured to spear 

 him over the bridle arm, but the next moment I was 

 floundering over the horse's tail and lit on my head, 

 when I saw more stars than the firmament can show, 

 and this almost opposite the machan on which were 

 stationed several ladies. I was half stunned, and 

 staggered about in attempting to get on my feet and 

 catch my horse. C. passed me and, bidding me pick 

 up the pieces, disappeared. By the time I recovered 

 my nag the boar was dead. C. missed the first 

 spear as the boar turned in the bushes and charged, 

 though still uninjured. The sub-judge then speared 

 him, and C., an old pig-sticker, finished him off. 

 I think he was, if not the biggest, one of the 

 biggest boars I ever saw. His height was thirty- 

 eight inches and his ivories were splendid. We 

 then beat the " Bubbles " and a sounder rushed off. 



