1 84 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



pretty well blown, at it, and he scrambled up, nearly 

 falling backwards several times. But there is a little 

 angel aloft who looks after Griffs as well as sailors. 

 By constant spurring I at last reached the top, to find 

 C. and S. far ahead, close to the pig, and riding- 

 parallel to the river. The baubul bushes safely past, 

 I was still some distance behind, but the boar doubled 

 back and threw out C. and S., so I cut him off, and 

 was once more not above twenty paces behind the 

 game. All this time we were going full pelt over the 

 most abominable cotton soil, and the pig thinking 

 that he had more than enough of being chased, turned 

 suddenly and came at me, when I disgracefully missed 

 him, and nearly unhorsed myself by driving the blade 

 of my spear into the ground. The boar was now facing 

 away from the east, where he had before been heading. 

 C. and S. were coming up sideways, I was imme- 

 diately behind the beast ; in front there was a belt of 

 jungle. My horse, hearing the others, got, for the 

 first time, out of hand, and was fairly away with me. 

 Thinking it was all plain sailing, I did not mind. The 

 hog took the fringe of bushes at a bound, and my 

 horse flew over them, only to topple down at least 

 fifteen feet. Fortunately just there there was a deep^ 

 pool of water, and into this we plunged. I must have 

 cut a complete somersault, and then parted with my 

 nag. Many parts of this river, especially where there 

 is water, are very treacherous with quicksands, so I 

 swam to the bank, where the soil was firm, in prefer- 

 ence to landing on the lower side. My horse, after 

 lying still a moment, scrambled out ; he was trembling 

 all over, but uninjured. The boar was now nowhere 

 to be seen ; he had certainly not fallen over the bank, 



