194 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



clean animal, finding my Arab too fast for him, ran 

 in circles, and this enabled C. to cut off corners. For 

 a good quarter of an hour both were pressing for 

 the first spear, neither having any advantage. We 

 were riding in grass about three feet high, with 

 clumps somewhat higher here and there ; in one of 

 these I lost sight of the boar. " Where has he gone 

 to ? " I cried, as, twisting at the bridle with both hands, 

 I brought my horse round. C. did not say a word 

 until he was some lengths ahead, when, exclaiming 

 " Here he is," prodded downwards. I was alongside 

 in a moment and thrust my spear well into the boar's 

 back, who was playing 'possum in the long grass. This 

 started the beast, with me after him. My comrade, 

 owing to a gun accident many years before, had lost a 

 couple of fingers off his right hand, and could not 

 grasp the spear firmly ; thus it slipped out of his 

 hand and he had to dismount to recover it ; so I was 

 alone. The boar did not run far, but spun round 

 suddenly and charged direct, gnashing his teeth and 

 uttering a short "whoof, whoof;" he was a large 

 animal, and, with every bristle on end, looked a 

 monster; "his dander was riz." I kept the spear 

 steadily pointed at the boar's chest, and we met with 

 such force that I was carried from my seat on to the 

 croup of the horse, and should have been "spilt " had 

 not the tough bamboo shaft splintered into pieces. 

 At length I seized the tree of the saddle, and as the 

 horse pulled up of his own accord I scrambled back 

 into the pigskin. The boar, after running forward a 

 few yards, fell heavily forward dead, for my weapon 

 had passed through his heart. Dismounting, I admired 

 his proportions, and as he had but two wounds, both 



