Hog-hunting. 213 



second or two after, but carrying a jobbing spear 

 rather bothered me. I had seen Dansey, of our 

 30th, use one, so following the lesson that he taught 

 me, fortunately I was ready for action, although I 

 did not expect to come upon the pig for another 

 couple of hundred yards or so ; but no sooner was 

 I in the grass than a gray mass almost sprang at 

 me. Mechanically I jobbed, and drove in the spurs ; 

 the spear just missed the spine, but went well into 

 the neck behind the immense head, and luckily as 

 I bounded forward the spear came away ; thus the 

 boar just missed a vicious prod he made at my 

 pony's quarter, but nothing daunted, the gallant 

 old beast with a " whoof, whoof," chased us. I 

 went easy until we got to an open space, then put 

 on the steam, wheeled round, and went at my adver- 

 sary again. He had been bleeding " like a pig," 

 as the saying goes, so I fancy some small artery 

 must have been severed, and this had weakened 

 him, for though he met me in the most plucky 

 manner, there was less and less impulse in his charges. 

 Ultimately, with a downward job, I drove the spear 

 deep into his withers, yet with an upward jerk he 

 cut the sole of my boot right through, his enormous 

 head catching us amidship. The pony and I were, 

 as a result, sent spinning, but the boar was hors de 

 combat, and neither of us were more than shaken. 

 (I found afterwards that his tusk, after penetrating 

 the thick leather, had cut my sock and just grazed 

 the skin of my foot.) Picking up the pieces and 

 withdrawing the good blade, I remounted, in time 

 to see W. coming towards me in full chase, so I 

 hastened to meet him. He had apparently a large 



