

Pakhal Naddi of the Palm Trees. 47- 



This boar was never found, although we had the covert 

 hunted through for him next day, and so must be added to- 

 the list of 'wounded and got away.' 



The beat, being resumed, was carried out to the end of 

 the palm grove. Partridges whirred by in numbers ; a 

 jackal came slinking out and loped away across the open ; 

 and, at the last moment, a big sounder of sows and squeakers 

 broke, and sped off in a long line northwards. 



This brought our morning's sport to a close, and, canter- 

 ing down past the pan gardens, there a welcome sight 

 stood the tent,, with the white figures of servants flitting about, 

 preparing the breakfast to which we were soon doing ample 

 justice amid the popping of soda-water and the gurgling of 

 well-earned "pegs." Cheroots and a chat, and the opening 

 meet of the Junglypur Tent Club broke up,, as we drove 

 off home the four miles to Cantonments. 



Many a capital morning or afternoon did we enjoy here 

 and many a blank day, too the proceedings often graced 

 by the presence of the ladies of the station. The sport 

 that we had been led to believe was to be had with 

 the pig in other parts of the surrounding country never 

 eame up to our expectations however. In spite of capital 

 bits of cover here and there,, a very mistaken policy had 

 filled every hamlet with licensed guns, and it was only 

 regular strongholds like the Pakhal Naddi that could defy 

 the systematic poaching of village shikaris and profes- 

 sional netters. 



As I have already hinted, one day's hog-hunting 

 reads very like another ; so,, in perplexity, one turns from 

 the difficulties of prose to the snare of blank verse. It is. 

 by no means the first time that the metre of Longfellow's 

 ' Hiawatha * has been murdered in adaptation, so apolo- 

 gies are perhaps superfluous. 

 7 



