Leaves from an Indian Jungle. 



" and, to aid your honour's hunting, 

 " join with them your beaters yonder." 



In the thickest of the covert, 

 e'en at midday, fall but rarely, 

 chequered patterns of a sunlight 

 filtering through the verdure arching, 

 glancing rare on placid pool-face. 

 There the branches very scratchy 

 of the prickliest sort of sendhi, 

 trailing downwards, form a bower, 

 sweep the earth with lowered lance- 

 points $ 

 'neath this haven, ploughed and 



furrowed, 



soft-tossed earth the moistest, coolest 

 resting-place for grey-boar's tummy ! 

 Grey-boar stretched out on his 



tummy, 



hind legs trailing, snout soft ' nuzzling,' 

 snuff on sniffand sidewise ' nuzzling,' 

 turning up damp soil luxurious 

 comfort for a hairy tummy ! 

 Not too near that nagging party 

 Jean sow nagging, hoglet squeaking 

 peaceful dreams of nightly visits, 

 long night visits to the sugar, 

 sugarcane or sweet-potato, 

 carrot yellow, onion juicy. 

 Not one earthly care he careth ; 

 not one enemy he feareth 

 finger's snap for. Panther, Tiger, 

 when they mark him, cat-like, make as 

 though they failed at all to see him ; 

 feign some previous engagement ! 

 Grey-boar, therefore, scarcely stirreth 

 sleepy eyelid, ear slow twitching, 

 when a distance-mellowed clamour 

 throb of tom-tom, howl of beater 



wafts so faintly on the breezes, 

 breezes balmy of the morning ,- 

 but, in somnolence, contemptful, 

 grunts he, on his side reclining 

 " Nasty little shrill mosquitos ! 

 how you bother with your pinging 1" 

 'Length the beat, a corner turning, 

 comjng near the likeliest covert, 

 swells out to a diapason, 

 swells the dusky throats of beaters. 

 Pops the squib ! bang bangs ! blank 



cartridge, 



rattle empty tins from Baku ! 

 thwack with bamboo, poke with bam- 

 boo, 



Hoo the '(Looker* Ha ! the 'dooker ' 

 rout him out, the tusky 'dooker! 



See ! On down-curved wing comes 

 whizzing 



driven partridge, bush-quail screeching j 

 wheels scared nightjar ; shrieks the 

 lapwing ; 



halts the lobbing hare, Upsitting, 

 hearkens to the din behind him. 

 Then the bushes, gently shaking, 

 part, and void the motley sounder : 

 lean sows grunting to their hoglets, 

 hoglets hurrying swiftly after, 

 hurry past the prickly arbour 

 Grey-boar's green and shady harbour. 



Grey-boar, on his side extended, 

 hind legs draws up, eyebrow raises, 

 raises up his mighty headpiece, 

 meditates in formidable 

 bristly-whiskered indignation 

 " What a most unseemly hooting ! 

 " tins a' rattling, horns a' tooting ! 



