Pakkal Naddi of the Palm Trees. 



" (Hoo ? the ' dooher 'Ha ? the 



'docker'} 



" why the devil such a hurry ? " 

 Gone ! my swift stampeding sounder, 

 fled the hare and flown the partridge ! 



(Sudden sounds a shriller screaming 

 " Oh ! I see him Ah ! I see him.") 



" Really this is too outrageous ! 

 " What about a dart among the 

 ** dusky shins of" yelling beaters ? '' 



Bangs a sudden bomb behind him 

 stinging, reeking, vile saltpetre 

 helps to make for him his mind up. 

 Grey-boar surly walks from covert, 

 leaves his enemies a bouquet 

 scarcely that of rose or lily 

 odour of the bristly ' dooker J ' ; 

 passes down those aisles o'er arching 

 Pakhal Naddi of the palm trees. 



Where a little knoll uprising, 

 bush-encumbered, palm-frond studded, 

 gives a view towards the westward 

 westward to the Chandrabhaga 

 shingly-bedded Chandrabhaga 

 lurk the hunters, hidden almost, 

 flashing spear-tip, hidden almost $ 

 hidden quite the Arab, Waler, 

 ears a" 1 twitch and bits a' champing, 

 waiting grace of Pakhal Naddi. 



Hark ! The distant throb of drum- 

 ming ! 



(tighten chin-strap, grasp the spear- 

 haft) 



anxious watch yon covert, prickly 

 covert-side of prickly Pakhal. 



See him there ! our brother-hunter 

 Rufus of the scanty top-knot, 

 cunning rider, rider leary 



keeping fairly near the exit, 

 easing gee-gee, lest it weary, 

 slipped off earthward from the saddle, 

 stands dismounted by his gee-gee. 



See him ! watch him ! wily Rufus 

 gathers up his reins so artless j 

 artless Rufus, so nonchalant, 

 places casual foot in stirrup ! 

 Where's he broken ? Rufus leary, 

 foxy brother awfully wily 

 we know what your little game is 

 going to tell us when you're mounted 

 Grins he, unabashed, the culprit, 

 grins a grin, and points a lance-tip. 



There they go ! the motley sounder, 

 lean sow lobbing, young boar trotting, 

 snouts set straight for Chandrabhaga* 

 shingly, bushy Chandrabhaga ! 

 And behind them, breaking covert, 

 bursting from the prickly covert, 

 looms a shape ! Ribs sudden thump- 

 ing, 

 thumps the heart, and throbs the tern- 



pie- 



Shades of Sooars what a whopper ! 

 Black as night that brow umbrageous ! 

 grizzly-grey those 'chaps ' outrageous ! 

 and that mighty head, dividing 

 ploughshare-like the thorns deriding. 

 Steals he strangely, smoothly, forward, 

 (twinkling legs screened all by grasses) 

 halts ! And never sidewise turning, 

 roves his little keen set optic, 

 right and left his twinkling optic. 



Softly ! softly ! brother hunters 

 (reins so ready, spurred heels twitch- 



in g). 

 Prithee ! note that plain so stretching, 



