322 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP, xvn 



bricks falling from the wall, showing that the boars were once 

 more breaking out. Before the men had time to interfere, the 

 large boar had effected a breach, and it appeared in the courtyard. 

 The people immediately retreated under shelter, but the brute, 

 having surveyed the scene, ]>erceived \is sitting above the flight of 

 steps, exactly opposite. Without a moment's hesitation it charged 

 at full speed across the yard, from a distance of about 60 paces. 

 The Rakooba was about 15 feet square, and, as we had lately 

 arrived from Abyssinia, there were numerous trophies of the chase 

 arranged around the pavement ; among these were many horns of 

 rhinoceros. Fortunately a long horn weighing about 10 Ibs. was 

 close at hand ; this I immediately seized with both hands, and 

 was just in time, when the boar was half-way up the steps, to hurl 

 it with all my strength. 



It was a lucky shot, the heavy horn struck exactly between the 

 eyes, in the forehead, and knocked the assailant down the steps, 

 at the bottom of which it lay, kicking convulsively, but thoroughly 

 stunned, and unconscious. My men now rushed forward, and we 

 secured the fore and hind legs with ropes, and dragged it to a 

 neighbouring store, the door of which we locked. The remaining 

 boar was not particularly vicious, and we secured it within another 

 sty. 



The rhinoceros horn was a formidable weapon, and the effect 

 was highly satisfactory, as the objectionable boar was discovered 

 dead when the door was cautiously opened on the following morn- 

 ing by the men, who were prepared for an attack. I was rather 

 proud of my shot upon this occasion, as I seldom threw a stone at 

 an enemy without hitting a friend by mistake. Some persons are 

 good at one sport, others at another ; but throwing a stone to hit 

 the object of aim was never my pride, as I failed in performance. 

 The boar was within 5 feet, which is about my distance for 

 extreme accuracy ; even at that short range I should not have 

 sufficient confidence in myself to back my own projectile at long 

 odds, I should only have sufficient good feeling to request my 

 friend, or spectator, to stand well beyond the range of my shot. 



