422 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



centre of the plain that same stream in which he took his last 

 drink this morning. 



Suddenly ho sees the dogs within 100 paces of him, and the 

 true race begins. They are too quick ; they are upon either flank. 

 Presently one turns a somersault, as a vigorous kick sends the dog 

 flying backwards, but the next has him by one ear. The dis- 

 comfited hound recovers, and rushes to the front ; the other ear is 

 pinned. 



Now the strength of a sambur stag is seen. He gallops forward 

 with the two dogs gallantly hanging to his ears. The ground is 

 rough, and covered with large stumps of a coarse grass ; against 

 these obstacles the bodies of the dogs are swung with terrific force 

 as the stag ploughs onwards, through the soft earth and swamp ; 

 but the good dogs never relax their hold. At length the stag 

 trots now slowly then he walks. The dogs now regain their 

 feet, and hold like a blacksmith's vice. 



In the meantime the view halloo had been given the instant 

 that the greyhounds had been slipped. The well-known sound, 

 repeated twice or thrice, had been answered by the pack, and 

 every hound came thundering down straight for the cry, disdaining 

 all the attractive charms of scent. The long-legged dogs that had 

 been running mute would be within view, and tearing to the 

 assistance of the nearly exhausted greyhounds. The knife would 

 not be far away, and upon coming up, a thrust behind the shoulder 

 would finish the career of the noble stag. Then the excitement of 

 the pack would break all bounds ; a general rush upon the helpless 

 body was permitted for about a minute to encourage the hounds ; 

 they were then whipped off, and they sat in a circle in general 

 expectation. The stag was grallocked, the distended paunch and 

 viscera dragged upon one side, together with the heart and lungs. 

 The liver was cut into several pieces, and given to the young 

 hounds, who were called from the ranks by name to receive the 

 dainty morsels. When all was ready, a halloo was given for a 

 " worry," and the entire pack flew like wolves upon the spoil. 



It would be impossible for me at this great distance of time to 

 remember every detail of a particular hunt, but as I possess my 

 old diary, I will extract verbatim the description of one or two 

 runs which were noted down on the following day with all the 

 freshness of the recent action : 



" 1852. July 27. Stag sambur (elk) found at 7.30 A.M. upon 

 the swampy pastures about 2 miles up Pedro. He first made 

 straight running down the mountain, with the apparent intention 

 of breaking upon the plain, but being headed by some noisy people 



