HUNTING IN INDIA. 239 



was nearly distracted by fear for his hounds, which 

 were, no doubt, getting sadly mauled. At last we 



decided that I should take the spear F 's dog-boy 



carried, and crawling in on the path behind him en- 

 deavour to make him break bay. F stationed 

 himself by the only other exit. At first I got along 

 on hands and knees, but soon the thorns were too low 

 for that, and I had to lie flat on the ground. I must 

 own that I did not like the situation. Supposing the 

 pig had changed position, and was facing me. He 

 would most likely charge me, and, prostrate as I was, 

 I could hardly hope to stop him. However, fortune 

 favoured me, and I soon saw his broad quarters turned 

 right towards me. Raising myself silently, I drove 

 the spear into them with all my force. He at once 



broke bay, passing close by F , who, jumping on 



one side, brought his knife down with all his force. 

 He was a little too quick, and the knife, taking the 

 boar right between the eyes, shivered like glass, 

 although, as we afterwards found, the point penetrated 

 the skull. Fortunately, the boar disregarded the now 

 defenceless F , and, closely followed by the 

 hounds, turned to bay again some fifty yards on with 



his quarters to a tree. F got behind it and drove 



the spear nearly through him, enabling me to finish 

 him with my knife. 



We had now to count casualties. One hound lay 

 dead, his heart and lungs exposed to view. Another 

 a draft, by the way, from the Colombo pack was laid 

 open from shoulder to thigh, but afterwards recovered. 

 The leg of a fox-terrier was hanging by little more 



