106 THE WILD BOAR. 



which they can only escape by one opening, and when 

 they attempt to rush out, are slaughtered there by the hun- 

 ters, who sit on horseback, armed with spears and swords, 

 with which they have only to strike them till they expire. 



We may remark that, in some countries, even the do- 

 mesticated hog retains a great deal of the fierceness which 

 characterizes the wild breed. Mr. Lloyd, in his ' Field 

 Sports of the North of Europe,' relates the following adven- 

 ture, which befel him near Carlstad in Sweden : 



"Towards evening, and when seven or eight miles from 

 home, we came to a small hamlet, situated on the recesses 

 of the forest ; here an old sow and her progeny made a 

 determined dash at a brace of very valuable pointers I at 

 that time had along with me, and who naturally took shel- 

 ter behind us. My man had a light spear in his hand, 

 similar to those used by our lancers : this I took possession 

 of; and directing him to throw the dogs over a fence, in 

 the angle of which we were cooped up, I placed myself 

 between the dogs and their pursuers. The sow, never- 

 theless, pressed forward ; and it was only by giving her a 

 severe blow across the snout with the butt end of the spear, 

 that I stopped her further career. Nothing daunted, how- 

 ever, by this reception, she directed her next attack against 

 myself, when, in self-defence, I was obliged to give her a 

 home-thrust with the point of the spear. These attacks 

 she repeated three several times, and as often got the spear 

 up to the hilt in either her head or neck. She then slowly 

 retreated, bleeding at all pores. So savage and ferocious 

 a beast I never saw in my life. In the fray I broke my 

 spear, which was as well, for it was by no means strong 

 enough to answer the purpose for which it was intended. 

 .... This was not a solitary instance of the ferocity of 

 pigs. It was the same throughout Sweden ; for, whenever 

 they caught the sight of my dogs, they generally charged ; 

 and, if they came up with them, would tumble them over 

 and over again with their snouts." 



