26 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



time unfortunately twisted my spear-head. Thomp- 

 son, however, being very short-sighted, missed 

 him each time. Thinking he must be dead, 

 as he made no further movement, I was preparing 

 to dismount, when up he got and charged out like 

 a shot at Thompson, whose Arab he cut badly 

 above the stifle before he had time to spear. I 

 then had a shy at him, but, my spear being 

 practically useless for offensive purposes, all I 

 could do was to fend him off in his charge. Here 

 was a fine predicament ! A boar speared several 

 times, myself with a useless spear, and Thompson's 

 horse badly ripped. Tossing the foam from his jaws, 

 and eyeing us contemptuously, the boar trotted off 

 with a surly grunt towards a small bush-covered 

 hillock only a short distance from the main hills. 

 All that we could do was to follow, and keep 

 him in sight until our horse-keepers should come 

 up with the spare spears, and Thompson's second 

 horse. Whilst watching the boar, whom we had 

 marked down under a thick bush, he suddenly 

 charged out at Thompson, who speared him, but 

 the spear head getting caught between the boar's 

 ribs, arid the horse wheeling away from the 

 charge, he was forced to relinquish his hold, and the 

 spear remained sticking in the unfortunate animal, 

 "who again retired to his stronghold, with what to 

 him must have been a decidedly novel appen- 



