A TOUGH CUSTOMER. 27 



dage ! I now found my horse so stiff and lame 

 that he could hardly put one leg before the other, 

 so dismounting to ascertain the cause of the 

 damage, I found that the boar had ripped him 

 twice, though, luckily, not very severely, and that 

 in addition he had lost three shoes, two in front, 

 and one behind, which must have been pulled 

 off coming down the stony hill where we had 

 'found.' 



Many were the anathemas we bestowed on our 

 dilatory horsekeepers, but at last they hove in 

 sight, accompanied by old Manajee and a few 

 beaters. Upon their joining us, I got on Thomp- 

 son's mare, and, arming myself with a fresh spear, 

 I waited outside the covert whilst he rode in to 

 protect the beaters in case the boar should charge 

 them. As they approached the spot where he 

 was lying, he charged out at them directly, and 

 Thompson speared him. This seemed rather to 

 sicken him, and, retiring to the thick bush where 

 he had been lying, nothing could again induce him 

 to move. Volleys of stones were flung in at him, 

 and he was yelled and shouted at, but he only 

 acknowledged these compliments by a surly grunt 

 every now and then. We therefore decided to 

 finish him off on foot, so, dismounting, we with- 

 drew all the beaters, and sent them out of harm's 

 way ; we gave old Manajee a spear, and, placing 



