80 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



few, if any, equals amongst the beasts of the 

 chase, and that, in the words of the hog-hunter's 

 song, ' The Boar,' 



1 Youth's daring spirit, manhood's fire, 



Firm hand, and eagle eye 

 Must he acquire who doth aspire 

 To see the grey boar die.' 



As a proof of the boar's savage courage, com- 

 bined with cunning, I will relate the following 

 instance which occurred with the Nagpore Hunt 

 (of which I was a member, though not present at 

 the time). It happened on Christmas Day, 1869, 

 and was thus graphically described by one of the 

 party in a letter to the Pioneer. The writer signed 

 himself ' Sport,' but was a well-known member of 

 the Hunt, and a hard rider. He says : 



c Last Christmas Day we beat a " sind-bund " 

 (date-grove) that branched in two directions, and 

 posted ourselves at the head of one branch under 

 some mango-trees. A boar was signalled as 

 having broken back, and riding about half-a-mile 

 the chase commencing with a pretty water- 

 jump that brought two of our party to grief we 

 came on the boar just as he was breaking out, 

 and, of course, in again he went. For about an 

 hour he led us a life, making feints of breaking at 

 various points, obliging us to cross and re-cross 



