82 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



away th rough some long grass down a nullah, and 

 was never seen again/ 



On another occasion a curious incident oc- 

 curred which I am afraid some of my readers 

 will read cum grano. I can only say that, 

 though I was not an eye-witness of the affair, it 

 was related to me shortly after by a brother- 

 officer and several others who were present, and 

 who vouched for the truth of the statement. 

 I see no reason to doubt their word, for fact is 

 indeed often stranger than fiction. This incident 

 occurred in 1871, at a place near Nagpore called 

 Warree, in August, if I remember rightly. A 

 large boar was started, and managed to reach a 

 patch of i sindee ' (a sort of low-growing prickly 

 palm), whether wounded or not, 1 forget. How- 

 ever, here the sportsmen surrounded him, waiting 

 for the beaters to come up. This they soon did, 

 headed by old Manajee, the Hunt shikari. He 

 forthwith waxed valiant, and, picking up some 

 clods of earth, advanced into an opening in the 

 bushes, and began his bombardment of the pig's 

 retreat. A few discharges were sufficient to 

 bring his porcine majesty out, and he charged 

 straight at Manajee, whom he promptly upset, 

 cutting him on his hand. That old gentleman 

 began to forthwith yell ' blue murder,' only in 

 Hindustani. 



