86 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



two other occasions I have seen sows act in pre- 

 cisely the same manner, though in these other 

 cases the wounds were not of such a serious 

 nature. 



One of the first boars I ever rode, I saw 

 during the run, and whilst unspeared, go out of 

 his way to charge and knock over in succession 

 two bullocks out of a herd that were feeding in 

 a patch of rumnah grass ! He then got into a 

 patch of very thick ' sindee ' bushes, where I 

 could just catch the twinkle of his wicked brown 

 eye. I rode in as far as I could, but could not 

 reach him by some six feet, and though I did all 

 I could to provoke him to charge, he declined, 

 knowing the strength of his position. I happened 

 to take my eyes off him only for an instant, and in 

 that instant, though several of us were watching 

 the nullah where the cover grew, he vanished 

 like magic, and it was only by the merest chance 

 that we ever saw him again ! How such a large 

 beast, for he was a thirty-four and a half incher, 

 could have stolen away without disturbing a leaf 

 or making the slightest noise is a wonder. Here 

 was an instance not only of courage, but courage 

 tempered with cunning and judgment ! 



I remember once assisting at the death of a 

 boar who had been several times speared, besides 

 having three spears broken in him before he sue- 



