88 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



of a steep hill. Here I speared him, but the 

 spear-head sticking between his ribs, I was unable 

 to withdraw it, and it got round behind my back. 

 the boar all the time digging away at and try- 

 ing to cut my horse, a dear old favourite called 

 ' Parachute,' who, getting sick of this game, sud- 

 denly let fly both heels at the boar, knocking him 

 over, and sending him rolling down the hill, and 

 nearly upsetting me. The boar trotted off with 

 the spear in him, but it soon fell out, and, dis- 

 mounting, I picked it up and again went at him, 

 when the same sort of scene was enacted, old 

 ' Parachute,' however, this time ' milling ' with 

 both fore and hind feet. My stirrup-leather break- 

 ing, I had to let go the spear to save tum- 

 bling off on to the top of the now infuriated boar, 

 who, however, trotted off with the spear, and, 

 retiring into some thick bushes on the slope of 

 the hill, lay down. 



The beaters soon after came up and I dismount- 

 ed, getting a fresh spear, and, accompanied by old 

 Manjaree (the Hunt shikari) carrying a spare spear, 

 I crawled in under the bushes on my hands and 

 knees. As I approached the boar he charged 

 straight on to the spear, nearly knocking me over. 

 I managed, however, to hold him off for a moment, 

 and as we reached, during the melee, a spot which 

 was slightly more open, I jumped up on to my 



