THROWING THE SPEAR. 237 



back of the hog, about the loins ; in that part the 

 spear penetrates easily to a great depth ; there, a 

 slight wound disables, and a severe one is certain 

 of bringing him to the ground.* Captain Wil- 

 liamson recommends aiming at the shoulder to 

 wound the heart : to hit that pail, the spear must 

 be thrown in an horizontal direction, which can- 

 not be done with much force, and it will there 

 meet with substantial bones, which, in all proba- 

 bility, will prevent it from penetrating far. He 

 says, that he has known a spear go through both 

 shoulder blades, a circumstance, I conceive to be 

 almost impossible; for I cannot imagine, that any 

 person on horseback, can be capable of throwing 

 a spear at an animal running, that is much lower 

 than himself, so horizontally, as to go through 



* My differing in opinion with, explaining or correcting 

 any errors in Captain Williamson's book, on the sport of hog 

 hunting, I hope will not be attributed to any invidious 

 motive ; he was a very old acquaintance of mine, for 

 whom I had much esteem, and should be exceedingly sorry 

 not to allow him every credit he deserves for the laborious 

 and interesting account he has given of the sports in India, 

 and the customs of the natives, &c. &c. &c. ; and I lament 

 that he is not in being, that I might make the communica- 

 tions to him, before I offered them to the public. 



