90 DAYS AND NIGHTS BY THE DESERT. 



gaining his sanctuary in the ground, so I determined 

 to bring matters to a crisis. A hundred yards or 

 more brought me close up to my game's stern, 

 when a prick of the spurs shot me alongside, but I 

 misplaced my steel quite as ignominiously as I had 

 done previously ; the result upon the foe, however, 

 was different ; instead of retreating, he turned reso- 

 lutely to bay. The mare did not like this proceed- 

 ing, so obstinately refused to charge ; thus, then and 

 there, I had a battle with her, but, in spite of spur 

 and voice, I could not get my roan closer than eight 

 or ten paces of the hog. I futilely lost a good five 

 minutes at this work, and probably would have 

 lost as many more if allowed, when, with a dash, the 

 boar charged me, apparently went through between 

 my nag's legs, who gave a jump at the same moment, 

 higher by many degrees than ever she had done 

 before to my knowledge, and the grizzly old warrior 

 was again going his best pace in the direction of his 

 sanctuary. 



I did not wait to examine whether my horse 

 was cut ; I was too wroth 'to consider or act as I 

 ought to have done upon such an occasion. Thus 

 I did not let the grass grow under the mare's feet, 

 but at her best pace rattled her down hill, took a 

 pull on her head over the flat to steady her, and 

 was just about to make another rush when the hog 

 sprang forward over a donga (a sun-crack in the 

 ground). 



