158 RIDING, DRIVING AND KINDRED SPORTS 



excitement, point the spear at any one. It 

 should always be carried with the point up- 

 wards, so that under no circumstances should 

 it be directed at a rider or a horse, or so 

 low^ered as to catch in the ground. If a man 

 be riding a tidgetty horse, and some horses are 

 very excitable when hog-hunting is the sport, he 

 should be careful to ride clear of the rest of the 

 party. Carelessness with the spear has occa- 

 sioned serious and sometimes fatal accidents to 

 both man and horse. The spear-heads can be 

 procured from Aurangabad, the best shape 

 being the flat, oval blade. 



The shaft of the spear is also of importance. 

 It should be made of bamboo, and be strong 

 and round, and should have plenty of spring 

 without being whippy. It is somewhat diffi- 

 cult to describe accurately the feel of the right 

 sort of spear-shaft, but a little practice will 

 soon show the difference between a good and 

 bad bamboo. The shaft should, of course, be 

 thickest at the head, tapering to a point where 

 the steel spear-head is fixed. 



An Enolishman who wishes to indulo^e 

 in this, the finest of our wild sports, will 

 naturally choose to go to India for it, and the 

 first point to be settled will be the time of year 

 for the trip. For various reasons connected 

 with the course of husbandry in India, and the 



