94 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



to beef, mutton, hams, and tongues, we had ducks of many 

 kinds ; teal, snipe, quail, Saiseen antelope, chinkara ; and the 

 marrow-bones and tongue of the nylghae, while his head was 

 generally potted and served up cold ; partridges painted, 

 gray, and rock and hares in plenty ; and, to crown all, pork 

 chops and the soused head of the mighty boar himself. 



The field was generally well attended, and sharp contests 

 for the honour of the first spear were numerous. At times 

 this emulation led to hot and strong discussions ; for in the 

 excitement of a chase, when several pigs were on foot at 

 once, and when possibly the hunted boar might be changed 

 during the run, it was not always an easy matter to say 

 whose spear had drawn first blood. 



I well remember an occasion when a warm dispute for the 

 tushes had at last been decided between two rival horsemen 

 by a toss-up. The beaters were proceeding to open the beast, 

 and only then discovered, deeply buried in the boar's neck, 

 the spear-head of a third horseman, whose claim to the tushes 

 had been utterly ignored, but who had in reality drawn first 

 blood. The boar, after being first speared by him, had in his 

 course passed through a thicket of high grass and bushes, and 

 on emerging on the far side was supposed to be a fresh one ; 

 hence the dispute which had so narrow an escape of an unjust 

 decision. The head of the first spear had broken short off, 

 and was completely buried in the muscles of the neck. 



In some parts of the Dongurwah country there were dense 

 thorny thickets which, though of no great extent, were quite 

 impenetrable for horsemen, and on a wounded boar gaining the 

 shelter of one of these, there was much difficulty in dislodging 

 him. We had had a severe run after a very large old boar ; 

 he was badly speared, but managed to reach one of these, and 

 all our attempts to induce him again to break cover were in 



