will do in place of quality made an awful mess of 

 it, and before we had time to reload Jess and Jock 

 had cut in, and we could not fire again for fear of 

 hitting them. The boys, wildly delighted by this 

 irregular development which gave them such a chance, 

 joined in the chase and in a few seconds it became a 

 chaotic romp like a rat hunt in a schoolroom. The 

 dogs ranged up on each side and were on to the pig 

 together, Jess hanging on to one ear and Jock at the 

 neck ; the boar dug right and left at them, but his 

 tusks were short and blunt, and if he managed to get 

 at them at all they bore no mark of it afterwards. 

 For about twenty yards they dragged and tugged, 

 and then all three came somersaulting over together. 

 In the scramble Jock got his grip on the throat, and 

 Jess rolled and trampled on appeared between 

 the pig's hind-legs, sliding on her back with her teeth 

 embedded in one of the hams. For half a minute 

 the boar, grunting and snorting, plunged about madly, 

 trying to get at them or to free himself ; and then the 

 boys caught up and riddled him with their assegais. 



After the two bombardments of the pigs and the 

 fearful row made by the boys there was not much 

 chance of putting up anything more, and we made 

 for the nearest stream in the woods for a feed and a 

 rest before returning to camp. 



We had failed to get the tiger, it is true, and it 

 would be useless giving more time or further thought 

 to him, for in all probability it would be a week or 

 more before he returned to his old hunting-ground 

 and his old marauding tricks, but the porcupine and 

 267 



