70 MODERN PIG-STICKING 



a sow under any conditions a long way off. But 

 many boar are undoubtedly let off by novices, and 

 sometimes by men who ought to know better, 

 especially in the cold weather. They like to signal 

 quickly because it gives them the knowing look of 

 an old hand. For his first year the novice should 

 not signal unless he is quite certain. 



So long as there are no onlookers, the signal for 

 sow is useful when you come to bad country and 

 are uncertain of your horse. 



No account of riding a pig can be complete 

 without an allusion to killing one on foot. As I 

 have written elsewhere, this form of sport is some- 

 times necessary when a wounded boar has taken 

 cover in thick cover or in heavy crops, such as 

 sugar-cane, and cannot be tackled on horseback. 

 In these cases the spears have no choice ; they must 

 go in on foot. It is not right to leave a wounded 

 boar to die in pain, and it is, of course, quite im- 

 possible to put coolies or beaters in to drive. 



This is an amusement which is apt to lead to an 

 interesting fight between two spears and the boar. 

 Three spears if steady must always win. In the 

 case of a single spear I am inclined to back the boar. 

 It, of course, depends on how severely the latter is 

 wounded. 



I can give you no advice as to what to do beyond 

 urging you to hold your spear steady and not to 

 thrust. Your procedure with a wounded hog if you 

 find he has to be tackled on foot should differ from 

 your method of handling a wounded tiger in the 

 matter of waiting. Tackle a boar at once, give a tiger 

 several hours' law. The boar will be tired after his 

 run, and short of breath : every minute's delay is 

 in his favour. The tiger, on the contrary, has been 



