TENT CLUBS 219 



beaten out. You cannot do this with a line going 

 fast. Go slow and be thorough. After years of 

 experience I believe that for every pig put up 

 another is gone over and left by the line. An old 

 boar sits very tight. Even when you have put 

 half a dozen pig out of a patch, go on beating it, 

 the cunning old gentleman is probably still there. 



In grass jungles in the cold weather pig's nests 

 thatched over with grass are often met. When 

 you beat these the usual volcano of pig occurs. 

 Sometimes an extra prod or two into the nest will 

 unearth the old boar, who has refused to budge, and 

 hoped to escape detection. It is sound when beat- 

 ing a nest not to stand in front of the mouth of it. 



To persuade gentlemen to hide when beating 

 out a cover will not be one of your easiest tasks. 



Ladies are quite out of place at ordinary meets 

 of a Tent Club. 



Place your heats by lot by all means, but never 

 consent to drawing for the formation of each heat. 

 You must make them up yourself; it is not fair 

 on the Tent Club, the pig, or yourself to do other- 

 wise. How often has one not seen a heat of novices 

 or bad performers lose pig after pig, or let them get 

 away wounded ? The first thing is to kill the hog, 

 and after that to give every one, especially the weaker 

 spears, as fair a show as possible. Work within 

 these limits. For instance you might well put 

 three good men on slow horses together, or a good 

 man on a slow horse with novices or inferior men 

 on better horses. But, I repeat, as a rule it is not 

 fair to crowd all your good men together in order 

 to make an easy show for the others. 



And when all is said and done, why should not 

 the good man, who has learnt the game and mounted 



