236 MODERN PIG-STICKING 



Two years ago in the Kadir Cup country we had 

 a herd of nilghai about us all day. They were 

 cantering all over the place, and, having got their 

 second wind, were in fine galloping condition. 

 Towards the end of the morning, which had turned 

 out dull, I got on Morning Star, who is a very 

 fast thoroughbred, and, picking out the biggest 

 bull, gave chase. He was all on the qui-vive, and 

 was a hundred and fifty yards away when I started. 

 He took me some five miles before I speared. I 

 ought to have speared him considerably sooner, but 

 Morning Star was just off a race-course and not 

 as handy then as I could have wished, and I lost 

 ground at every jink. I speared the bull twice, 

 but never got a good spear. Finally I lost him in 

 a patch thick enough to hold an elephant. It was 

 a hot May day. There had been a fire ; parts of 

 the ground were like iron, and we were nearly 

 choked with the fine ashes. Morning Star was very 

 done. I had to off-saddle him and walk, saddle 

 on head, three - quarters of a mile to the river, 

 where I poured water on him. The horse was lame 

 for months after, and had enlarged fetlocks for life. 

 So much for the nilghai as a beast of the chase. 



PAKAH 



Parah, or hog -deer, are very common in the 

 Meerut Kadir, and are fairly often met in all the 

 Northern Indian countries. They give a longer run 

 than a pig, but, like all the deer tribe, put up no fight. 

 They often yell badly when speared, and I find this 

 so unpleasant that I have long ago given up hunting 

 them. I have not speared more than half a dozen 

 parah in all. 



