o2 THE HUNTING GEOUNDS 



not numbering more than a baker's dozen. We 

 now had a good burst, and one of the sows lagging 

 behind, bit the dust after having twice charged in 



a most gallant manner. N claimed the first 



blood of the day. 



The pace was now becoming tremendous, and 



the second sow was rolled over by S , 



and D , whose spears were applied several times 



before we heard the final squeal (the signal of dis- 

 solution), 



I kept steadily after the boar, and by this diver- 

 sion gained a couple of lengths ahead, when my 

 horse put his foot on the loose stump of a tree 

 and rolled over, giving me a header which made 

 me see a considerable number of stars, and left me 

 rather confused for the moment. On swept the 

 field, which I could see was " tailing off" very con- 

 siderably ; and after I had ascertained that no bones 

 were broken, and Lai Babba had given himself a 

 shake, I sprang into the saddle again, and was once 

 more en route. 



I was very much thrown out by this spill, and had 

 lost ground, but, as luck would have it, the hog made 

 for a deep ravine, having a drop of more than a 

 dozen feet, which brought our field to a check. 

 The boar managed to scramble down, and running 

 along the bottom of the nullah for some distance, 

 climbed up the opposite bank. 



After riding some distance along the edge of the 

 chasm, which was overgrown in places by stunted 



