VI 



HUNTING ALONE 85 



were running up with a spare spear. I had only 

 the shaft and head of my spear left, a long clumsy 

 weapon. Though I had a pocket-knife, I stupidly 

 did not cut off a couple of feet of the bamboo. Had 

 I done this I should have had a useful club, and 

 would doubtless have killed the hog with blows on 

 the head, as I did once before. 



To kill with the lead you must hit the boar on 

 the side of the face at right angles as he charges. 

 You can hit either forward or backwards ; it 

 requires accurate timing. You must gallop, and 

 if you make a mess of it you have the hog into you. 

 It is useless to gallop from the rear : you must cross. 



It w^as the best part of an hour before I got a 

 spear up. The boar charged, at first very angrily, 

 every time I crossed him. He charged many times, 

 but with my clumsy club I missed him. Hullucky 

 had some close shaves, and twice bucked heavily 

 with the boar underneath him. Presently I got 

 the hang of the thing, and gave the boar several 

 staggerers ; I then knocked him over twice. After 

 this he would not face me again, but made half- 

 charges and jinked. He laid down in wet wheat 

 once, while I yelled myself hoarse, but could get 

 no sign of a spear. I then took the boar through 

 some small sugar-cane patches, and at last lost him 

 in a big field of the same. I guarded quietly, got 

 a spear, and felt master of the situation. 



In about half an hour the boar broke on the far 

 side of me. I galloped round, but he heard and 

 turned sharp into another mass of sugar-cane. I 

 was hard on his tail, and had time to have killed 

 him before he reached it, but, to my disgust, 

 Hullucky funked and would not go near. 



I made a cast for'ard, and took post half a mile 



