144 MODERN PIG-STICKING 



him until the gradual drooping of his tail showed 

 that his wind and temper were failing. It is the 

 unwritten law that when a man is within two 

 lengths of the boar no one must interfere with him, 

 and it is now that good horsemanship tells. At 

 the time I am writing of, the chur boar was a gallant 

 beast and seldom jinked, and no sooner was his tail 

 down than in he came like lightning, charging 

 home, only to be met with the spear point behind 

 the shoulder, the impetus of his own charge and 

 the galloping horse driving the spear clean through 

 him. On the other hand he might jink, which 

 would probably throw the leader out and let 

 another horse in, but in the end the chur boar 

 always died game. I have known four boar killed 

 in the first hour after the start. 



Tiffin would follow between 1 and 2 o'clock, 

 allowing a very full hour for coolies, syces, and horses. 

 We would start again about 3 o'clock and go on 

 hunting till dusk, and then ride home to tea, tea 

 with whisky in it, a drink for the gods, and after a 

 hot bath we would all be ready for dinner. After 

 dinner, the usual toast of the boar being drunk, and 

 the day's bag made up. Fuzzy Graham would then 

 give us " Over the Valley, over the Level," followed 

 by Barker with " The Place where the Old Horse 

 Died," and Billy Tayler with " Long, Long Indian 

 Day," accompanied by Captain Holden on the 

 banjo, whose repertoire of songs, sentimental and 

 otherwise, was always at our disposal. Perhaps 

 the gem of the evening would be Captain Welde 

 Forrester's " Again and again and again," and at 

 10.30 to bed after a well-spent day. The original 

 and most regular attendants at Moiscoondie were 

 "Billy" Barker, "Squire" Cresswell, Fuzzy 



