THE KING AND THE WILD BOAK. 125 



to fly. His flaming eyes are fixed upon his enemy. His 

 bristles stand on end, and rage and fury are expressed in liis 

 attitude. The wild boar has chosen a dense thicket for his 

 retreat, as the one best adapted for resistance, and there, with 

 formidable and sharpened tusks, he awaits the attack. 



" ' Stay, sire ! stay, sire !' was the cry from all sides, and 

 from every voice. ( Do not advance further !' 



" ' Back, gentlemen ! back/ replied the king. ' I wish to 

 be alone/ and he advanced towards the beast, who, covered 

 with sweat and foam, was uttering hoarse and guttural sounds 

 of savage despair. 



" The king approached the almost impenetrable thicket in 

 which the boar had taken refuge, and without appearing the 

 least affected by the menacing aspect of the animal, awaited a 

 favourable opportunity of getting a shot. He fires, but the 

 ball glances from a branch of a tree. Another shot, and the 

 animal is struck in the shoulder. Twice wounded, he now 

 attacks in his turn. The king judges of the extent of the 

 danger, and is perfectly prepared to meet it. 



" I was not far distant," continued my friend, " at this 

 moment, and in spite of the prohibition of the king, who I 

 knew took pleasure in these adventures, I gave orders to 

 the dog-keepers to unloose the hourets. 



" Whilst this order was on the point of being executed, the 

 boar fell very nearly at the king's feet, mortally wounded by 

 his last shot. At the same instant, Marcois, the gun-bearer 

 of the dauphin, less fortunate than his majesty, was badly 

 wounded by another boar. The ground was covered with 

 the victims of the chasse. Upwards of thirty wild boars were 

 stretched upon the grass. Peasants, quitting the ranks of 

 beaters, were employed in carrying the game to a spot in 

 the forest where the king, before the end of the day, would 

 count the number of heads, and direct the distribution of them 

 to the principal inhabitants of the environs, the poor and 



