230 SPORTING AND 



shooting all to myself in a little barley 

 field ; the whole patch was not a hundred 

 yards square, but it was full of birds, and 

 I am afraid to say how many I bagged 

 there. When I had cleared it out, I went 

 into another cornfield similar in size to the 

 one in which I had found such good sport. 

 I had not been long beating it when I 

 observed a large black lump of some- 

 thing I could not tell what, lying at 

 my feet ; while I was examining this, it 

 suddenly jumped on its legs and then I 

 discovered it was a great black' boar, who, 

 without a moment's delay, charged at me, 

 and I do not know what would have 

 happened to me if I had not had the 

 presence of mind to turn the gun down- 

 ward and fire at the instant, when I was 

 fortunate enough to send the whole 

 charge into his eye, and he tumbled 



