THE CHAEGE. 285 



boar piit a veto upon our arguing the point 

 any further, by making a dash forward, 

 upsetting one of the dogs, giving it an awful 

 gash in the hind quarters, and bolting into 

 the forest. 



Both dogs were after him at once, and 

 before he had gone two hundred yards, he 

 was again brought to bay in a place some- 

 what like the former spot, resting and shelter- 

 ing his hind quarters as before, against the 

 trunk of a tree. The man with the spear, 

 poKtely handed it to me, and I could not 

 decUne the post of honour, so proffered. 

 The charge the boar had made at the dog, 

 however, induced me to think discretion the 

 better part of valour, and the men did not 

 cry shame, when, whilst the dogs were teas- 

 ing him in front, I got behind the tree. I 

 now stood a little above the boar, and could 

 consequently strike down ; so with all the 

 force I could muster, I gave a dig, intending 

 to hit him in the spme. The blade, or rather 

 the point, was very dull, and the weapon 

 glanced off his ribs almost harmlessly. He 



