THE SIEGE RAISED. 103 



from the tree, and away the whole herd went 

 after him, raakmg such a noise I never heard 

 before or since. Remaining up the tree for 

 several minutes, until all was quiet, I loaded 

 both barrels very carefully with ball, and 

 slipping down to the ground ran away, in a 

 contrary direction to the one they had taken, 

 as fast as my legs could carry me. 



In about an hour's time a party of us 

 returned to the spot on horseback and carried 

 the brute home, after cutting him up, as he 

 was too heavy to carry whole. 



He was a large, strong-made beast, but 

 seemed more nimbly and less massively 

 formed than the boar of Germany or Spain ; 

 the colour v/as not so brindled, but more of a 

 dirty yellowish brown ; the bristles were also 

 far from being so strong or thick, owing, most 

 likely, to the heat of the climate. There 

 were no means at hand for weighing him, 

 but he was estimated at about three hundred 

 and fifty pounds, which is much under a full- 

 grown European boar in good condition : the 

 tusks were long, pointed, and very sharp 

 edged ; and the flesh (this was before the 

 dinner off the musk-pig) rather hard, but very 

 well flavoured. Had the head received the 

 same scientific preparation that a German or 



