84 IN THE INDIAN JUNGLE. 



short stabbing spear, with its keen blade nearly 

 a foot long and four inches wide. The whole of 

 the inhabitants of the village, men, women and 

 children, with all the village curs, surround the 

 fields, leaving open only the path that the animals 

 use. At a given signal the men shout, women 

 and children scream, dogs bark and the whole 

 make such a din that the frightened swine at once 

 bolt for the jungle. The sows and pigs first break 

 cover, and are allowed to pass the foremost spears- 

 men, to be despatched by the less skilful hunts- 

 men behind. Now a large black object looms in 

 the distance and trots slowly up the path, stopping 

 now and again to turn and give a grunt of defiance. 

 To my friend Lutchman has been assigned the 

 place of honour the foremost spear. A bright 

 gleam in his eye and a rising of the muscles of his 

 arms alone show that he is all alert. A shower of 

 stones from behind, thrown by lads concealed for 

 the purpose, sends the huge brute up the path 

 at a gallop, his jaws champing furiously the while. 

 Now he approaches the branch held by Lutchman. 

 A bright gleam of steel, a shrill scream of rage 

 and pain, and the boar stumbles forward a few 

 paces in his death throes, his shoulder nearly 

 severed from his body by the well-planted thrust 

 and upward jerk of Lutchman' s spear. A shout 

 of " Shabash ! shabash ! / (Well done ! well done ! ! )" 

 rings out from his brother hunters, and Lutchman, 

 the hero of the hour, proceeds to plant his foot on 

 the body of his fallen foe and declare himself " the 

 lord of the wild boar " (a favourite title of honour 



