30 SPORT IN BENGAL. 



coarse description of grass, and afterwards on wet ground, 

 uneven and overgrown with rushes, and much cut up by 

 the rootings of the wild hogs, but still sound at bottom. 

 By this time the pigs, rising as I advanced, numbered half 

 a hundred before me, all heading towards the nearest piece 

 of water, on the farthest side of which a herd of buffalo 

 were grazing in security. 



The country being quite new to me and the direction of 

 the strong coverts unknown, I proceeded cautiously, recon- 

 noitring my ground before resolving how to approach the 

 herd, still undisturbed by my manoeuvres. Skirting the first 

 " jheel," I advanced to the space between the two, putting up 

 many more hog and getting into deeper ground, over which I 

 did not care to ride in an attack upon the buffaloes, which 

 might take it into their heads to turn the tables upon me 

 and become the hunters. However, fortune favouring, I got 

 through the heavy ground before arriving within two hundred 

 yards of the herd, which now saw and faced me menacingly, 

 shaking their heads and advancing a few steps after the 

 manner of their kind, till first one and then another hesi- 

 tated and retreated slowly, looking over their backs, heads 

 held high, and tails tucked in tightly. This was enough for 

 me to know that the herd did not mean to charge on that 

 occasion ; raising a shout therefore I rode upon it, put it in 

 full night, and in five minutes was among the careering 

 animals, riding, shooting, and re-loading, until the first joined 

 by the second herd, both, after a wild gallop over four or five 

 miles, dashed into the deep bed of the " Kapye " river, and 

 swam over to the opposite side, leaving me to retrace my 

 steps and despatch two or three wounded animals, which, 

 unable to keep up with the others had fallen behind. I had 

 also to look up the others slain outright in the run westwards 

 to the river. 



This evening I must have had at least five hundred hog, 

 great and small, on the move before and around me, and the 

 ground was nowhere such as to prevent hard riding. The 

 next morning, taking out two horses and a pony, I speared six 



