SPEAKING A BOAR ON FOOT. 59 



dogs, on " chur " Hingotea in Noakholly. A fair-sized boar 

 being soon found in the bushes near the village of that name, 

 was after the usual worrying and preliminary trotting back- 

 wards and forwards forced to break and make off due south, 

 across the open plain, towards the tamarisk jungle, a couple 

 of miles away. Clearing, as best we could, two or three 

 small tidal creeks or " nullahs," we ran our quarry into that 

 covert, being ourselves well ahead of the natives, but some 

 little distance behind the pig and the dogs. After a little 

 coursing in the lighter jungle, in which the boar turned to 

 bay once or twice, he ran into the heavier, and took up his 

 post to fight it out in the usual way. L. being the heavier 

 man, had fallen about a hundred yards behind me, when I 

 came up to the boar, surrounded by the dogs, which were 

 baying and snapping at him, and delivered my spear fairly 

 into the ribs, whereupon he made at me, but, held off by my 

 weapon, and hampered by the dogs, his attacks were avoided, 

 and then L. arriving dead-beat, plunged his spear into him, 

 reducing him to a helpless condition before the " Shikarees " 

 came up. It was not bad sport, but we found it too exhaust- 

 ing, and stuck in future to our saddles. 



The run from end to end may have been three miles, and 

 the natives were completely outpaced, though it is quite 

 possible that they hung back towards the close, wishing to see 

 whether we should last and finish. There was one creature, 

 black, long, and thin, with arms and legs as fleshless and 

 devoid of muscle as a walking-stick, who canying a huge 

 spear eight or nine feet in length, came up smiling and as 

 unblown as if he had only leisurely walked the distance, 

 whom I could but envy ; the rest, by no means exhausted by 

 the run, arrived one after another rather more blown, but fit 

 to go another mile or two. Here is a sport for Mofussilite 

 tennis-playing youths of the present day, who keeping no 

 hunters might show what can be done on foot by lovers 

 of sport. 



" Daoodkhandee " in Tipperah was famous for its jumping 

 boars, which were in fact the long-legged breed, common on 



