Pig'Sticking 21 



him over more upon the muscles of his shoulders and 

 back. On the other hand, in the case of turning a 

 somersault, the farther from the horse, the better. 



A big prickly pear hedge or two were the next fences 

 to be negotiated. Choosing her spot and riding down 

 at the first one fairly fast, M. landed well on the 

 opposite side. The next was stiffer, and had a little 

 ditch towards them ; the pace was beginning to tell. 

 Pulling her horse up to a canter and getting him well 

 together, she ought to have cleared it easily, but it was 

 a bad take off; anyhow, they blundered it, and the 

 Arab came on his head and got a nasty cut or two 

 from the prickly pear, which at the same time un- 

 necessarily ventilated M.'s skirt and exposed a large 

 amount of boot ! However, S., G., and herself were 

 all going strong, when the pig took advantage of 

 a scrap of cover to squat down and recover his 

 wind. The two men rode on to view him away ; 

 M. remained behind, and suddenly a rustle behind 

 her betrayed the cunning hog, thinking he had given 

 every one the slip, creeping out where he had gone in, 

 and scurrying away almost on his own old line again. 

 A shout brought S. and G., and they were galloping 

 in pursuit once more. 



And now a sharp turn right-handed had, after a 

 sloping field, brought an ugly-looking, deep nullah 

 across the line. It was a breakneck drop, but without 

 hesitation the boar threw himself down, and then, 

 leaping some six feet up on the opposite side, was off. 

 M. found a place lower down where her clever 



