254 ACROSS MONGOLIAN PLAINS 



just as the boar appeared in the very bottom. I fired 

 as it rushed through the bushes, and the pig squealed 

 but never hesitated. The second shot struck behind it, 

 but at the third it squealed again and dived into a patch 

 of cover. When we reached the spot we found a great 

 pool of blood and bits of entrails — ^but no pig. A broad 

 red patch led through the snow, and we followed, ex- 

 pecting at every step to find the animal dead. Instead, 

 the track carried us down the hill, up the bottom of a 

 ravine, and onto a hill bare of snow but thickly covered 

 with oak scrub. 



While Smith and I circled ahead to intercept the pig, 

 the Chinese followed the trail. It was almost dark when 

 we went back to the men, who announced that the blood 

 had ceased and that they had lost the track. It seemed 

 incredible; but they had so trampled the trail where it 

 left the snow that we could not find it again in the 

 gloom. 



Then Smith and I suspected what we eventually 

 found to be true, viz., that the men had discovered the 

 dead pig and had purposely led us astray. We had no 

 proof, however, and they denied the charge so violently 

 that we began to think our suspicions were unfounded. 



We had to leave at daylight next morning in order to 

 reach Peking before Smith's leave expired. Two days 

 after we left, one of my friends arrived at Kao-chia- 

 chuang, where we had first hunted, and reported that 

 the Chinese had brought in all four of the pigs which we 

 had wounded. One of them, probably the boar we lost 

 on the last night, was an enormous animal which the 



