CHAPTER VI 
ANDALUCIA AND ITS BIG GAME (Continued) 
WILD-BOAR 
From one’s earliest days the wild-boar has been invested with 
a sort of halo of romance, identified in youthful mind with 
grim courage and brute strength. Perhaps his grisly front, 
the-vicious bloodshot eyes, savage snorts, and generally malignant 
demeanour, lend substance to such idea. But even among adults 
there exists in the popular mind a strange mixture of mis- 
conception as between big game and dangerous game—to 
hundreds the terms are synonymous. ‘Thus a lady, inspecting 
our trophies, exclaimed, “Oh, Mr. , aren’t these beasts very 
treacherous?” which almost provoked the reply, ‘You see, we 
are even more treacherous !” 
In sober truth, nevertheless, a big old boar when held up 
at bay, or charging in headlong rushes upon the dogs, his 
wicked eyes flashing fire, and foam flying from his jaws as tushes 
clash and champ, presents as pretty a picture of brute-fury and 
pluck as even a world-hunter may wish to enjoy. 
Yet among hundreds of boars that we have killed or seen 
killed (though dogs are caught continually, and occasionally a 
horse), there has never occurred a serious accident to the hunter, 
and only a few narrow escapes. 
As an example of the latter: the keeper, while “ placing” the 
writer among bush-clad dunes outside the Mancha of Majada 
Real, mentioned that a very big boar often frequented some 
heavy rush-beds on my front. ‘Should the dogs give tongue 
to pig at that point, your Excellency will at once run in to the 
function.” Such were his instructions. 
At the point indicated the dogs bayed unmistakably, and 
seizing a light single carbine, 303 (as there was a stretch of heavy 
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