Cuap. X.] - WILD BOAR HUNT. oe 177 
and were in the state in which they are highly 
prized as a vegetable for the table. ‘“ Well,” said 
I, “what do you want me to do ?” 
‘Will you be good enough to lend us the gun?” 
“Yes; there it stands in the corner of the 
room.” 
“Oh, but you must load it for us.’ 
‘Very well, I will;” and I oi loaded 
the gun with ball. “There, but take care and 
don’t shoot yourselves.” There was now a long 
pause; none had sufficient courage to take the 
gun, and a long consultation was held between 
them. At length the spokesman came forward, 
with great gravity, and told me they were afraid 
to fire it off, but, that if I would go with them, 
and shoot the boar, I should have it to eat. This 
was certainly no great sacrifice on the part of 
the Budhist priesthood, who do not, or at least 
should not, eat animal food. We now sallied forth 
in a body to fight the wild boars ; but the night was 
so dark that we could see nothing in the bamboo 
ravines, and, perhaps, the noise made by about 
thirty priests and servants warned the animals to 
retire to the brushwood higher up the hills. Be 
that as it may, we could neither see nor hear any 
thing of them, and I confess I was rather glad, 
than otherwise, as I thought there was a con- 
siderable chance of my shooting, by mistake; a 
priest instead of a wild boar. 
The priests have two modes of protecting their 
property from the ravages of these animals. Deep 
N 
