426 



FOREST AND STREAM SUPPLEMENT. 



[DeO. 19, 1889. 



FIRST SPEAR. 



THE 1UG-STICKING EXPERIENCES OF A. PAIR OF NOVICES IN 

 SINDH. 



HOW the years fly ! 1 caught myself indulging in 

 reverie on the enjoyment of a Christmastide, the 

 scenes of which were as "fresh in my memory — perhaps 

 fresher than the scenes of any recent Christmas — and 

 when I came to fix the date I found it was away back in 

 the early sixties, when I was having my first experiences 

 of sport in what I may call a really good game country. 



My camp was at Metanee, a considerable village on 

 the banks of the Indus in the rainless region of Middle 

 Scinde, and consisted of a main dwelling about forty by 

 sixteen, divided into sitting room and bedroom, with 

 adjoining outhouses for servants, and stables. The walls 

 of the buildings were simply basketwork, and the roofs 

 thatch, and the buildings so arranged as to occupy two 

 sides of an oblong square, the other two sides of which 

 were inclosed with a high light fence. 



Here I lived for five years far remote from any other 

 Europeans, and twelve miles from the main road through 

 the country, but I was far too busy a man to feel any sense 

 of loneliness. I was running an extensive saltpetre re- 

 finery, which engaged my activities, physical and mental, 

 from dawn of day until sunset, with the exception that, 

 as the work became thoroughly systematized, I indulged 

 in an occasional day off — generally once a week— for 

 shooting, and this with my periodical trips to the Sukkur 

 market, where I bought the crude material, rendered my 

 life sufficiently diversified to be enjoyable. I had an oc- 

 casional visit, too, from the officer in charge of the tele- 

 graph line, a young fellow of my own age named Keith, 

 who generally once or twice in the course of the cold 

 season would leave his camp on the road and ride over 

 to spend a night with me. 



Well, one 23d of December, I think it must have been 

 either '62 or '63, I took a day off for shooting, and rode 

 home at evening with a pretty fair bag of duck and black 

 partridge, and on nearing my camp I saw Keith's groom 

 approaching it with a led horse, and as I rode up to him he 

 made a profound salaam, and reported that the Sahib 

 was coming on his camel and might be expected immedi- 

 ately. This was good news. There was a hasty consul- 

 tation with the Portuguese boy, who filled the" office of 

 chief cook and butler, another dish was added to the 

 menu, and a quarter of an hour later the two of us were 

 seated at the table, polishing our countenances in the 

 sunshine of each other's presence, and as happy perhaps 

 in the Scinde wilds as any two men in Christendom. 

 Keith had planned his tour so that he might spend two 

 days with me, and we were thoroughly resolved to have 

 a royal good time of it. 



"Have you done any pig-sticking yet?" asked Keith, 

 as we sat back in our easy chairs after dinner, smoking 

 and sipping our coffee. 



"Not much," I replied, "I rode one half-grown pig and 

 rolled him over as a bit of training for myself and horse, 

 and after that I had a dashing gallop after an old tusker, 

 but I didn't get him." 

 "How was that," asked Keith, "did he get into cover?" 

 "Well, not exactly," I explained, "but he turned the. 

 wrong end toward me. I was going along in grand style, 

 spear well poised, when the high banks of a canal loomed 

 up before me, and I made a burst to come up with him 

 before he could reach it, for I had no idea of going into 

 the canal without knowing how I should get out again. 

 It was no use, the boar spurted too, and finding I could 

 not come within twenty yards of him, I began to pull in. 

 At that moment the boar reached the bank, wheeled 

 sharply round and prepared to receive cavalry. My horse 

 decided the matter for himself, wheeling round so sud- 

 denly that I had enough to do to keep my seat, and when 

 at length I was able to look over my shoulder, it was 

 quite a relief to find the boar was not after us. Wheeling 

 round, I saw the old gentleman trotting leisurely along 

 under the canal bank, and as that was on my left, I lost 

 interest in the chase." 



"But," said Keith, "you might have headed him and 

 turned him back the other way." 



"Possibly," I rejoined, "but he would have been wrong 

 end on at the charge, and 1 was bashful." 



We sat and chatted for an hour or two, and made plans 

 for the following day's sport, and the programme included 

 pig sticking if a pig could be found to give us a run. I 

 had two spears, Keith was yearning to flesh one of them 

 in a boar, and now that I had a comrade to aid me in the 

 fight, I too was fired with a spirit of emulation. 



With the first dawn of day we sat down to a breakfast 

 of coffee and omelettes and good home-made bread and 

 butter, and before the sun was well above the horizon we 

 were in the saddle with our guns, trusting the spears to 

 a servant who rode behind the camel man, and had 

 charge of the luncheon. 



A leisurely trot of two miles carried us across the 

 barren salt tract that skirted the village, to some lands 

 cultivated by water from the canal, raised by Persian 

 wheels, and another mile brought us to a jheel or lake, 

 the principal duck grounds of the neighborhood. A 

 fringe of tamarisk trees skirted the lake in places, but 

 with this exception there was hardly a bush in sight: on 

 the wide undulating plain two or three flocks of blue 

 crane were visible, and as we neared the lake an oc- 

 casional quack, quack warned us that the ducks were at 

 home. 



We dismounted at a hundred yards distance, and 

 headed for cover to separate points about a hundred 

 yards apart. We made cover simultaneously, and before 

 I had time to look round Keith fired, setting the whole 

 lake in commotion ; hundreds of ducks were on the wine 

 at once, and a flock of mallards wheeling by me I shot at 

 the duck and killed a drake which was following some 

 six feet behind him, and a flock of teal following, I dis- 

 charged the second barrel into the midst and brought 

 down one. Kei'th had killed two mallards and wounded 

 one, which was recovered with difficulty after some time, 

 and after; a dozen more shots which resulted in adding 

 three morN ducks to the bag, we left the lake and headed 

 for the. lov\ ^ailaba lands on the banks of the river. 



The itiiila, n lands are recent silt deposits, sometimes a 

 mile or two in width, which, being under water all the 

 summer, and containing a great deal of organic matter, 

 are easily cultivated for winter crops such as grain, wheat' 

 barley and vetches; but the population being scanty, and 

 having their permanent homes in distant villages, only 

 half the tract is cultivated, the remainder being covered 

 with low tamarisk jungle, which is found in plots of I 



from an acre to a hundred acres. This makes a splendid 

 game country. The para, or hog deer, and the boar lurk 

 in the jungle by day and feed in the fields at night; black 

 partridge, quail and hare are in the fields nearly all day; 

 and here too are the feeding grounds of the geese and 

 blue cranes. It is a grand shooting country, and practi- 

 cally my preserve, for the native sportsmen seek only 

 big game. 



Reaching this country we opened out to nearly four 

 hundred yards apart, the camel in the middle, and in this 

 order rode slowly on for two or three miles in the quest 

 for pig; we saw several flocks of blue crane and occasion- 

 ally put up a black partridge, but we disregarded them. 

 At length I sighted a hog deer feeding in the open, and 

 signaling to Keith, he was soon cantering across country 

 toward me. The deer sighted us and walked leisurely 

 into a small clump of tamarisk jungle, and reaching the 

 spot we sent the camel through the jungle, Keith and I 

 riding at a walk a little to the rear on either side. 



"Will your horse stand fire?" I had queried of Keith in 

 a whisper. 



"Oh, I think so, I don't know, I never tried him," he 

 replied, "but at any rate he will stand while I am 

 firing." 



And so we started, but the camel went through from 

 end to end without putting out the deer, and as it was 

 only a narrow strip we made straight for another clump 

 some two hundred yards ahead. Here we pursued the 

 same tactics, and presently Keith's gun woke the echoes, 

 and I pushed my way through, and saw him some fifty 

 yards off pulling in his horse and feeling for his stirrups. 

 He soon wheeled around, and meantime the camel-man 

 had brought his camel out of the bush and was dismount- 

 ing. 



"Is he down?" called Keith. "I thought so," he con- 

 tinued, as he got the reply in the affirmative; "he just 

 put out his head at about twenty-five yards and I fired, 

 and after that I had enough to do to keep my seat and 

 hold on to my gun." It was a small doe. 



It was now too late in the day to give much chance of 

 seeing pig in the open, and after a consultation we de- 

 cided to shoot for birds for an hour or so, then lunch, 

 and work down to a village some two or three miles off, 

 get half a dozen beaters, and drive the plots of jungle for 

 Pig- 



We were soon afoot, the camel man and the servant 

 with the horses skirting the fields, while Keith and I 

 went through them, doing our own beating. Scoring 

 about half our shots, we made up a bag of five or six 

 brace of partridge, two brace of quail and three hares, 

 honors about equally divided, excepting that I shot all 

 the quail, having had more experience with that bird 

 than Keith, who missed all his. 



We then sat down to lunch, which consisted of game 

 pie baked the night before for the occasion, some bread 

 and cheese, and a bottle of Bass, and by a supreme effort 

 succeeded in disposing of everything but a piece of bread. 

 Then, stretched on the light sandy soil, we enjoyed our 

 pipes, the horses meanwhile getting their feed of corn, 

 and the camel browsing the tamarisk, with a longing eye 

 on an adjoining field of vetches. The two servants, too, 

 had brought their dark cakes of bajri meal, and the 

 scene was one of pleasant animal enjoyment. 



While enjoying our pipes a quiet honk was heard 

 from the river side, and apprised us that geese were feed- 

 ing near at hand; we decided to look them up before 

 we made for the village; and following the direction of 

 the sound, which was occasionally repeated, we came on 

 a flock of several hundred of them close to the river's 

 bank. Between us and them was a bit of tamarisk 

 jungle, and making straight for this, Keith and I dis- 

 mounted, and having drawn our small shot and replaced 

 it with wire cartridges, we crept through to reconnoitre. 

 The geese were from 100 to 200yds. off. but the more dis- 

 tant appeared to be close to the edge of a high bank, 

 which would give cover from the river side, and draw- 

 ing back, it was arranged that I should remain in cover 

 while Keith should make a long detour and approach 

 them from under the bank. 



He had been gone fully twenty minutes, when his shot 

 rung out, and as the flock rose I saw one bird down at no 

 great distance. They did not come directly toward me, 

 but went straight down river, The nearest birds were 

 perhaps not 80yds. from me as they flew by, and I raised 

 my gun to fire, but as I did so the cry of a blue crane 

 close at hand bade me pause, and looking up I sa w a dozen 

 of them within 20yds. of me, and in the act of wheeling 

 to avoid me. Singling one of them out I brought him 

 down dead, the cartridge having gone into him like a 

 ball and burst, and as I picked him up I saw Keith in 

 pursuit of a goose which he had winged. He stopped 

 and gave him the other barrel, and then resumed the 

 chase. 



Picking up the crane I made for the goose which I had 

 seen on the ground when the flock rose, and found him 

 dead with a shot through the eye. The camel now came 

 on the scene, and aided in the chase for the other goose 

 and turned him toward me, enabling me to put in a shot 

 at 70yds., which made him fall forward; he was up and 

 off again in a minute, but after another 20yds. he 

 staggered and rolled over. 



Keith was astounded to learn that he had shot a second 

 goose. He had covered his bud at about 40yds., and the 

 second had fallen to a stray shot at least 100yds. from 

 where he stood. 



We then made straight for the village, about two or 

 three miles off, got half a dozen beaters, and as we were 

 ten miles from home and the sun two hours past the 

 meridian, we turned our faces homeward, beating all 

 the larger clumps of tamarisk, the beaters opening out 

 and shouting as they went. 



At the very first clump three half-grown pigs were 

 put out on Keith's side, and he with a "whoop" started 

 in pursuit. I cantered on to the edge of the plot, and 

 saw him going at top speed across the fields, and not 

 wanting to tire my horse I kept on leisurely until I saw 

 him turn, ride back a few yards, and draw up. Then I 

 knew that he had killed, and when I came I found him 

 in high feather. It was a half-grown boar, and the spear 

 had gone in high up and well behind the shoulder, strik- 

 ing downward and killing the beast in his tracks. 



Another hour or more was spent in beating plot after 

 plot of jungle without success, and the December sun 

 was getting near the horizon, when on our way toward 

 a big piece of jungle which was to be our last beat, an 

 old tusker trotted out of the end, and was 40yds. from 

 cover before he saw us. He made no effort to" return to ' 



cover, but sighting us he gave a grunt and dashed off at 

 top speed toward the river. 



For the first half mile we gained nothing on him. We, 

 too, had started at top speed, but knowing from reading, 

 if not from experience, that that was bad tactics. I re- 

 strained my horse and called to Keith to do the same. 

 There was a big piece of jungle about half a mile to our 

 right, and the boar made at first as if he didn't want it, 

 but as we began to gain on him he wheeled suddenly 

 and made straight for its cover. This wheel gave me 

 the lead of Keith, and I pressed on. steadily diminishing 

 the distance between us and the boar. The 40yds. were 

 reduced to 30, the 30 to 20, the 20 to 10, but' now the 

 cover loomed up not 40yds. off. Now for a spurt. I 

 poised my spear, drove my heels into my horse, and the 

 distance between me and 'the boar diminished at every 

 stride. He was within a yard of cover, I urged my horse 

 to a last effort, drew back" my spear to strike, and with a 

 misgiving that it was too late, I struck between the hams 

 some 4 in. below the tail. 



With a savage grunt the infuriated boar wheeled upon 

 us, my horse wheeled as suddenly, but I was no party to 

 the maneuver. I saw dimly the black boar below me, as 

 I shot out of the saddle and over his back into the tama- 

 risk bushes, I felt the spear almost wrenched from my 

 grasp as it drew out from the wound, and then as I fell I 

 heard a groan and a heavy fall and the thundering of 

 horse's hoofs. 



Springing to my feet I shortened my spear for the 

 charge. I could see nothing, for I was eight or nine feet 

 inside the edge of the jungle, but I heard the sound of 

 some animal struggling, and advancing cautiously to the 

 open— there lay the boar pierced just behind the shoulder, 

 and the spear standing in the wound. Looking further 

 afield I saw Keith getting back from his horse's nock 

 into the saddle, my own horse enjoying his vetches a 

 few yards beyond, and the camel man trying to ap- 

 proach him. Then I drove my spear through the boar's 

 ribs, and as the fallen beast bore it quietly, 1 gave a vic- 

 torious yell for Keith. "First spear," I exclaimed as he 

 dismounted. "Last spear," he replied, and then for the 

 first time I realized the danger that his plucky charge 

 had rescued me from, and we shook hands over it, Keith 

 feeling exultant, and I that we had come out of it as 

 well as might fairly be expected of a couple of griffins or 

 tenderfeet as a Westerner would express it. 



Before long the camel and the beaters, with my re- 

 covered horse, were on the scene, and giving the beaters 

 a rupee on account, I;instructed them to get as many 

 more villagers as were needed and carry the two boars to 

 my camp. They agreed to start about midnight, and 

 covering the big carcass with tamarisk, to keep off the 

 jackals, we made the best of our way homeward, reach- 

 ing camp an hour after sunset, eating our dinner with 

 hunters' appetites; and as wc afterward lingered over our 

 pipes and coffee, we experienced a thrill of satisfaction 

 such as no later achievements in the hunting field could 

 ever bring us. C. F. Amery. 



ACADIAN AND CANUCK. 



Lake Charles, La., Sept. 13, 1889. 

 R, E. Robinson, Esq.: 



Deh Seh— Meh fren' Miche Ahfod, haf to inch read 

 a lill boogue whad you hwrite, call "One Lesha Shap," 

 hwich mek heemsef to me hoff gret interess, hann the 

 moah, biccause hwon mans in heem, Antoine Bissette, 

 Ah thenk he been meh cussin. 



Hwan the Hangliche, he drife meh hann cestors from 

 Acadie, meh gran'-gran'-gran'-pere, Emile Le Blanc, He 

 come to Lou is si hannah, mais meh gran'-gran'-grau- 

 mere — Ah ham miss-tekhen — meh odder gran'-gran'-gran'- 

 pere, hon me modder side, Achille Bissette, he gone 

 Quebegue. Diss Antoine, he wass be some discendence 

 hoff dass Achille, yass? 



Besside, bees hwife's name TJrsule, dass de name meh 

 boldest dotter, so Ah tink she mus been meh cussin, hein? 



Hnex tarn he see you, hit mek meh glad hyou tell 

 heem Ah wrot you hann lake heem Ah lak ackshange 

 pigshoo wid heem. 



Hif e nod lak san pigshoo, biccause he nod can hwrat 

 de Hangliche, tell heem class mek no deefence, he nod 

 haf the hadvantage, possib, E nod live in Loo hi si hannah, 

 dass nod hees faut. 



Meh childen, he all can reads han hwrite Hangliche 

 moss good hass me, hann Ursule — she ver' fine bed 

 hucate, she mos cas whrite hlegal note, all she herseff. 

 Poar mah, mos, sometams, peops tink me Mericain, Ah 

 spik Hangliche so hwell — hann dey ver' moch supprise 

 hwan odder peops say, "Heem Crehole, yass." 



Hif you hwrite me leddah fob meh cussin, you hwrite 

 heem to me fren, Miche Ahfad, Ah can gat heem so 

 sooner hass hwan you hwrat heem mehseff. 



E hwrite thees fah me, so hyou plis hegscuse misstek. 

 Ah ham, votre, etc., Arsene LeBlanc. 



Danvis. Vt., Nov. 10, 1S89. 



M'sieu Off a: 



Hoi' M'sieu Robyson he 'Id handle me dat Iett what you 

 '11 wrote for dat Frenchmans ant it what he '11 tink he 

 '11 was cussin for me prob'ly 'f he '11 ant cussin for mah 

 waf Ah do' know, me. Prob'Jy he '11 was, prob'lv he '11 

 ant. 



Ah '11 rembler hear mah granpere, he '11 gat great many 

 hole wan he '11 come dead, spik of it hees one' nem At : - 

 sene Bissette leeve in Quebec, Ah guess yas. But Ah '11 

 tol' you Ah '11 gat brudder-law me. what hees nem be 

 Zhoe le Blanc w'en he '11 leev in Canada. Now he'll gat 

 leev in Masschusin an' work on m*l , he gat hees nem be 

 Mistah White an' he '11 feel pooty plump, Ah "11 tol' you. 

 Lak nough he '11 been cussin for you Men fore he '11 gat 

 White, Ah do' know 'f he '11 hown it naow. 



Ah '11 be glad for see you frien' hees photygrab see 'f 

 he '11 look lak mah peop. Ah '11 ant never see Crehole a rf 

 Ah '11 ant know haow was he look lak someboddee. But. 

 Ah '11 ant gat mah'n take so Ah '11 can' sen' heem of it. 

 Ah do' know 'f Ah can wrote Angleesh. Ah 'II ant try. 

 Ah '11 gat M'sieu Robyson wrote dis. He '11 gat so blin' 

 of hees heyesaght he '11 mos' can' see, so 'f dese lett ant look 

 putty goode you '11 ant blem to me. 



Ah -'11 was you frien' Antoine Bissette. 



Forest and Stream, Box 2,832, N. Y. city, has descriptive ilru«- 

 trated circulars of W. B. Leflm<\veu's book, "Wild Fowl Shoot- 

 ing," which will be mailed free on request. The book is pro- 

 nounced Toy "Nanit," "CSloan," "Dick Swiveller," "Sybillene" and 

 other competent authorities to be the best, treatise on tbe subject 

 extant 



