FICHT WIT FT A HOAR, 
83 
snake had awoke, and like the giant in the fairy story of 
my boyhood with a " fee-fie-fo-fum/' was coming after me ; 
but the tips of a deer's antlers as it rushed through the h\^h 
grass relieved my nerves. I do not know what one would do 
if a big python made up his mind to dine off you, but from 
the lightning quickness with which I have seen one seize a 
squirrel, one would not have much time to think about it. 
When on this excursion, I had fired at and badly 
wounded a large boar, and thinking I could easily finish him 
with a spear, a sort of halbert, which the lopas who accom- 
pany the carriage are armed with, I took one and w*ent in at 
the boar, who kept making half charges at me from a thick 
bush in which he had taken shelter. On receiving him on 
the point of the spear in one of these charges the wretched 
weapon crumpled up altogether. I dropped it and turned 
round for the gun, but the bearer had bolted, and there was 
nothing for it but to try to catch him. I heard the 
champing of the angry boar s tusks behind me, so I put on 
a spurt and soon overtook the runaway, and seizing the 
rifle stopped the boar, 
I was much disappointed in not even seeing a single 
banting (wild bull). I have been close to them and their 
fresh footprints have often raised my hopes, only to be frus- 
trated by some blundering attendants frightening them or by 
some other contretemps quite as annoying. I was also most 
anxious to shoot a rhinoceros ; but again I was out of luck. 
One of these beasts had committed much havoc amongst 
the gardens of the neighbourhood where I was staying 
and one moonlight night we drove out to try and intercept 
him in a garden he frequented. Ft was a full moon, and 
we were full of hope. The watchers came to say the 
