266 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
their grazing, and we walked with caution still nearer, 
mimicking them as we moved softly along. 
44 At length we got amongst them, so that one of our men 
was able to approach so near to a cow as to strike a 
lance into her body. When thus wounded, the animal will 
give a spring from the ground, and perhaps make a noise 
as if hurt by the horn of another; but this is so common 
amongst them, that the herd is no way disturbed by it. 
Our people therefore struck three or four in this manner, 
with an intention to come the next morning, and track 
them by their blood, for it is very dangerous to come near 
them in the night. As soon as they find themselves sorely 
wounded, they run from their companions, and will attack 
the first man they see. They are generally found the next 
morning actually dead, or fallen down in some wood or 
shelter of bushes, as if they had been endeavouring to 
conceal themselves. 
44 A day or two after this, we had a diversion of another 
kind. Our dogs had got the scent of some wild hogs that 
were in a thicket, and were very busy running round it, but 
could find no entrance for a considerable time. At length, 
however, they found the path made by the swine, and 
attempted to enter the wood by it, but the passage was 
defended by a large boar, who fought the dogs with great 
fury, and wounded one of them in a dangerous manner. 
Now, what with the dogs on the one hand, and the swine on 
the other, there was such a yelping, grunting, and howling, 
that the woods rang with their noise, so that one would 
have imagined all the hogs in the island had met there by 
consent, in order to revenge their quarrel upon us. 
44 We laid down our burdens, and some of us went up to 
them armed with guns and lances. The boar was shot by 
one of our party whose dog had been wounded, whereupon 
