, 1876-06-23

their instinct in pig hunting stands
them in good stead for their miserable
appearance. In less than half an hour
| their peculiar. shrill, yelping bark told
us the herd was found, and when 1
came up with them, two lads of the
chiefs party were tying the legs of the
voung boar, which they had caught by
running down with three of the best
| dogs.
The chief had taken up position to
shoot monster boar that the dogs kept
at bav. From tree to tree he jumped,
making his way as near to the animal as
he could. and watching his chance to
shoot without iniuring the dogs. The
boar caught sight of him, and prepared
to run: the chief fired and missed. I
brought him to with ball in the fore
shoulder, thinking the damage of his
leg, if the ball did not reach his heart,
would effectually disable him. But no;
the beast received the shot, then made
straight for me before 1 had time
to reload. The only thing 1 could do
was to drop my rifle, make a spring
right over his head on to his back, and
go right over him-leap frog, in fact
and get behind the nearest large tree,
for his ugly tusks, some six inches long,
would have made mincemeat of ones
leg in no time.
The chief had now reloaded, but be-
fore he could bring his piece to the fire,
the boar made charge at him, which
he baffled by dodging behind a tree,
and the beast flew past, giving me the
chance to recover my rifle. Once more
the dogs brought him to bay, and the
shoulder. The fury of the beast was
intense, with his two wounds, and the
worrying of the dogs. He stood grind
ing his teeth, and frothing at the mouth,
looking first at one and then at another
of US, as if measuring our capacity for
battle. The chief suggested that one of
us should tackle him, while the others
looked on without interfering.
Of course 1 had to claim the privi-
lege to do so, after such challenge
though, this being the first wild boar 1
had ever encountered, felt as if 1 had
somewhat rashly undertaken the COM
bat, for even with his two wounds,
fancied he might possibly hold out
longer than myself, and if 1 failed to
XIII him, the failure would be fine sport
for my comrades, and not soon forgotten
in their jokes.
However, stepped out in front of the
infuriated beast, and no sooner was
there than he was there too; quite
promptly enough, 1 thought. He made
furious charge at me, which received
with the butt end of my rife, trying to
throw him over on to his wounded side,
but Intellectually. A second time he
came at me, and second time checked
him. As he drew up for the third
charge, his long bristles standing on
end, grinding his tusks, and tossing the
froth from his huge mouth, 1 drew my
tomahawk; on he came, swifter than
ever, and the tomahawk fell deep into
the thick part of his neck; he dropped
powerless at my feet, and my boy Atamu
did the rest with his long knife.
1t was rather hot work, for the day
was warm, and these old boars have i'm
mense strength, and no little dogged
pluck; and their skins are so thick that
even a spear will break short off with
out leaving even q mark where it
strikes.
Detaching four or five lads to quarter
and carry this, our first slain, to the rem
devious, we followed the herd, with
which our dogs had once more come up.
The chief had the first shot again, se-
lecting the larger of two boars at bay,
and again the ball lodged in the fore
leg, infuriating the beast without weak
ening him much. Carefully watching
my opportunity at the other boar, I had
a deliberate shot, and brought him
down with ball in his heart; but no
one could approach to apply the knife,
because of the proximity Of the other
boar, at which the chief now had his
second shot, wounding him in the other
shoulder.
By way of little bit of retaliation, I
suggested that some one had better
stand out and fight the beast, for, with
his two wounds, he had now become in
furiated. Forward jumped the chief in
a moment, and in another the monster
was upon him. The chief received the
charge with a whale spade, giving the
boar fearful cut on the head. Still,
maddened to fury by tasting his own
blood as it ran down from the wound
just inflicted, the beast rushed on again
at the chief, who by this time, by a
quick movement, slipped aside little,
and landed the spade in the neck of his
prey, bringing him Immediately to the
ground.
The boar had shot had been duly at
tended to by some of the lads, as soon
as the fight between the chief and his
boar began in earnest; for sometimes
these wild hogs, if the knife is not
promptly applied to the throat, will re-
cover and be off again before one has
any notion of breath being in them
still. We had now killed three great
hogs, each weighing at least five hun