After breakfast, having stowed rifles and ammunition in the howdahs, the party mounted, and filed out of camp-and a goodly company we were; first, the seven sahibs, each sitting in his howdah with a servant behind him; next, about twenty elephants to be used in beating ; then the horses of the party, each led by its syce and followed by a grass-cutter; and lastly a crowd of native beaters.

About a mile from camp the sport began in a long stretch of grass country, where the line of elephants disturbed great numbers of black partridges and small deer.

It was the first time that I had ever tried to shoot from the howdah, and it was very difficult to maintain my balance, but before the day was over, I got my “howdah legs," and had bagged a few partridge and snipe.

As we were not yet in good shikar ground, we camped early in the afternoon; most of the party were pretty well tired, and turned-in early after dinner.

For a day or two capital sport was met with at deer and partridge, and the good shots soon came to the front, but we had not yet come across the traces of any tigers, so it was proposed to give the elephants a day's rest and turn out for some pig-sticking; and five of the party, including myself, set off early in the morning for a stretch of thick grass jungle about two miles from camp. In default of a horse, I mounted a pad elephant to accompany the others, and beat up pigs, taking a fowlingpiece, in the hopes of picking up some snipe and black partridge.

Our ground was soon reached, and having collected a number of beaters, we began work by beating up a nullah, or deep dry bed of a stream, thickly overgrown with tall reeds and grass, running for some distance through the plain. Scarcely had we entered the nullah before the rustling of the grass and reeds ahead, and angry trumpeting of the elephant, gave warning that game was afoot. The horses of the expectant spearsmen who followed us along the banks of the nullah became very excited, while their riders settled themselves firmly in their saddles, preparatory to a dash after the pigs which might bolt from cover at any moment.

Thus we kept on, the noise of the beaters and trumpeting of my elephant increasing at every fresh rush ahead, until we arrived almost at the head of the nullah.

We were now apparently quite close on the pig, for it was with some difficulty that my mahout could induce his timid elephant to proceed; however, a determined application of his sharp-pointed iron goad made the animal rush forward with an angry screech, and then, with a magnificent bound, a fine leopard sprang out into the plain.

This was an unexpected treat for the pig-stickers; the chance of spearing a leopard from horseback does not occur every day, and plenty of law was given to the game. Then the spears were poised, and away the three horsemen dashed after his spotted excellency.

For about five hundred yards the chase was most exciting, and it seemed as if the fate of the leopard was

Chase of a Leopard.

21

sealed, for one of the party was close on it. Suddenly, however, the cunning brute doubled back and succeeded in reaching the nullah. This was a great disappointment, as all our efforts to get him out in the open again proved unavailing; the beast doubled backwards and forwards under the feet of my elephant, refusing to break

cover.

More than an hour was spent in trying to beat him out, until, at last, the patience of the party being exhausted, it was suggested that I should shoot it. This was not an easy matter, as the long grass and reeds in the nullah were so thick that I could only now and then catch a glimpse of a few spots as he doubled past me, At last, however, after one or two ineffectual shots, I spied the sulky animal crouched under the bank of the nullah, within a couple of yards of my elephant's trunk. His fate was sealed, for, as he afforded me a fair sight, a charge of No. 8 shot reached his heart, and he rolled into the bottom of the nullah quite dead.

When he was brought out into the open he proved to be a nearly full-grown male, and very fat. The villagers who made up our party of beaters recognised him as the thief who had wrought considerable havoc amongst their herds for some time past, and hailed his inanimate form with shouts of derision. Such was the beginning

of this day's sport.

Having placed the leopard on the elephant, we struck off into the plain for a batch of high grass, where, as luck would have it, we put up a fine sounder of pig, and away went the horsemen in chase. One or two fair

sized pigs were speared, and what with the excitement of the sport and the delightful coolness of the day, the spirits of the party rose high, and the death-wound of every boar was hailed by the native beaters, who saw visions of a great feast, with loud shouts of delight.

Continuing on across the plain, we reached another batch of high grass. The beaters were scarcely into it when a sounder of pig broke cover. Each rider singled out his boar, and dashed after it. One of the party, L-, a noted spear in Bengal, being better mounted than the other two, got away after a splendid old boar at a terrific pace; for nearly a mile L's fine Australian horse did his best, but the old boar held his own very pluckily. It really was a hard race, and at one time it seemed, as I watched it from the top of the elephant, that piggy would get the best of it; but he had a bold and determined spear behind him, and it soon became evident that the horse was gaining.

The boar, perceiving that he could not reach fresh cover, doubled back towards his old haunt, and then it became a race of life and death for him. He had done his best, and every stride now brought L— closer to him, until at last horse and boar raced alongside each other, so close that the long flakes of foam blown from the jaws of the pig dotted the flanks of the horse. Now was the time; L————, rising in his stirrups, gave a mighty thrust as his horse shot past the quarry. The boar, deeply stricken, but too far behind the shoulder, stopped short, while L, unable to withdraw his spear, passed on, leaving it sticking upright in the body of the boar.

A Brave old Boar.

23

By this time the rest of the party had advanced to within a few hundred yards of L——, who rode up for another spear, and then returned to the encounter.

The boar had stood champing his teeth in impotent rage from the time of his being struck, but when he perceived L coming towards him again the game old patriarch charged right gallantly. L― met him, and delivered another thrust which only seemed to increase the anger of the boar. And now a running fight was kept up; time after time was L charged, and each time was the boar received on his spear. In the meanwhile, another of the party came up, after having despatched his pig; he happened to be mounted on a pony which, refused to face the savage-looking enemy, so he changed his mount for an iron-grey mare, apparently a griffin at her work, for in the first charge the boar inflicted a nasty cut on her off hind leg, and thus disposed of his new enemy.

Again L, on his splendid Australian, came to the charge. The boar, though weak from loss of blood, still came gallantly on; but as he rose to L's spear he tottered, and, staggering a yard or two, fell, and rolled over dead.

A more gallant encounter than this I never witnessed. The savage and determined gameness of the boar was only equalled by the horseman's cool daring; and I think, of all manly and brave sports, that of pig-sticking, as practised by English shikaries in India, bears off the palm.

As it was now long past midday, and all were satisfied