He was a wonderful dog, but I
prophesied an early grave for him, as no dog in the world could
long escape death who rushed so recklessly upon his dangerous
game.* His sister "Hecate," was more careful, and she is alive at
this moment, and a capital seizer of great strength combined with
speed, having derived the latter from her dam, "Lena," an
Australian greyhound, than whom a better or truer bitch never
lived. "Old Bran," and his beautiful son "Lucifer," were fine
specimens of grayhound and deerhound, and as good as gold.
*Speared through the body by the horns of a buck elk and killed
shortly after this was written.
There was not a single elk track the whole of the way up the
mountain, and upon arriving at the top, I gave up all hope of
finding for that day, and I enjoyed the beautiful view over the
vast valley of forest which lay below, spangled with green
plains, and bounded by the towering summit of Adam's Peak, at
about twenty-five miles' distance. The coffee estates of
Dimboola lay far beneath upon the right, and the high mountains
of Kirigallapotta and Totapella bounded the view upon the left.
There is a good path along the narrow ridge on the summit of the
Elk Plain hills, which has been made by elephants. This runs
along the very top of the knife-like ridge, commanding a view of
the whole country to the right and left. The range is terminated
abruptly by a high peak, which descends in a sheer precipice at
the extremity.
I strolled along the elephant-path, intending to gain the extreme
end of the range for the sake of the view, when I suddenly came
upon the track of a "boar," in the middle of the path. It was
perfectly fresh, as were also the ploughings in the ground close
by, and the water of a small pool was still curling with clouds
of mud, showing most plainly that he had been disturbed from his
wallowing by my noise in ascending the mountain-side.
There was no avoiding the find; and away went "Bluebeard,"
"Ploughboy," "Gaylass" and all the leading hounds, followed by
the whole pack, in full chorus, straight along the path at top
speed. Presently they turned sharp to the left into the thick
jungle, dashing down the hillside as though off to the Elk Plains
below. At this pace I knew the hunt would not last long, and
from my elevated stand I waited impatiently for the first sounds
of the bay. Round they turned again, up the steep hillside, and
the music slackened a little, as the bounds had enough to do in
bursting through the tangled bamboo up the hill.
Presently, I heard the rush of the boar in the jungle, coming
straight up the hill toward the spot where I was standing; and,
fearing that he might top the ridge and make down the other side
toward Dimboola, I gave him a halloo to head him back. Hark,
for-r-rard to him! yo-o-ick! to him!
Such a yell, right in his road, astonished him, and, as I
expected, he headed sharp back. Up came the pack, going like
race-horses, and wheeling off where the game had turned, a few
seconds running along the side of the mountain, and then such a
burst of music! such a bay! The boar had turned sharp round, and
had met the hounds on a level platform on the top of a ridge.
"Lucifer" never leaves my side until we are close up to the bay;
and plunging and tearing through the bamboo grass and tangled
nillho for a few hundred yards, I at length approached the spot,
and I heard Lord Bacon grunting and roaring loud above the din of
the hounds.
Bertram has him for a guinea! Hold him, good lad! and away
dashed "Lucifer" from my side at the halloo.
In another moment I was close up, and with my knife ready I broke
through the dense jungle and was immediately in the open space
cleared by the struggles of the boar and pack. Unluckily, I had
appeared full in the boar's front, and though five or six of the
large seizers had got their holds, he made a sudden charge at me
that shook them all off, except "Bertram" and "Lena."
It was the work of an instant, as I jumped quickly on one side,
and instinctively made a downward cut at him in passing. He fell
all of a heap, to the complete astonishment of myself and the
furious pack.
He was dead! killed by one blow with the hunting knife. I had
struck him across the back just behind the shoulders, and the
wound was so immense that he had the appearance of being nearly
half divided. Not only was the spine severed, but the blade had
cut deep into his vitals and produced instant death.
One of the dogs was hanging on his hind quarters when he charged,
and as the boar was rushing forward, the muscles of the back were
accordingly stretched tight, and thus the effect of the cut was
increased to this extraordinary degree. He was a middling-sized
boar, as near as I could guess, about two and a half
hundredweight.
Fortunately, none of the pack were seriously hurt, although his
tusks were as sharp as a knife. This was owing to the short
duration of the fight, and also to the presence of so many
seizers, who backed each other up without delay.
There is no saying to what size a wild boar grows. I have never
killed them with the hounds above four hundredweight; but I have
seen solitary boars in the low country, that must have weighed
nearly double.
