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.
I believe the flesh is very good; by the natives it is highly
prized; but I have so strong a prejudice against it from the
sights I have seen of their feasting upon putrid elephants that I
never touch it.
The numbers of wild hogs in the low country is surprising, and
these are most useful in cleaning up the carcases of dead animals
and destroying vermin. I seldom or never fire at hog in those
districts, as their number is so great that there is no sport in
shooting them. They travel about in herds of one and two hundred,
and even more. These are composed of sows and young boars, as
the latter leave the herd when arrived at maturity.
