ld never have withstood.
Fortunately the Parisian's gun was close to me, and the charge stopped
him in full career. This was the _coup de grace_. He still, however, by
one grand effort, stood nobly on his haunches, opened his monstrous
mouth, all red with blood, gave out one sharp deep groan of agony from
his stifled lungs, and, falling upon his side, after many a wild
convulsion, at length stretched his massive and exhausted frame slowly
out in death.

"Hurrah! Adolphe! you rascally acorn! shout, you _badaud_! give the
death-whoop, and come down!"

"Is he really dead?"

"Dead! Why, don't you see he is? Come down I say--come, descend from
your Belvedere--the farce is played out, and your legs are all right.
You are a rank coward! however, no one is aware of it but me. Don't let
others see it!" and in a minute Adolphe was at my side.

"Listen, you fire-eater! and I will make you a hero, though you could
not manage to make yourself one. There were four shots fired; now, take
your gun, and remember that the two first, those ghastly holes in the
chest, were your handiwork--do you hear?"

"Yes, but what a horrible morning! what a brute! what a savage country!"

"True, it is not like the Boulevard des Italiens;" and a few minutes
after, Adolphe received, with some confusion, attributed to modesty, the
congratulations of all the party. This diffidence, as it may be
imagined, did not last long; his assurance soon returned, and the
hurrahs had scarcely died away, before he had imagined and given a very
graphic description of the last moments of the gallant boar. His toilet
made, the monstrous carcass was placed upon a litter, hastily
constructed with the branches of a tree, and the peasants, hoisting it
on their shoulders, bore the deceased monarch of the woods in triumph
to the chateau.

In the evening, Adolphe's self-satisfaction was completed by an ovation
from the ladies, who bestowed upon him the most flattering epithets.
From the prettiest lips I heard, "What! this Parisian! this pale and
slender young man, with such delicate hands and rose-coloured nails,
fought face to face with this terrible beast? Admirable! And he was not
frightened?"

"Frightened, ladies," said I, "why he was smoking a cigar all the time!"
And the secret was so well kept, and Adolphe so bepraised, that I am
sure had I felt disposed to throw a doubt upon the circumstances, he
would have stoutly contended that he really did kill the animal hi