f a litter in the brush, where he now lay. Where he had laid his
monstrous head he had torn up by the roots shrubs as thick as one's
arm. When the monster heard the steps of a man he raised his head,
opened wide his jaws and looked sidewise at his opponent. In order to
get a better aim the knight had dropped on one knee, and shot through
the sedges at the beast just at the moment when he raised his head.
Instead of hitting the skull the ball entered the creature's neck,
wounding but not killing him. The wounded animal sprang up, and in his
charge at the knight struck his crooked tusks together so that the
sparks flew. Such a furious attack might easily have been avoided by a
spring to one side, but the knight was not the man to avoid his
antagonist. He threw down his gun, tore his sword from its scabbard,
stood face to face with the boar and dealt a blow at his head which
might have cleft it through and through; but the dangerous stroke fell
on the tusk, and upon this, hard as stone, the sword was broken in two
at the hilt. Stunned by the blow the boar, though he plunged at the
knight with his tusks, inflicted only a light wound in his thigh, at
which the man seized the animal by the ears with both hands and a
furious struggle began. Without weapon he fought the beast which
turned its head with grunt and groan, but the steel-like grasp of the
man held his broad ears with irresistible might and when the creature
raised himself on his hind legs to throw his opponent, the knight with
giant strength gave him a push and threw him over backward. True, he
fell too as he did so, but he was on top and raising himself up,
pressed down the wild beast struggling in vain against his superior
strength, and seated himself in triumph on his belly. The boar seemed
to be entirely conquered. His glazing eye grew dim, blood streamed
from jaws and nose, he had ceased to roar and made only a rattling
sound; his legs contracted, his nose hung down; in a few moments he
must certainly die. The knight should have called to his comrades,
only a little way off, or kept quiet until the boar bled to death, but
this took too much time. He remembered that he had in his girdle a
Turkish knife and he thought to put a quick end to the struggle, so he
pressed down the head of the boar with one knee, that he might be able
to spring when he drew out his knife at his side, and with one hand
seized his girdle. Just then, a shot was heard in the forest; the
ove