oint
of the knife touch the bone; the spine was divided, and he fell dead.

Smut had two severe gashes in the throat, Lena was cut under the ear,
and Bran's mouth was opened completely up to his ear in a horrible
wound. The dogs were completely exhausted, and lay panting around their
victim. We cut off the boar's head, and, slinging it upon a pole, we
each shouldered an end and carried it to the kennel. The power of this
animal must have been immense. My brother's weight and mine, together
being upward of twenty-four stone, in addition to that of half-a-dozen
heavy dogs, did not appear to trouble him, and had we not been close
to the spot when he came to bay, so that the knives came to the instant
succour of the dogs, he would have most probably killed or wounded half
the pack.

In this wild and rough kind of sport, the best dogs are constantly most
seriously wounded, and after a fight of this kind, needles and thread
and bandages are in frequent requisition. It is wonderful to see
the rapid recovery of dogs from wounds which at first sight appear
incurable. An instance occurred a short time ago, when I certainly gave
up one of the best dogs for lost. We had found a buck, who after a sharp
run, came to bay in a deep part of the river known by the name of
Black Pool. My youngest brother* {* James Baker, late Lieut.-Colonel
of Cambridge University Volunteers.} (who is always my companion
in hunting) and I were at some distance, but feeling certain of the
locality of the bay, we started off at full speed towards the supposed
spot. A run of a mile, partly through jungle leading into a deep wooded
ravine, brought us to the river, which flowed through the hollow, and
upon approaching the water, we distinctly heard the pack at bay at some
distance down the stream. Before we could get up, the buck dashed down
the river, and turning sharp up the bank, he took up the hill through
a dense jungle. Every hound was at fault, except two, who were close at
his heels, and being very fast they never lost sight of him. These two
dogs were Merriman and Tiptoe; and having followed the whole pack to
their track, we soon heard them in full cry on the top of the high hills
which overlook the river; they were coming down the hill-side at full
speed towards the Black Pool. Hiding behind the trees lest we should
head the buck, who we now heard crashing towards us through the jungle,
we suddenly caught a glimpse of his dun hide as he bounded past