BEATING SUGAR CANES FOR A HOG.
2 0 I.) 4 0 gallons AT II l ime. TIk F.eUl ovcl' wlllcli LL.C liog i» i-U.inil.g is divklcd
1„|„ l««ls vcacly for Irrigalioii. Tliis proccss is cliiclly coiifmcil f rom Uio inoiilli
„ r Niivi-mbor lo lhal of February, wlicn llie corn, opiuiii-llclcis. See. a r e growing.
F r o m llie inseenre manner in ivl.iel, these veils are generally llnisl.eil, as
,vell as from ll.c looseness of li.e soil in many places, lliey rarely lasl long. In
siieli rases llie |ieasalil digs olliers, williolll doing any llling lo those whlcl i have
f a l l e n in. 'I'his is prodiletive of eoiisiderahle danger, nol only to hunters, hut to
fool passengers; maoTof whom are precipated into ihem. Several eoUeetors of
i l i s l r i e l s are very rigid in eailsing every old well lo be dislinguished by a pillar
of nmd siilliei.-nlly high lo be seen above the snrfaee of the highest erops. Tliese
serve m beaeons, as do ifce levere to sneh wells a , are in use. It is a pity sueh
a proeaiilion were not in universal praetiee. I have had several very narrow
escapes mys.-ll'; once, indeed, the hog 1 wa s chasing suddenly disa|ipi-an-d in
some sliori grass; and. as I was ccrlaiii it eoul.l neither have gone on forwards,
n o r hirlied aside, ihcre being nothing to conceal it, I lost no time in pulling up,
and iliseovered williiii a yard of me an old well, in which the hog lay ver y conl
e i l l e d l y . On disniounling, we found no less than thre.- wells, all within llfty
y a r d s of llial alreadv noticed. An intimate friend, lately returned to India,
d a s h i n g through a field of young rhur, came suddenly lo a large wel l linetl with
h r i c l c i ^ l i e Inid nothing lo'depend on but the ability of his horse, which on
f e e l i n g the spur, e.xerted himself sulllcicntly lo clear the well forward, hut his
hind legs fell rather short. From this awful state, however, he fortunately extricat,
d himself and rider; who had suiricient presence of mind to aid the
a n i m a l s elforls, b y throwing his whol e weight upon the horse's neck. It was, I
lliiiilv. Ihc narrowest escape I ever witnessed.
I t is remarkabl e what a change takes place in the conduct of villagers from
t h e lime thev have cane or corn standing, to w h a t occurs when they arc cut.
[n Ihe lirst instance. Ihey are all aclivity, and alVord every aid to facilitate tlie
p r o g r e s s of llie sport ; but when their property is secured, Ihey lieeomc selfish
in Ihe ext reme ! This is nol surprising ; il is n a tur a l ; and its parallel may be
f o u n d ill thousands of instances.
T h e dogs belonging lo the villages, called pariahs, and wliich in general have
n o particular owner, except wher e they prove good in picking up bares, &c.
a r e exlromly useful in scenting hogs in the canes, and in urging them lo break
cover. These dogs are very sharp made, willi small faces, short pricked ears,
t h i n tails, deep chests, and small bellies, wi t h excellently light limbs. They arc
very fleet and savage. Some will take a good sized hog Iiy the car, holding
v e r y fast; but in lllis many receive dcsperale wounds : whence Ihey become
more cautious, and confine their attacks to the hind i|uarlcrs. They arc of
v a r i o u s colours, but the ordinary one is a reddish brown, which is best repres
e n t e d by a solution of terra sienna.
W h e r e a person hunts singly, these dogs are of the greatest service, as they
n o t only help lo bring the hog lo hay, but, in case a spear shouki miss, or be
t h r o w n out, they announce by their barking which way the animal is proc
e e d i n g . This in covers higher than the hog's back, is of great utility; as the
l i o r s e i n a n being compelled to dismount to regain his spear, would afford the
h o g an opportuni t y lo escape. In company, iheir aid is b y no means desirable;
as they often leaze the hog, and make him so unsteady, that il is diaicnlt to
t h r ow a spear correctly, and with safely lo the dogs themselves. Two jiaria/i
dogs are represented in the Plate following the bog, as is also one of the horsemen,
w h o has ([Iiittcd his post at a c ome r of the cane to close in, a n d cut off his
r e t u r n to the cover.
P o r c u i i i n e s arc of ten found in heal ing cancs for hogs ; they are easily speared :
t h e flesh of the young ones is very good, and somewhat similar to pork or veal.
"With respect lo shooting llieir (piills, it is merely fabulous; dogs are apt lo
r u n upon them, and the (piills, being sharp, penetrale so deeply, and hold so
f a s t , as to occasion them t o tjuit their matrices or insertions in Ihe porcupine's
s k i n . The wounds are not ilangerous, e.xcept from their depth. Many horses
will nol approach porcupines when running, hy reason of a peculiar rattling
t h e i r <|uill5 make against each olhcr. The horseman should slab his spear inlo
p o r c u p i n e s , as also inlo small pigs ; there being no danger in approaching
t h e m .
P L A T E III.
THE CHASE AFTER A HOG.
PERHAPS iio diversion RCQHIREI iiiorc coolness and j u d gme nt than Iiog-liiinling;
indecfl so much is this the case, that it is by no means iincommoii to see one
e x p e r i e n c e d hand perform more, though i)robai)]y mounted ou no very superJ)
c l i a r g e r , tlian several who may be unacquainted with the sport when acting
t o g e l h e r . Il has invariably been found that two persons iiabituated lo each
o t h e r ' s modes have been successful; and lhal i)ut rarely tliey have missed their
game. When a par l y of gentlemen unused lo hunt together meet in the field,
i t is usual, and indeed prudent, lo be guided in respect to search of covers by
h im who may have been, by residence, best informed on that point. 13ut from
n e g l e c t of |)re-connectton, an<l many similar circumstances, a want of regularity
too gpuerully prevails, highly favourable lo the game's escape. Tliis may,
i n d e e d , be partly attributed to the various scenery and consequent practice in
t h e several parts of the country. Some are liabil.ualed lo cancs ; some lo bimds,
o r uudenvoods ; others entirely to grass covers; anil, as the modes of hunting
a r e diversified in proport ion, it requires some few days' practice to chime well in
t o g e t h e r , and to act in concert.
I n grass jungl e s , it is best lo let the hog run himself out of breath ; which, if
a hoi-scman keep within sufTicient distance lo follow liis track, he will soon do.
W h e n he begins lo slacken, the attack should be commenced by the horsemim
w h o may be nearest pushing on lo his left side ; into whicii the spear should
be thrown, so as to lodge close behiiul llie shoulder blade, and about six
i n c h e s from the back-bone. This is a deadly wound, as it usually pierces the
lioarl.
I n grass covers, a hog is often started, hunted, and killed, without being
seen lill he is dead. This occurs in grass from three lo five feet in height;
w h i c h , being generally as thick as a lieavy sward of hay, eflectually screens the
g a m e from the view of the hunter; who must keej) his eye on the lop of the
grass, watching its motion, and be ready lo turn as the hog may deviate lo the
r i g h t or left. A I all horse certainly is an advantage on such occasions, but a
g o o d eye and (juick hand give the hui i tcr great superiority.
I l may reasonably be supposed, thai, where the ground is efFectiially hid,
t i a n g e r is in some measure mixed with the pleasure of the chase. Indeed many
a c c i d e n t s happen ; and it is not rare to .see a horse and rider tumbling into a
bulTaio-hole, owor guauchies, which are the lumps formed by the roots of grass,
o r even precipitated into a nullah, or ravine, at the very moment when thcs
p c a r has been raised lo strike the hog. Connchics are extremely <langerous,
and rarely fail lo kmc the horse, if not kept up with a strong an<l cautiou.s
liand. They are occa.sioned by the annual burning or cutting of the gra-^s;
w h i c h , being fed oil by callle in the early part of the rains, ¡i'inter.sccti^d by
t l i e i r foot-marks in a million of <lirections, .so as lo insulate almost .-very root
i n t o a separate tuft. These accumulate, and become lumps or knobs, perhaps
t h e size and height of a bushel, divided by a little rut or track from six inches
t o a foot broad. As each tuft is well furnished with grass, growing to a
c o n s i d e r a b l e heiglil, of course the surface of the plain appears smooth and
even ; wliile below every slep teems with danger. When such grounds are
known, horsemen avoid them; but, when trying new covers, they often come
s u d d e n l y into them, especially in low swampy situations. The danger is nol
confined to tlie inequality of surface ; for after a few years the lumps begin to
decay, and as the roots of the grass rot, they yield to the horse's foot, which
o f t e n sinks half way lo the shoulder.
P l a i n s wher e the grass m a y b e from Uvo to ihree feet higli, generally contain
much game, provi<led water be at liand. In such situations, especially if within
a mile, or so of the surj>n/ or tassel-grass, hogs, hog-deer, and abundance of
s p o r t for the gun may be found. The surjuU, which is much tlie same as the
g u i n e a grass, grows to the height of twelve or fourteen feet, its stem becomes
so thick as to resemble in some measure a reed. It is very strong, an<l grows
v e r y luxuriantly: il is even used as a fence against cattle, for which purpose it
is often planted on banks, excavated from ditches, lo enclose fields of corn. &c.
I t grows wild in all the uncultivated parts of India, but especially in the lower
provinces, in wliieh it occupies immense tracts; sometimes mixing with, and
r i s i n g above coppices; allordiiigan asylum for e lephant s , rhinoceroses, tigers, &c.