T H E H O G A T BAY.
liiyiiiii l.lu-ir rnrs buck into llicir nccks. ami wliccling ;il)oul. rapidly on llieir
l i i n . l l o f r s . away llicy scour, perliaps Ibr miles, in spile of ihe severe bits in
srcneraruse. Ollicrs ociually i mini iti a ted, Ini I perliaps more under conlroni, luru
ihcir croups U) ihc bog as'he approaches, and inverting iheir tails, kick desperaU
ly. Many a iiog is in lliis niatnier killed or disabled. Tiie cli-eud occasioned
b y a chargi- is frcncrally such, ihuL wiien once u horse commences kicking, he
(lo.'s noi iiunv when t.o leave olì"; and, tiul unlVequcnLly, long after the danger
may be over, one or Uvo steeds may be seen exercising their heels in this
manner, lo llie extreme aimoyanceof iheir riders, who occasionally, as the wags
t e rm it, " quit llu- saddle lo gel a belter seal," while tliose who have the good
luck to he more secnrely silnated, often lind some incident sufficiently amusing
to excite risibility at tlicir nnforlnnale companion's expense. It generally
happens thai, each in his Inni becomes the creator of merrimeuL.
T h e greatest danger ari.ses from the propensity of liorses to rear, especially
a f t e r having received a wound; whelher at that lime, or during any former
chase. And it is peculiar that many \vill rear in the most alarming manner on
such an occasion only, It is however a vice extremely prevalent througliout
India, and may be attribuled to the universal use of Un/ug-diireif, or leading
ropes. These are about an inch round, and from six to sixteen feel long, accordi
n g to ihe character of the horse and the timidity of the si/ce, or groom. The
bhaus-iliire being fastencil to the cheek of the l)il, serves lo restrain the horse
whenever he may be frisky, and as throughout India geldings are rare, and the
climate docs not admit of exercising studs in proportion lo iheir high feeding, a
b a t t l e is on all occasions of approach to be expected. Wlieeling quickly round,
no lime is lost in commencing a fiirions kicking, acconi])anied with every endeavour
to destroy each olher. The s//ce.9 on such occasions retire lo the extent
of iheir bhaug-dures, rarely making any at tempi to separale the combalanls, except
by tugging ihcrcat. And this (piarrelsome «lisposilion sometimes proves
extremely obnoxious in ininling; for ihongh the general i t y of horses will during
a chase, and perhaps while the hog is alive, remain perfectly at peace wi t h each
olher, yet as soon as the interest created in them by the pursuit and resistance
of ihe game is over, one or more throw out the signal for engaging; and it re-
([uires much caution and activity in their riders to prevent iiuiLters from proceeding
to extremities. I have more than once seen horses, quite regardless of
the hog at bay, engaged in a general action, occasioning their riders to <lismount,
and make the best escape ihey could from the double danger of kicks
and rips.
I t sometimes becomes an object of necessity to attack the hog, even al a very
xinfavourable moment, for the pnrpose of rescuing another of ihe party from
danger. From the nature of the ground, which is often rotten anil full of concealed
holes and lumps, as well as from the vicious disposition of the horses in
general, many falls lake place. Of these the hog sonietimes lakes advantage,
r u s h i n g inslanlly towards his prostrate enemy, and threatening him with cruel
vengcance. A young genlleman, who was a novice at the sport, pushing loo
keenly through some very bad cover, was unhorsed very near to the hog, which
was jus t coming to bay. Fortunately he fell on his back, and raising his body,
saw ihe animal coming at a round pace towards him ; he had no recourse but
t o his feet, which being well applied, kept off the hog until his atlenlion was
f o r c i b l y attracted by a spear from another of the party.
Y o u n g sportsmen not only expose themselves to danger, but involve others in
difficulty ; giving their horses too much head, lliey fre<juenlly shoot past their
object, and in their haste lo recover liie lost advantage, abruptly rein up or
t u r n , without attending to others who may be coming nj) behind ihem. Many
are the instances that could be adduced of severe falls occasioned by tliis want
of precaution. It may be easily supposed that two or more horses at speed,
coming together in a heap, will occasion a severe shock, and risk the lives ol all.
T o avoid this, especially when a hog is at bay, only one of the parly should act
a t a time, the others being ready lo lake advantage of any opportunity which
may offer, of placing a spear Avith eilect. Nothing is more subversive of success
t h a n slight wounds ; they irritate the hog, and stimulate him to the njost desp
e r a t e resistance.
21
P L A T E VI.
T H E D E A D H O G -
T u E activity and coolness displayed by many horses are tridy admirable. A
gentleman of my acquaintance had a remarkable fine jungle tazee, possessing
uncounnon speed and bottom; he would watch the hog's motions with n most
judicious eye, and at the instant when an opportunity oflered, would, without
f a r t h e r impulse from his rider, dart forward to enable him lo throw the spear
t o advantage. This horse once, in my presence, lost his rider, yet followed with
the highest glee, and amused himself with leaping over the hog, backwards and
forwards, keeping him in a perpetual slate of alarm, thereby impeding his progress,
and giving time for the others possessing less speed to linish the chase.
I t has already been remarked, tliat horses have a perfect knowledge of llie
wide difierence between tame and wild hogs : tliey will gallop amid whole
droves of the former, scattering them in every direction; but at sight of the
hitler, many horses Avill shrink allogetlier from the contest, or become so very
cautious and shy as to prevent the spear from being delivered al any reasonable
distance. Some, when first brought to the sport, have been wonderful l y bol d and
impetuous, but being ripped once or twice, have never recovered sufficient spirit
to risk a close attack. Others that have been timid al first, being fnghlened
at the rustling in the cover, and at the rude motions and snorting of the game,
have after a few successful chases, become excellent hunters. Bui several are to
b e found which invariably prove staunch, and seem to vie with their riders in
courage and exertion. Some are nearly ungovernable when the game is up,
and Avill push over the worst of ground to take the lead ; it has even happened
tlial some wlien near the hog have, though at full speed, dislocated their necks
in tlie endeavour to seize with their teetii. This, however, is no commendable
q u a l i t y , being attended with some danger, and debarring the rider from del
i v e r i n g his spear with precision. 1 have, indeed, known a horse lo seize a
h o g w i l h liis teeth; he had on a former occasion done the same, but lost an
eye by ihe hog's resistance.—Jle was called Hyaena, in consequence of this
p r o p e n s i t y .
T h e speed, vigour, and bulk of the game, being properly understood, the
reader will easily conceive, that however lightly many, and especially those
accustomed lo it, niay consider liog-hunting as a diversion, yet thai il is by
no m e a n s deficient in toil and danger, re([uires not oidy good cattle, Imt
excellent riders. A had horseman will find it an excellent school, and must
soon alia in some skill in the saddle, otherwise it were belter for him to «pi it
t h e field. The generality of liog-hunlers, though not perhap.«, poss(rssijig the
most graceful seals, sit close, and have an admirable firmness, such as enables
them lo master the abundant spirit, not lo say the vice, ciiaracterizrng the
stallions of India. Il is the same with regard to shoot ing: the vast (juantities
of game, the absence of those restrictions regarding its preservation, so rigid in
England, and the want of olher more social, and of all publ i c amusements except
a t the Presidency itself, all coutril)ute so much towards practice, that jierhaps
t h e gentlemen in Bengal might be matched against ten times iheir numhcr of
sportsmen in England. It is by no means rare to .see u bird fall for every shot.
Some, indeed, have gained considerable wagers respecting thai produce.
Tint to proceed. The generality of wild hogs, when full grown, are on an
average from thirty to forty inches high al the shoulder. I have seen two
killed, each of which was forty-two inches, but they were such as are rarely to
b e found. If game be in tolerable abundance, such as appear less than about
twenty-six inches are rarely hunted. When scarce, of course all that start are
followed. Small hogs generally do most mischief, being more active, and their
teeth much sharper. In fact, the severest chases and most desperate defences
may be expected from boars of about a yard high, or less.
Tlie tusks of a boar are peculiarly formed ; there are two on each side, viz.;
one in the upper and one in the under jaw. The former is qui t e a short stump,
and appears to be of a softer substance than the latter, by which it generally is
nuich worn, so that llieir curves being similar, al some little distance, when
t h e mouth i.s closed, the two appear as but one tusk. The under one is gener
a l l y ])oinled sharp, its form is almost a crescent, or segment of a circle, and it
is nearly Iriangular all it^ length.