by rooting up than by actually eating. It is common for the ryot to dig
a shallow pit, and ensconce himself inside with his matchlock beside
him. His head being on a level with the ground, he can discern any
animal that comes between him and the sky-line. When a pig comes in
sight, he waits till he is within sure distance, and then puts either a
bullet or a charge of slugs into him.

The pig is perhaps the most stubborn and courageous animal in India.
Even when pierced with several spears, and bleeding from numerous
wounds, he preserves a sullen silence. He disdains to utter a cry of
fear and pain, but maintains a bold front to the last, and dies with
his face to the foe, defiant and unconquered. When hard pressed he
scorns to continue his flight, but wheeling round, he makes a
determined charge, very frequently to the utter discomfiture of his
pursuer.

I have seen many a fine horse fearfully cut by a charging pig, and a
determined boar over and over again break through a line of elephants,
and make good his escape. There is no animal in all the vast jungle
that the elephant dreads more than a lusty boar. I have seen elephants
that would stand the repeated charges of a wounded tiger, turn tail and
take to ignominious flight before the onset of an angry boar.

His thick short neck, ponderous body, and wedge-like head are admirably
fitted for crashing through the thick jungle he inhabits, and when he
has made up his mind to charge, very few animals can withstand his
furious rush. Instances are quite common of his having made good his
charge against a line of elephants, cutting and ripping more than one
severely. He has been known to encounter successfully even the kingly
tiger himself. Can it be wondered, then, that we consider him a 'foeman
worthy of our steel'?

To be a good pig-sticker is a recommendation that wins acceptance
everywhere in India. In a district like Chumparun where nearly every
planter was an ardent sportsman, a good rider, and spent nearly half
his time on horseback, pig-sticking was a favourite pastime. Every
factory had at least one bit of likely jungle close by, where a pig
could always be found. When I first went to India we used to take out
our pig-spear over the _zillah_ with us as a matter of course, as we
never knew when we might hit on a boar.

Things are very different now. Cultivation has much increased. Many of
the old jungles have been reclaimed, and I fancy many more pigs are
shot