, is earnestly
and conscientiously driving cattle when he ought to give his mind only
to pigs.

All the roaring and swearing that goes ringing through the trees only
serves to convince Shark that he is in the right; and he is only stopped
in his wild career by the fortunate fact that the Saint, who has lagged
far in the rear, steps in the way, cajoles Shark into listening to his
advice, and, with a big stick and a few of the most gorgeous expletives
of which he is eminently the master, persuades the errant hound of his
mistake. Deep and dire are the maledictions heaved at the unhappy Shark,
and in which his companions, Rimu and Toto, Wolf and Katipo, have
unjustly to share. For the row occasioned by the episode has been enough
to scare away all the pigs in the district; or, as a Maori near me
mysteriously phrases it, "Make te tam poaka runny kanui far hihi!"--a
sentence that I put on record, as a specimen of the verbal excesses to
which education may lead the once untutored savage.

However, the most knowing may sometimes be mistaken, and so it luckily
proves in the present instance, for scarcely have we recovered from our
disgust at Shark's misconduct, and resumed our hunting operations, than
again the canine music breaks merrily out, followed by shouts in a dozen
voices of--

"Pig! pig! Lay up there, dogs! Good dogs! Lay up there, Rimu, Rimu,
Toto! At 'em, boys! At 'em! Lay up! Pig! pig!"

And then the hot excitement seizes upon us all, and, as we hear the
unmistakable grunting, squealing, and hough-houghing of pigs, we plunge
madly down to the scene of action. It is no time for considering one's
steps; we go straight for the point where the noise leads us, crashing
against trees, stumbling over logs, regardless of every obstacle. We
pitch headlong into holes hidden by treacherous banks of ferns; we swing
over little precipices by the help of supple-jacks and lianes; we press
through thorny bush-lawyers, heedless of the rags and skin we leave
behind us; we splash through mud and water up to our waists; hot and
breathless, torn and bleeding, bruised and muddy, we come tumbling,
crashing, plunging, bounding down the sides of the gully, mad with the
fierce excitement of the moment.

A number of pigs are rushing wildly about among the flax and fern-trees,
not knowing which way to escape. The dogs are at them gallantly, seizing
them by the ears, laying up against them flank to flank, and holding on
like grim death. T