MY LAST BOAR HUNT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2879, 25 December 1890, Page 4

MY LAST BOAR HUNT.

A CHRISTMAS TALE FOR EOYS

(Uy an Old Uiwhman)

" Yus boys, you think Mint we have r.o dangerous wild animal* in New Zealand, audio get biir "'line, as it i" called, you must, so to other lands. Bur, the wild hoars often met. with in the trackless bush, are quite biir enouuli game for me, and oeeassionallv furnish the eleuiHnt, of danger in a manner which would satisfy the most adventurous among you. Some experiences I passed through on a Christmas Eve. Bovoutcen years ago, will amply show this.. " I was a sawyer at that timr, cutting timber in the wild maokonsie ranges for eorno G'lVciTiment bridges, there were about a dozen of us in the pirtv altogether, and wo knocked off work for the holidays, a day or two before Christmas. Somo of tho boys made for tho townships to enjoy tho fun ; nnd I am afraid also with the intention of get tins; on the spree, but a few of us decided to stay at tho camp and have » quiet time of it. The day' before Christma* somo one proposed that wo should give the dogs, of which there wore several at the camp a ran through the bush, and perhaps eet a wild fig or too, this was agreed upon, so after an early dinner, two of my mates and I started. Tho under scrub was too dense to permit our currying guns, all wo had was the usual sheath knifo each.

"Wc seemeil to be out of luck that afternoon, and after walking miles through the. bush, without seeing even the track of a pig, we decided to return home, each taking a different route, so as to have a hotter chance of getting something. After my mates had left, 1 rose from the upon which we had been sitting, and after considering for a short time, decided to take the low country for it, and follow the creek down. The weather had been dry, and pigs would most likely be in the neighbourhood of the water. My conjecture proved correct, for no sooner had I got down to the bud of the stream, than my dog, a splendid specimen of a pig dog, active, courageous and well trained, though a mixture of all breeds, gave tongue, and I knew I had struck game at last.

"I had no distance to go, for the pig bailed up at once, and I could tell by the growling that he was a big follow. Scrambling a few yards over logs and through a dense undergrowth, I came across my quarry. In a small hollow, and parity open, so that ho could see all round him, stood an immense boar, about three feet high grayish black in colour. As ho stood there, gaunt and savage, champing his jaws, which were armed with great projecting tasks, and with small wicked eyas flashing defiance, be looked the most formidable customer I had ever come across, and the wisdom of quietly beating a retreat Hashed over me. IE I bad brought my gun I could have shot and perhaps disabled him, but being alone, and with only a sheathknifc and a. dog, it scorned a foolhardy thing to pick a quarrrcl with an adversary who ouco thoroughly roused would fight it out to death. However, I was young and at that time afraid of nothing, so leaning forward, I gently touched the boar with a stick, thus drawing bis attention away from the dog, which was crouched a f«w feet away, ready for a spring. It was snllicient; the dog bad him fast in a second. But it was no use. The boar, with a horrible growl, gave a swing round, and sent the dog Hying overplus back, yards away, but snowed no signs himself of retreating. The dog was ready again for the fray, but I could see the blood dripping from a deep cut in his shoulder. It was evident the boar was an old hand at the game, and had probably killed many dogs. "If I bad possessed any sense I should now have quietly left him, and slipped away. But the sight of the wounded dog roused my blood, and I was determined to give (he boar something in return. I could ace, however, that the dog was no match for him unless I helped. So, holding my sheath knife hctwer.n my teeth, I steathily crept up behind the boar, and with a quick movement grasped him firmly by the tail. It was a risky thing to do, but I knew tbnfc my dog was reliable. Directly I touched the boar he slewed half round on me, but, like a Ihsh, the dog had him again. This time there were two of t:s, but the brute was terribly strong, and swung us round and round like a top, smashing the boughs like straws. I tried again 'and again to get one hand free to use the knife, but it was all I could do to keep my feet. At last I got a chance, once, twice, and drove it into him, but it only seemed to infuriate the boar, and I was beginning to wish myself well out of it, when I experienced a sinking feeling. The earth seemed to give way under us, and with a crushing, crumbling sound the three of us fell through into a largo underground chandler, about eight feet deep, and perhaps twelve fret across. The Utile hollow where the boar had bailed up, I could now see was only a thin roof of earth over what had been perhaps an old watercourse ; and our combined trampling had caused it to ;:ivu way.

" The pig and dog seemed puzzled, hut only lor :i moment ; both were wounded anil savage, and closed on each other in deadly conflict. But tho issue was no longer in doubt, whatever chance the do;; had, through bis greater activity on the open ground, ho had none whatever down in that cramped hole, again and again the boar drove his sharp tti ■<'{•<, into him, cutting great washes in hissidos. f could do nothing to help him, the knife was gone, and the truth was gradually dawing upon me, that I h;r' got into a very awkward fix myself. I could have climbed out of the place, but unfortunately, just at the only point whem I could get up, the hoar and dog- were fighting, and I shuddered at tho idea of facini: the brute.

" There was at the furthest end of the chamber, a booklet of sandstone, about three feet high, and for greater security I olimbcd upon this. Tho battle was soon over, weakened by loss of blood, the unfortunate dog was literally torn to pieces, anp then shaken like a rat in tho jaws of tho angry boar.

" [ will not readily forget the hideous sight the boar now presented as ho turned towards inc. his head literally covered witn blood, foam dropping from bis jaws, and eyes that glared at me with the wickeddess and cunning- of a demon's.

1 " I was no coward by any means, but a faint sickly feeling crept over rue, at the idea of being shut up in. such a trap, with :i horrible monster like this. If I had kept the knife, J would have faced him, but I had nothing that would even scratch him. " I felt thankful for the probelion the boulders -rave 111.', and I soon had evidence of the urgent necessity of nt.'iyin;: upon it. In moving my ilosition, a piece ol the boulder broke oil, and my foot slipped over the side with it. In a jilly the boar was alongside, and diov his tusks into I he soft sandstone, just where my leg had been a second before. I took the hint, and made no more mistak.s of flits kind. " lint now the sunlight was fast fading ; the air rapidly became cold and clammy in that undei'L'ioiuid vault, and i saw no chance whalcvi r of getting out of it. I bitterly ouin-d m'v folly in tackling I be boar -ineh-hmdod.' ,\'o one know v.'leoo I w.-s, and mi:dit never find out, i-'.cent peihap* to liml a few bones picked clean. An instinct lold me that Hie boar would l:i- t. it net longer limn I could, and that directly [ fell oil' my pereh, the cannibal brute would lirst kill and then devour me. It soon grew so dark that i could not see my hand before me, bat I knew' my companion was there all right. At times (luring the night lit! became uneasy, and passed slowly round the chamber. I could not help shuddering when he rubbed against my boulder and moved it slightly. As the night advanced it got very cold, my limba seemed to take cramp in sue-

session. My thoughts involuntarily wandered back over the incidents of former days, tho various Christinas eves I had spent, none so miserable as this, and wondered sadly whether I should ever see another. At times I almost forgot where I was, a dull stupor came over me. Then I would remember all, and tin; thought of the savage brute lying so close to me, would send a shock through me that made every nerve tingle, and I would strain eyes and ears to know exactly where he was. " Towards morning the wind blew gently among the tree tops high overhead, and I fancied that amid the rustling of the leaves, and creaking boughs, I could hear friendly voices telling trie to cheer up, it would end all right, and stupid as it may seem now I felt greatly comforted at the time.

At last the first si-:is of morning came, the birds woke up, and while it was yet dark, they piped and sang, joyfully heralding the approach of another day. I had no idea there were so many varieties of songsters. High above the others the clear notes of the Tui rang out. With the first streak of light mj attention was devoted to my fellow prisoner. I eould hear no sound, not even the occasional flap of cars, and champ of jaws that had during the night reminded ine of his presence. I strained my eyes through the dim light, there he was, sure enough, facing me. As I glared at the boar with a kind of fascination, I heard the hum of a large blowfly as it entered the chamber slowly circling round the vault, once, twice, the fly settled itself upon the grim head confronting me but.—and the thought went through me like an electric shock, the head gave no sign. Could it be possible ? Then another fly entered, going through the same performance as though measuring the length and breadth of the chamber ; it also settled upon the boar's head, this time near his eye, yet no sign. Tho conviction flashed upon me, my enemy was dead. The knife thrusts I had given him he day before had proved mortal, and I was saved.

Men tlon'c faint as a rule, and bushmen are hardy customers, but with the re-action a fit of trembling took possession of me, and for somo timo I was unable lo (ret down from tho boulder. With considerable trouble I clambered out of tho hole, which had so nearly proved a. death trap for mo, and with weak stops retraced my way to tho camp. But all the tasto for pig hunting was gone. I never went out after that miserable Christmas Eve, spent in company with a wild boar seventeen years ago.