But at that moment a shout made the boar hesitate, and Raymond dashed in
on it at racing speed, driving his spear so deeply into its side that,
as he swept on, the tough bamboo broke like match-wood. The stricken
beast tottered forward a yard or two, then turned and stood undauntedly
at bay, as a _sowar_ rode at it. But before his steel could touch its
hide it shuddered and sank to the ground dead.

The dying horse was lifted off the Maharajah who, with the courage of
his race, had remained calm in the face of the onrushing death. He was
assisted to rise, but was so severely shaken and bruised that at first
he was unable to stand without support. Leaning on the arm of one of his
nobles he held out his hand to Raymond, when the latter rode up, and
thanked him gratefully for his timely aid. Then the exhausted but
gallant prince sat down on the sand to recover himself. But he assured
everyone that he was not hurt and, insisting that the sport should go
on, gave orders for the beat to continue.

Wargrave had chanced to dismount to tighten the girth of Mrs. Norton's
horse, when a fresh boar broke from cover and was instantly pursued by
all the others of the hunt. The subaltern ruefully accepted the lady's
apologies and hurriedly swung himself up into the saddle again to
follow, when his companion cried:

"Look! Look, Mr. Wargrave! There's another. Come, we'll have him all to
ourselves."

And striking her pony with her gold-mounted whip she dashed off at a
gallop after a grey old boar that had craftily kept close in cover and