and started off at a gallop down hill towards a stream, the dog still
hanging on. In turning over in his fall, the ear had twisted round, and
Killbuck, never having left his hold, was therefore on his back, in
which position he was dragged at great speed over the rugged ground.
Notwithstanding the difficulty of his position, he would not give up his
hold. In the meantime, Bran kept seizing the other ear, but continually
lost his hold as the ear gave way. Killbuck's weight kept the buck's
head on a level with his knees; and after a run of some hundred yards,
during the whole of which, the dog had been dragged upon his back
without once losing his hold, the elk's pace was reduced to a walk. With
both greyhounds now hanging on his ears, the buck reached the river, and
he and the dogs rolled down the steep bank into the deep water. I came
up just at this moment and killed the elk, but both dogs were
frightfully wounded, and for some time I despaired of their recovery.

This was an extraordinary feat in seizing; but Killbuck was matchless in
this respect, and accordingly of great value, as he was sure to retain
his hold when he once got it. This is an invaluable qualification in a
dog, especially with boars, as any uncertainty in the dog's hold,
renders the advance of the man doubly dangerous. I have frequently seen
hogs free themselves from a dog's hold at the very moment that I have
put the knife into them; this with a large boar is likely to cause an
accident.

I once saw a Veddah who nearly lost his life by one of these animals. He
was hunting 'guanas' (a species of large lizard which is eaten by all
the natives) with several small dogs, and they suddenly found a large
boar, who immediately stood to bay. The Veddah advanced to the attack
with his bow and arrows; but he had no sooner wounded the beast than he
was suddenly charged with great fury. In an instant the boar was into