The Sportsman: On Hunting, a Sportsman's Manual, Commonly Called Cynegeticus — John Shaqi
The Sportsman: On Hunting, a Sportsman's Manual, Commonly Called CynegeticusXenophon
Philosophy
The Sportsman: On Hunting, a Sportsman's Manual, Commonly Called Cynegeticus
Xenophon
Classical literature; Sportsmanship -- Early works to 1800
From this extremity there is but one means of escape, and one alone,
for the luckless prisoner. One of his fellow-huntsmen must approach with
boar-spear and provoke the boar, making as though he would let fly at
him; but let fly he must not, for fear of hitting the man under him. The
boar, on seeing this, will leave the fallen man, and in rage and fury
turn to grapple his assailant. The other will seize the instant to
spring to his feet, and not forget to clutch his boar-spear as he
rises to his legs again; since rescue cannot be nobly purchased save
by victory. (31) Let him again bring the weapon to bear in the same
fashion, and make a lunge at a point within the shoulder-blade, where
lies the throat; (32) and planting his body firmly press with all his
force. (33) The boar, by dint of his might and battle rage, will still
push on, and were it not that the teeth of the lance-blade hindered,
(34) would push his way up to the holder of the boar-spear even though
the shaft run right through him. (35)
(31) "Safety can only be won with honour by some master-stroke of
victory."
(32) {sphage}. Aristot. "H. A." i. 14. 2. "Straight at the jugular."
(33) Or, "throwing his whole weight on the thrust, press home with all
his force."
(34) Or, "but for the intervention of the two projecting teeth of the
lance-blade." See the account of the passage of arms between Col.
Pollock and a boar in his "Incidents of Foreign Sport and Travel."
There the man was mounted, but alone.
(35) Lit. "force his heavy bulk along the shaft right up to the holder
of the boar-spear."
Nay, so tremendous is the animal's power, that a property which no one
ever would suspect belongs to him. Lay a few hairs upon the tusk of
a boar just dead, and they will shrivel up instantly, (36) so hot are
they, these tusks. Nay, while the creature is living, under fierce
excitement they will be all aglow; or else how comes it that though he
fail to gore the dogs, yet at the blow the fine hairs of their coats are
singed in flecks and patches? (37)
(36) {euthus}, i.e. "for a few seconds after death."
(37) The belief is still current, I am told, in parts of India.
So much and even greater trouble may be loked for from the wild boar
before capture; I speak of the male animal. If it should be a sow that
falls into the toils, the huntsman should run up and prod her, taking
care not to be pushed off his legs and fall, in which case he cannot
escape being trampled on and bitten. Ergo, he will not voluntarily get
under those feet; but if involuntarily he should come to such a pass,
the same means (38) of helping each the other to get up again will
serve, as in the case of the male animal; and when he has regained his
legs, he must ply the boar-spear vigorously till she too has died the
death.
(38) {dianastaseis}, "the same methods of mutual recovery."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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