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He couldn’t duck aside and let it go past; Jem was still close behind hi hiers slipped and slid, unable to get a fir off the hard rolls of tight-packed flesh Christ, it was like wrestling an ani warm and wet on his hand and jerked it back; had it slashed hi jaws--ash too deep to feel No tiot his fingers round a hairy leg, and pulled hard

The pig fell sideith a squeal of surprise, throwing hiround on hands and one knee, and his knee struck stone A bolt of pain shot froroin, and he curled up involuntarily, mo itself with a grunt and a rattle of bristles, but facing away from him Dust rose froht against its ruut to gullet, and starabbed for a rock, but it burst in his hand, nothing but a clod of dirt

The gasp and thud of a running man came from his left, and he heard a breathless shout

"Tulach Ard! Tulach Ard!"

The boar heard Ja round to e

Jalea at the boar, then danced aside as it charged A knife Fight that thing with a knife?

You are out of your fking ht quite clearly

"No, I’er realized that he must have spoken aloud Jamie crouched, balanced on the balls of his feet, and reached his free hand toward Roger, his eyes still fastened on the pig, which had paused, kneading the ground with its hooves and clashing its teeth, swinging its head back and forth between the twourgently "Stick, spear--gie it tostill wouldn’t work, but he could ed shaft of wood, and fell back on his haunches, bracing it before him like a boar-spear, sharp end pointed toward the foe

"Tulach Ard!" he bellowed "Come here, you fat fker!"

Distracted for an instant, the boar swung toward hi between the shoulder blades There was a piercing squeal and the boar wheeled, blood flying froash in its shoulder Ja, fell, and skidded hard across thehand

Lunging forward, Roger jabbed his makeshift spear as hard as he could just below the boar’s tail The aniht into the air The spear jerked through his hands, rough bark ripping skin off his paled to keep hold of it as the boar crashed onto its side in a blur of writhing fury, gnashing, roaring, and spraying blood and black mud in all directions

Jaot hold of another fence-pole, hich he took aits head with a crack like a well-hit baseball just as the anirunt and sat down

A shrill cry frorandfather’s dirk held over his head with both hands and wobbling precariously, was staggering toward the boar, his face beet-red with ferocious intent

"Jerunted loudly behind hier had no attention to spare; he lunged toward his son, but caught a flicker of lance up A streak of gray, low to the ground andso fast that he had no h

"Wolves!" he shouted to Jas was patently unfair, reached Jerabbed the knife, and threw hiround, feeling Jeely calht, Jeot you" His forehead was pressed against the earth, Jem’s head tucked in the hollow of his shoulder He had one arripped in his other hand He hunched his shoulders, feeling the back of his neck bare and vulnerable, but couldn’tand yipping to its co, continuous screa, see it names in brief, incoherent bursts of Gaelic

There was an odd whirr overhead and a peculiar, hollow-sounding thuer raised his head a few inches, and saw the pig standing a few feet before hi open in what looked like sheer astonish behind it, smeared fro an identical expression

Then the boar’s front legs gave way and it fell to its knees It wobbled, eyes glazing, and collapsed onto its side, the shaft of an arrow poking up, looking frail and inconsequential by co and crying underneath hiathered the little boy up into his ar, but he felt curiously blank The torn skin on his pal Jemmy’s back in automatic comfort, he turned his head toward the wood and saw the Indian standing at the edge of the trees, bow in hand