Part 16

As soon as the huntsman finds a gin uprooted he will let slip his hounds and with cheery encouragement (34) follow along the wake of the wooden clog, with a keen eye to the direction of its march. That for the most part will be plain enough, since stones will be displaced, and the furrow which the clog makes as it trails along will be conspicuous on tilled ground; or if the deer should strike across rough ground, the rocks will show pieces of bark torn from the clog, and the chase will consequently be all the easier. (35)

(34) See vi. 20; "with view-halloo."

(35) Or, "along that track will not be difficult."

Should the deer have been caught by one of its fore-feet it will soon be taken, because in the act of running it will beat and batter its own face and body; if by the hind-leg, the clog comes trailing along and must needs impede the action of every limb. Sometimes, too, as it is whirled along it will come in contact with the forked branches of some tree, and then unless the animal can snap the rope in twain, she is fairly caught; there ends the chase. But even so, if caught in this way or overdone with fatigue, it were well not to come too close the quarry, should it chance to be a stag, or he will lunge out with his antlers and his feet; better therefore let fly your javelins from a distance.

These animals may also be captured without aid of gin or caltrop, by sheer coursing in hot summer time; they get so tired, they will stand still to be shot down. If hard pressed they will plunge into the sea or take to water of any sort in their perplexity, and at times will drop down from sheer want of breath. (36)

(36) "From mere shortness of breath."

To cope with the wild boar the huntsman needs to have a variety of dogs, Indian, Cretan, Locrian, and Laconian, (1) along with a stock of nets, javelins, boar-spears, and foot-traps.

(1) For these breeds see Pollux, v. 37: for the Laconian, Pind. "Fr." 73; Soph. "Aj." 8; cf. Shakesp. "Mids. N. D." iv. 1. 119, 129 foll.

To begin with, the hounds must be no ordinary specimens of the species named, (2) in order to do battle with the beast in question.

(2) Or, "these hounds of the breed named must not be any ordinary specimens"; but what does Xenophon mean by {ek toutou tou genous}?

The nets should be made of the same flaxen cord (3) as those for hares above described. They should be forty-five threaded in three strands, each strand consisting of fifteen threads. The height from the upper rim (4) (i.e. from top to bottom) should be ten meshes, and the depth of the nooses or pockets one elbow-length (say fifteen inches). (5) The ropes running round the net should be half as thick again as the cords of the net; and at the extremities (6) they should be fitted with rings, and should be inserted (in and out) under the nooses, with the end passing out through the rings. Fifteen nets will be sufficient. (7)

(3) i.e. "of Phasian or Cathaginian fine flax."

(4) {tou koruphaiou}.

(5) {pugon}. The distance from the elbow to the first joint of the finger = 20 {daktuloi} = 5 {palaistai} = 1 1/4 ft. + (L. & S.)

(6) {ep akrois}. Cf. {akreleniois}.

(7) Reading {ikanai}, vid. Lenz ad loc. and ii. 4.

The javelins should be of all sorts, (8) having blades of a good breadth and razor-sharpness, and stout shafts.

(8) Al. "of various material." See Pollux, v. 20 ap. Schneid.

The boar-spears should in the first place have blades fifteen inches long, and in the middle of the socket two solid projecting teeth of wrought metal, (9) and shafts of cornel-wood a spear-shaft's thickness.

(9) Wrought of copper (or bronze).

The foot-traps should resemble those used for deer.

These hunts should be conducted not singly, (10) but in parties, since the wild boar can be captured only by the collective energy of several men, and that not easily.

(10) Lit. "There should be a band of huntsmen"; or, "It will take the united energies of several to capture this game." See Hom. "Il." ix. 543, of the Calydonian boar:

{ton d' uios Oineos apekteinen Meleagros, polleon ek polion theretoras andras ageiras kai kunas. ou men gar k' edame pauroisi brotoisin tossos een, pollous de pures epebes' alegeines.}

"But him slew Meleagros the son of Oineus, having gathered together from many cities huntsmen and hounds; for not of few men could the boar be slain, so mighty was he; and many an one brought he to the grievous pyre" (W. Leaf).

I will now explain how each part of the gear is to be used in hunting.

The company being come to some place where a boar is thought to lie, the first step is to bring up the pack, (11) which done, they will loose a single Laconian bitch, and keeping the rest in leash, beat about with this one hound. (12) As soon as she has got on the boar's track, let them follow in order, one after another, close on the tracking hound, who gives the lead to the whole company. (13) Even to the huntsmen themselves many a mark of the creature will be plain, such as his footprints on soft portions of the ground, and in the thick undergrowth of forests broken twigs; and, where there are single trees, the scars made by his tusks. (14) As she follows up the trail the hound will, as a general rule, finally arrive at some well-wooded spot; since, as a general rule, the boar lies ensconced in places of the sort, that are warm in winter and cool in summer.

(11) {kunegesion}, "a hunting establishment, huntsmen and hounds, a pack of hounds," L. & S. cf. Herod. i. 36; Pollux. v. 17. In Aristot. "H. A." viii. 5. 2, of wolves in a pack; v. {monopeirai}. {upagein}--"stealthily?"