, as on other occasions, had suffered his passions to interfere with
his prudence, followed contentedly the chase of the wild boar, which was now
come to an interesting point. It had so happened that a sounder (i.e., in the
language of the period, a boar of only two years old) had crossed the track of
the proper object of the chase, and withdrawn in pursuit of him all the dogs
(except two or three couple of old stanch hounds), and the greater part of the
huntsmen. The King saw, with internal glee, Dunois, as well as others, follow
upon this false scent, and enjoyed in secret the thought of triumphing over that
accomplished knight, in the art of venerie, which was then thought almost as
glorious as war. Louis was well mounted, and followed close on the hounds; so
that, when the original boar turned to bay in a marshy piece of ground, there
was no one near him but the King himself.
    Louis showed all the bravery and expertness of an experienced huntsman; for,
unheeding the danger, he rode up to the tremendous animal, which was defending
itself with fury against the dogs, and struck him with his boar-spear; yet, as
the horse shyed from the boar, the blow was not so effectual as either to kill
or disable him. No effort could prevail on the horse to charge a second time; so
that the King, dismounting, advanced on foot against the furious animal, holding
naked in his hand one of those short, sharp, straight, and pointed swords, which
huntsmen used for such encounters. The boar instantly quitted the dogs to rush
on his human enemy, while the King, taking his station, and posting himself
firmly, presented the sword, with the purpose of aiming it at the boar's throat,
or rather chest, within the collar-bone; in which case, the weight of the beast,
and the impetuosity of its career, would have served to accelerate its own
destruction. But, owing to the wetness of the ground, the King's foot slipped,
just as this delicate and perilous manoeuvre ought to have been accomplished, so
that the point of the sword encountering the cuirass of bristles on the outside
of the creature's shoulder, glanced off without making any impression, and Louis
fell flat on the ground. This was so far fortunate for the Monarch, because the
aminal, owing to the King's fall, missed his blow in his turn, and in passing
only rent with his tusk the King'