, 1876-06-23

other; but before the boy could get up
to him with his knife, the beast rose and
bristled up for battle. As the animal
stood perfectly quiet for a moment,
eyeing the lad, placed a bali in the
very center of his head, which we after
wards found had passed through the
brain, and his career was finished.
As evening drew on We retraced our
steps to the rendezvous, where the
young men had run up a hut of wild
banana leaves, in which we all lodged
for the night, and feasted on wild
pigeons cooked in their own fat by be-
ing wrapped in young banana leaves, a
most delicious repast after a days fa-
tigue. Young cOcOanuts warmed on the
hot stones were a capital substitute for
tea, not to mention anything stronger;
and wild yams and breadfruit were ex-
cellent vegetables. A wood fire in the
center of the hut kept few of the mos
quitoes out, but by no means all; and
we listened to the legends, stories and
riddles of one after another, until we
all fell asleep. In the early dawn two
lads were sent out to shoot wild fowls
that unconsoiously betrayed their roost-
ing places by their frequent growing.
With these for breakfast, We Jared
sumptuously.
As on the previous day, we had our
various encounters with the boars, and
one with an enormous SOW, the mother
of litter of eleven little pigs, all of
which we afterward caught alive. This
was the most furious affair of all, for,
being more savage and quicker in her
movements than the boars, there was no
jumping out of her way; no playing
given an increased impetus to the spring
over her back, if her grip did not sud
denly check it.
l came upon her as she was moving
off, grunting and snorting at her little
ones to keep them together, while the
chief was dispatching a small boar kept
at bay by the dogs. Ny boy Pauha, a
smart, active little fellow of about four
teen, and as quick as thought in his
movements in the brush, caught one of
the little suckers, and before he could
squeeze its mouth to stop its squeaking.
the SOW was after him but Pauha would
not lose his prize. Gripping the pigs
tail between his teeth, he sprang up a
tree, and there held on, grinning more
like monkey than anything else.
Before could bring my rife to bear,
the SOW rushed upon me, and had to
meet her with the butt. At least six or
eight charges did she make before had
even the smallest chance to grip my
tomahawk. The report of the chiefs
gun as he at last finished off his boar,
caused her to look Just a moment in
that direction. and that was my time to
draw my blade. At the next charge
she was too near and too quick to let me
use my rihe-I met her with blow on
the snout from my tomahawk, and we
had regular hand-to-hand fight, if it
may be called so. At last dog rushed
up, set on by one Of my lads, which the
infuriated SOW ripped open with one
turn Of her head; as she did so, my
tomahawk fell deep into the thick part
her neck. The battle was over, and
Atamu's knife put an end to her.
The young men had caught several
smaller pigs alive, by running them
down with the dogs, and knocking
them over with stones. After q second
night in the bush, we returned home
with eighteen or twenty pigs, besides
the eleven Gtters. The pigs killed in
the bush are always cooked there, and
taken down in baskets, which make q
greater show as the hunters pass from
village to village It is not always that
one meets with stout resistance as we
did upon this, my first hunting expedi-
ton; we were fortunate in falling in with
large hogs on that occasion. have
sometimes been out two or three days
in the bush, hunting from morning un
til night, and had no regular encounter
at all. Sometimes, when the boars ac-
companying the herd are small, they
would rather run than fight, and then
the dogs, are certain in time to bring
them down. As they run, one dog gets
hold of an ear. another the other ear.
another nips him on the shoulder,
another seizes hold of the tail, and to-
gether they bring the unfortunate pig to,
the ground quite exhausted.
And the young men, tangled as is the
bush generally, are never far behind
the dogs with their knives; or if they
have no knife handy, they quickly put
a stick across the throat, which two men
press down as hard as they can, and so
choke the pig. A large sow with a
young litter is the most difficult to
catch, and shows the most determined
fight. The skins of the old boars are
frequently an inch thick. The tusks are
much valued when they are long and
well curved, and are worn as neck orna-
ments. In Fiji, boars are kept in sites,
and fed to good old age, on purpose
for their teeth.
HENRY SHAW, proprietor of the cele-
brated gardens at st. Louis which bear
his name, favors the Pyarie Farmer with
1 |. t. 4. ...ool, e.. k.aoo