The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-07-29

| uC1C 10 tllc range VI II uIOFc, anu you
see by the signs and fresh beds, as well
as by the tracks in the snow, that there
is about twenty hogs in the drove, big
and little. Most on 'en is big fellows,
and will give hard fight. Now, Jim
and Ned, take two dogs and go round
that pint Of hill over thar: Sam, you
and Bob just kinder crawl around over
that ar mob and lay low. The rest on
us will follow on the track, When
see the hogs I'll holler like an owl Then
you answer, hoo! hoo! hoo! same as me,
case see the hogs rootin. Then pitch
IN and head 'em off till the dogs come
up"
The snow gave us a good chance to
see the hogs a good way off, and we had
not proceeded far before we sighted
them few hundred yards away, busily
turning up the leaves in search Of food.
Here we halted behind trees, and Capt.
Jack gave the call in imitation of the
blg-horned owl, which was answered
by the other two parties. This was the
signal for attack. We started in on a
run to SUI prise the game. and soon the.
dogs had brought the hos s to bay. The
rest OF the hunters now arrived with all
the dogs, and the fight commenced, each
one urging his dog to seize hog by the
ear, and, watching his chance, would
jump astrlde of him, and holding on
with one hand, would put his deadly
blows over the head with his club, and
us soon as down, out with his butcher
knife and plunge it up to the hilt in the
hogs throat-then off for another. The
chase and slaughter are thus kept up
Tor a mile or more. or until the dogs
and men are tired out, or all the hogs
killed, when we retrace our steps and
make arrangements for gathering up
our game.
We have seen a stout hog bound off
through the woods with his rider while
the dog was fast to his ear. and carry
both a considerable distance before be-
ing killed. The sport is ludicrous in
the extreme, as we'll as being attended
with considerable danger; and unless
one is familiar with it, he is pretty apt
to get severely hurt by the side wipes of
the hogs long tusks. When we engag-
cd this drove the fight was exciting and
furious. As for ourselves, though not
Il coward, we must confess that we often
PAC!oAiCu w tahc 1cluSc up SdpllDS
and watch the fight than to participate
in it. The day was far advanced when
the sport ended. We all assembled and
built a large fire and proceeded to drag
the slaughtered hogs into camp which
proved a very labolious job. When all
the killed had been brought in, we
counted eleven large, fat porkers. 1t was
now near dark, and We concluded to
camp there for the night, returning to
where we had left our provisions in the
morning. On first discovering the game
and bringing it into camp, we hung up
the hogs to have them ready for trans
portation. We cut out tenderloins and
broiled them on the live Goals, and en-
ioyed hearty supper and breakfast
During the night we were awakened by
q pack Of wolves which had assembled
on neighboring hill to give us grand
serenade. We could not see them, but
should judge from the great noise they
made, there were fifty at least, and had
we not eight or ten stout dogs and a
FARCE fire, they would doubtless have
made an attempt to capture and carry
Oft our game.