The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-11-06
Harpooning Hogs.

A man who has been engaged IN the
novel sport OF ~harpooning hogs in
Central America tellssthe Cincinnati
Enquirer about it in this way: All the
members of our party were at peace
with themselves and all the world I'M
til the ubiquitous guide made a discov-
cry which turned his yellow face to an
ashen hue aud brought him from the
stream, where he had gone for water,
yelling: "Chanca del monte! Chanca
del monte!!"
A slender-legged hog was troltlng
about fifty PAGES in the frightened
mans g 1t had acouple OF glitter
ing white tusks on either side of it's
jaw, which 1t proceeded to whet on the
roots of a walnut tree in which Rafael
took shelter.
''Climb, climb, senors!" he en-
claimed. as soon as he was safely out
OF reach. "there is a plenty more OF
them coming. Take up much powder
and much shots. or they will keep us
freed until we starve.
But the scnors did not mean to be
freed at all. They recognized in the
animal the hog against which the har-
poons were to be used, and instead of
leaping into the trees they got into the
saddle and unstrapped the spears
which were beside the guns on the
mules back ready for the march.
A patter of little feet in the forest
told that Rafael's plenty of them
were coming, and Davys spurred at
once toward the brute which was still
grunting at the foot OF the walnut
tree.
"Whcn it saw me coming it trotted
oward me. and it took al! the strength
in my left hand to keep my mule
from turning tail and boiting, but !
kept her head well to it. and as the
boar closed. with my blade. caught
him at the base of the skull and
shaved away the skin along his spine
clean to the tail. 1t was awkward
work for 9 green hand, and if the
mule had not SHE'D violently to one
side the rush of the pig would certain
ly have broken his toreleg. The first
taste Of the harpoon seemed to make
the brute furious, and with blood
streaming down his side he came back
to me-, crashing his tusks with a
noise like the rattle of q pair of bones
Mt the minstrels. This time J. missed
him all together, and his sharp teeth
took a couple of square inches of skin
from my mules off foreleg. But at
the third charge l gave him the har-
poon square in the eye. He reared up
on his launches and fell over back
ward. taking the lance out of my hand
in his fall.
'By this time Smith had closed with
the leader Of the drove, which had
broken cover when they heard the
struggle going on, and l saw there was
no time to get out of the saddle and
pick up my spear, so | tore my gun
out of the fastenings which held it 10
the saddle behind me, and put a charge
of buckshot into the throat of n bristly
+ bore which was goring Smiths mule
I in the rear. After thai | had all ]
| could do to take care of myself. The
l little beasts-none of them bigger than
+ an ordinary bulldog-came at me like
$ a whirlwind, and for the next ten min,
t utes I expected to be thrown into the
1 middle of them. The mule was doing
d her level best to unseat me, and all the
Indications pointed to her being
a brought TO the ground with broker
legs. The skin was torn from he,
e shanks in ribbons, and if ] had gon,
d down it would have been all day will
o me.
"Smith 0 saw that the case wa.
too serious to trust to the harpoon
a any longer. and after sticking one
k through the neck he threw the spea
away and joined Inc ut thinning tn
drove out with his rifle. This wa
n much quicker work, and after we hat
D bowled owe SIX and wounded severa
e more the whole party became panic
n stickcn and raced away in the wood
d like SO many deer.
when the coast was clear Rafae
10 came down from his perch. He locke,
at the dead hogs and then al us wit
It an expression OF reverence II his face
II Eel Norte esta diaholo' was all he said
'r .'Fora man who knows how to handl
a lance or a harpoon, pig sticking ma
o be good sport; but for my part,
. would not venture into tho midst of
'e drove of Central American hogs, wit
a harpoon us my only weapon. Tor
e clean title deed to the whole country.