The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-06-01

|
Southern California, New Mexico and
Southern Texas can be explained in no
more plausible way than by the assump-
ton that they had tried their guns on
peccaries.
"But while the peccary is not, as a
rule, aggressive or inclined to fight
either dumb brute or man. it invaria-
bly, makes an exception to the rule in
all cases where the mountain lion or
the bear family is concerned. Pee
carries and lions or peccaries and bears
can't live in the same woods, and it is
always the peccaries that remain.
1T was one early fall day near the
northern boundary line of Lower Cali
fornia. was taking a stroll about in
the chapperal with no particular pur-
pose in view, when l heard peculiar
snort in hollow that sank rather alb
ruptly off to my right. made my way
to the edge of the depression, which
was but two or three yards away, and
parting the bushes, looked down. The
hollow was in a large opening in an
amphitheater of timber. Within three
rods of me, and putting forth every
nerve and muscle, the biggest brown
bear l ever saw was tearing up the
gradual slope toward tree that stood
near the top of the declivity, the near
est and most accessible tree to him.
Behind him, and not eyo jumps away,
was II plunging mass of little dumpy
animals, seeming to be all fore Shout
der, head and snout. had never seen
q peccary. but | didn't need to be told
that these animals tearing along in the
wake of the bear were represe natives
of that vindictive and unforgiving race
| Their bristles stood erect, and they
were so many living pictures of unre-
strained fury. Ihad been made familiar
with the bitter feud that existed be-
tween the pcccary family and the bruin
family, and as soon us | saw this race
| between the bear and the wild pigs, |
| felt that he had no more chance of get
ting up the trunk of that tree than he
had of taking wing and soaring out of
| the hollow.
| hated bears myself. but / couldn't
help but feel sorry for that doomed
representative of his race. He reached
the tree, grasped the trunk, and had
put at least four feet between his great
rump and the ground before the drove
of pcccarics swept up to the tree like a
wave. began to think that my fears
for the bear were unfOunded, and that
at least one member of the bruin fam
lily could go on record at last as having
got away from a drove of pursuing
peccarics. But found that [ didn't
know peccaries yet. That mad rush of
hump-backed demons struck the tree,
and seemed to rise upward like surf
that strikes the base Of rock and
throws its broken column of foam spite
fully toward the summit of the obsta-
Gle. l never could toll just how it was
done, but like flash at least half a
| dozen of those merciless beasts were
hanging to the flankss the sides. and
the back of the bear, their tusks sunk
deep in his thick hide. while they
tugged and ierled and threw their
weight against his clutch upon the
tree. The bears progress was not only
stopped, but his powerful grasp upon
the bark was broken, and he fell back
to the ground. Instantly every pair of
tusks that could find a place to rip and
tear on the great body of the bear was
cutting and slashing furiously. The
bear hurled the swarm of pcccarics
right and left with sweep of his enor-
nous paws, disembowcling two, and
throwing them clear to the bottom of
the hill. Another swOop Of his paws
sent others of the drove flying in all
directions, and the bear made another
dash for the tree. Again he was pulled
back, and again he scattered the pee
carries and tried to escape up the
tree.
But all in vain. The third time he
was snatched to the ground, his coat
was red with blood from head to tail,
and his thick hide was torn asunder in
dozen places, showing great red
patches of laccrated flesh. from which
the blood spurted in jets. or like water
dripping from the caves during heavy
storm. The peccaries threw them
selves upon him wherever there was a
Slace to inflict wound, until the bear
was completely hidden by the furious
little beasts. saw the plunging, tear
zig mass rise up four feet from the
ground twice after the bear was pulled
down the last time, showing that bruin
was struggling to cast off the savage
horde. Then the bears struggles were
over. For a minute or two the drove
tore and crunched and tossed about on
the spot where the bear had last been
thrown, and | could hear the swapping
of bones and the sickening sound of the
flesh as it was ripped and chopped to
pieces by the teeth and tusks OF the
peccaries. Then the drove went back
into the hollow, grunting in u contented
way. and paying no attention to the
five of their number that had died in
the combat. But there was not YES
tige left of the immense bear that less
than ten minutes before had doomed up