Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-07-12
THE PECCARY.
A FIERCE LITTLE ANIMAL ABSO
LUTELY WITHOUT FEAR.
The Biggest Grizzlies and Other Wild
Animals Give Him II Wide Berth
An Instance of Their
Vindictivc Fury.

u
or sllvcr-tip, staggering along in Often
sivc self-consciousncss OF his super;oritv
come in sight Of one of these little chans
uosing around after his dinner among the
iallen mast. Instantly the swaggcr is
gone The bear suddenly acts us il he
wishes lie wasn't so big. He tries to
draw himself into as contracted u space
us possible, and puts all the speed he can
INTO his enormous legs as he turns his tail
upon the gruntin:e pcccary and seeks !.
new domain TO do his staggering in.
AS rule the peccary isn't lookup for
light. lie doesn't prey on other
ahlmals, and Il dozen men may ride pass
ieediny drove of them without tl,ci,.
paying any attention unless some one OF
the party is so unwise rs to fire Il shot
INTO the drove. IL one peccary is hurt the
whole drove, and there may be n hun
urea or more in 1t, Instantly abandons all
other business as one peccary, and never
docs another thing until the injury done
10 one OF its number is avenged, il
vengeance il possible. \ man who has
thus brought down upon himself the
enmlty of drove of prccarics needs be
we'll mounted ii he would escape their
Jury They will follow him at an :,mazur
pace Tor miles, and will not rclinouish so
'0hg as there is any hope of ovcrtaking
me OBJECT of their pursuit If he is over
mken and surrounded, it will not be the
Work OF ten seconds for the peccarcs to
nrew the plain with infinitesiual frar-
nents Of himself and his horse. Ifaman
on loot should he foolhnrdy enough TO
are INTO drove OF pcccaries, and one of
hem should give the peculiar snort that
1lis for vengeance, it is hardly necessary
% say that the smoke of his run would
lave scarcely cleared away before he
"ouid be separated into bits so small that
me big enough To make the provcfhial
crease spot could not possibly he found.
experienced plainsmcn know this pecu-
Hrity oil the peccary, and never give the
"llihal reason for even the slightest sus-
hc'on that trey wonld disturb It's serenity.
like the mountain lion, the grizzly, and
he siiver-tip, the wise Western hunter
" ranchman has Instant business else
,here when he comes upon pcccaries
nany mysterious disappearance OF tender
"oi hunters and tourists in Southern
california, New Mexico and Southern
teXaS can he explained in in more
plausible way than Ivy the assumption ih:::
hry had tried their gums OH pcccaries.
But while the peccary is NOT, rs Il rule.
aggressive or inclined to FIGHT either
i'lmb brute or man, it invariably makes
II exception to the rilic in all eases where
he mountain lion or bear family is cou-
"rncd. Peccaries and lions or peccarics
nd bears can't live in the same woods.
mi 1t IS always the pcccarcs that remain.
bear secs Grove OF peccaries before
my Oh them see him lie may be able to
hcalie away and make his escape; but if
lie IS discovered by the peccarics there is
ust rs sili'r 10 be one bear less in Il very
hort lime, no matter whether he is
grizzly, siiver-tip, cinnamon, brown. Or
black, rs il is sure that the sun will set
o-nlGht. The pcccarics surround him
II Il second almost, and, although he may
up and pound the life out OF a half dozen
II the implacable little beasts before it is
accomplished, 1t is oniya question OF Il
'ery short time when he is torn his cniirc
ength by the sharp, curved tusks of the
Wild hogs, and he falls among the at
acking horde, disembowcled and with
lis flesh hanging in ragged strips from
ZIP to nozzle. Once down tic hated
lear is instantly torn limb from limb.
His flesh is chopped into fragments and
quickly devoured. Every bone IS
;rnnclled and ground SO fine that IL piece
wo inches long would be Il large one 10
ind after drove of peccarics have dealt
with bears circass, TO such destructive
ength do they invariably carry their
atred OF the bruin family. / was once a
witness to an attack on an immense
California brown bear by drove of per
nps fifty peccarics, and that convinced
he of the futihty Of amy attempt of u
,ear to escape from thcse unrelcntine
title tiends when they once Sc. out TO do
lin up.
ut was one early fall day near the
lorthcrn boundary lire Of Lower Cali
ornia- was taking stroll about in
lie chapperal with no particular purpose
II view, when heard a peculiar snort in
hollow that SINK rather abruptly off to
ny right. mace my way to the edyc of
The depression, which was but two or
'hrec yards away, and parting the bushes
ooked down. The hollow was in a large
Sfst.'s, 80 .t'- VI IlnDGr.
Within three rods OF me, and putting
orth every nerve and muscle, the bioecs;
brown benr ever saw was tearing up the
gradual slope toward tree that stood
lear the top OF the declivity, the neares.
md most accessible tree to him. Behind
Inn, and not two jumps away, was
1lunging mass of little dunpy animals,
@cmisg to be nil fore shoulder, head and
mout. i,ad never seen peccary, but
iidn't need to be told that these animals
caring along in the wake of the bear
we're representatives Of tIiat vindictive
md unforgiving race. Their bristles
tood erect, and they were so many livin.,
pictures OF unrestrained fury. | had been
made familiar with the bitter fcud thar
xisted between the paccary family and
he bruin family, and as soon as / say;
his race between the bear and the wild
) Digs, felt that he had no more chance
IF getting up the trunk OF that tree than
ne had of taking wing and soaring out OF
.he hollow.
~ hated bears myself, but couldn't