Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-04-08
grunting peccary and seeks new do
main 70 do his swaggering In.

grunting peccary and seeks new do
main 70 do his staggering In.
"As a rule tho peccary isn't looking
for u dght. He doesn't prey on other
animals, and dozen men may ride
past feeding drove OF them without
their paying any attention unless somo
ono OF the party is so unwise MS TO fire
n shot into the drove. II one peccary
is hurt the whole drove. aud there may
be n hundred or more In 1t. instantly
abandons all other business ms one pee
cary. and never does another thing
until the injury done to one OF its num-
ber Is avenged. II vengeance is possi-
BILE. A man who has thus brought
down upon himself the enmity OF
drove OF peccaries needs be well
mounted II he would escape their fury.
They will follow him at an amazing
pace for miles. and will not relinquish
the chase so long as there is any hope
OF overtaking the object OF their pur-
suit II he Is overtaken and sur
rounded, Il will not be the work OF ton
seconds for the peccaries 10 strew the
plain with inflnitesimal fragments OF
himself and his horse. II man ON
foot should be foolhardy enough to fire
into drove OF peccaries, and one OF
them should give the peculiar snort
that calls for vengeance, 1t is hardly
necessary to say that the smoke OF his
gun would have scarcely cleared away
before he would be separated into bits
so small that one big enough TO make
the proverbial grease spot could not
possibly be found. Experienced plains
mon know this popularity OF the pee
cary, and never give the animal reason
for even the slightest suspicion that
they would disturb its serenity. Like
the mountain lion, the grizzly and the
silvertip. the wise Western hunter or
ranchman has instant business else
where when he comes upon peccaries.
Many mysterious disappearances OF
tenderioot hunters and tourists in
Southern California, New Mexico and
Southern Texas can be explained in no
more plausible way than by the assump-
tion that they had tried their guns on
peccaries.
"But while the peccary Is not as a
rule, aggressive or inclined TO hght
either dumb brute or man. IL invaria-
bly, makes mn exception 10 the rule In
all cases whore the mountain lion or
the bear family 10 concerned. Pee
carries aud lions or peccaries and bears
can't live In the same woods, and 1t 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 chappernl with no particular pur.
nose In view. when / heard n peculiar
snort in n hollow that sank rather alb.
r,n,,v IN N NV RIGHT Jmado NV wav
IN tho eage III the denression. which
xas h,, two or tbree vards AWAY. md
nar,,nr tho hushes locked down. The
hollow was in a large opening in an
amnbitbeo,or NJ timber. Within three
rods NJ mo md nutting forth every
nerve and muscle. the biggest brown
! bear I ever saw was tearing up the
gradual slope toward a tree that stood
near the ton Of tho decljvitv. the near
est and most accessible tree to him.
Behind him, and not two Jumps away,
was a plunging mass of little dumpy
animals. seeming 10 be all fore sboul-
der, head and snout Ihad never seen