Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1891-08-07
freed by Peccarles.

full-srown weigh about fifty pounds.
aud look very much like deformed
pig. They are very sagacious, and as
mean as il is possible for one OF the
hog family TO be. An old-time hunter
remarked that they were made o,
brStles and cussednesS. and all hun
ters who meet them are willing TO
adopt his description Of their com
position. They are found in bunches
OF from twenty 10 one hundred, and
If anyone has ever seen a peccary run
out OF danger il has not been report
ed
In the Northern States OF Mexico
there are many OF them, and aS they
live mainly on flesh il is interesting
10 the naturalist 10 watch their hunt
ins, though it pays best 10 do 80 az a
safe distance They make "A kind OF
grunt when they sre angry, and a
they are usually dissatisfied about
something, they are usually gruntiug
and swapping their over grown tuSks.
They Kill antelopes aud often attack
and succeed in bringing down the
wild asses, which run in large mum
bers as far South ns Durango \
hundred or more OF them will get to
/ gether and feed among the animals
/ they wish 10 Kill, and when they get
oue completely surrounded one OF
/ their number utters their gruut
/ which signifies fight, and makes IA
. dash for the intended victim, cutting
/ at its legs with the long. curling
I tusks II the attacked animal j. n
burro, the pig that makes the assault
/ is very apt 10 become victim OF the
+ circumstances which usually attend
/ the meddling with the wrong end Of
"A mule. But no matter II IL IL kicked
+ over, there are plenty more, aud tho
game il started, aud IL Is very seldom
F the case that the burro or antelope
gets outside the circle without having
/ his hamstrings cut 10y the quick
strokes Of the animals tusks. When
the tendons in the leg are cut the an
imal i helpless, and they devour It at
leisure. They sometimes attack the
cougar, and though many OF them get
killed in an encounter like this, they
usually get their game.
\ gentleman relates his FIRST expert
N ..,L . H.. tl,t. k.Ft. sNl'NA
summers ago was with "A corps Of
engineers in Durango. We had all
/ kinds 81 game for the mere shooting,
aud though we were furnished In
army style, we drew hut very little on
| our hard tack and lima beans, until
we got far into the interior, and the
/ Indians became so familiar that IL
| was not safe to stray out Of camp.
/ After n few days Of this kind of fare
we got tired Of il, and one OF the Mex
/ leans told us that he had discovered
/ the spoor OF herd OF these hogs.
/ The MeXicans consider them IA greRt
| delicacy aud this one was not hard To
/ persuade TO act Rs our guide. We
/ followed them two or three hours,
| but they went into n waste country
| and we lost the trnil and had To go
back TO camp without meat We usn-
! ally hobbled our horses at night, un-
/ less there were Indians Ia the vicinity
! and let them run at will and pick up
/ such vegetation as they could find
| Before daylight In the morning one
| OF the company would hunt them
1 and drive them 90 camp. On this
particular morning il fell 10 my lot to
/ hunt the horses. | followed the trail
| for perhaps "A mile through the valley
we were camped In, and around "A
I point Of hills, where | found them.
/ They started TO camp without allow
ing me TO catch one. as We usually
did. for the purpose Of riding. !
strOled back toward camp as the day
was breaking, and had gone oDlya
/ little distance when ] heard one of
these peccaries popping his tusks like
negro with the hgue.
Il had never seen one, but ! knew
about what 1t was, and went to hunt
him. didn't have far TO go and when
found him he came at me like n
Spanish man-of-war under full sail.
| shot him with my pistol and went
10 pick him mp when one ran by me,
and brushing my leg with his tusk.
cut a hole IN my boot about two
inches long. ] shot him but they
kept coming ont Of the chsparral aud
before got my pistol emptied there
were fully fifty ia sight and my boot
legs were hardly ft for shoestHDgs
thought In an instant about what
had heard Of them and ] made "A dash
for a point o. rocks and climbed out
"a high "a could get and waited for
them 10 go away. But they came
there TO stay, and when they all con
gregated around the rocks there were
fully 100 Keeping up the continued
popping Of their teeth like the break
ing OF thousands OF dry twigs. When
the sun came up things got hot, but
there was no way 10 get out Of 1t till
my companions came to my assist
ance. had quite an extensive pistol
practice till my cartridges gave out,
but about 10 o'clock the balance Of
the company heard my shooting, and
thinking ] was treed by Indians they
came IN full force. It took about
thirty minutes for them 10 Kill the
hogs out. and when they did the sun
had bIistered my back and shoulders.
so that for a week the skin was peel
ing of 10 fakes as big as ones hand.