The St. Johns herald., 1894-11-22
WILD HOGS IN ARIZONA.
Large Droves Of Degenerate De-
 scendants of Tame Porkers.
The Thrilling Experience of an Over-Con. fdent Hunter Who Went Out to Bag a Tender Young Sucker
 A Bad old Boar.

A Bad Old Boar.
 The widest of wild hogs live both above and below Yuma. on the Colo rado river, says the San Francisco Chronicle. While the steamer was ly- ing at Castle Dome landing few days since, loading with ore, fine band of them on the opposite shore canc down to Sile river to feed on the banks, where the grass and weeds were green, and to get drink of water. They paid no attention to the boat or to the Indians et work. After loafng around for awl.ile an old boar came out of the brush, and, on spying us, gave a swish" and away they all went. Hardly day passes that the Indians aud cattlemen do not run upon them. These bands seem to be moro timid than ugly. When the late Thomas Blythe was trying to settle colony at Lerdo, forty-6ve miles below Yuma on the Colorado, he set down large number of very fine full-blooded Berk- shire and Poland-China pigs, and turned them loose on the banks of the river near Lerdo, where they lived on the roots, grass, weeds, jules and mesquite beans; bred, multiplied, kept fat and filled the low and tule lands with large number of fine porkers. Never seeing human being, except now and then lone Indian, they soon became wild, and wilder still, and scattered until the low lands and woods were f,,11 ,f Na%x 4l 1,14 the coyotes slaughtered the little ones in great numbers, they have increased until it is estimated that at the pres ent time there are more that ten thou sand of them roaming up and down the Colorado and Hardie rivers, from their mouths up as high as tide runs, or from sixty-five to seventy miles this side of the gulf.
 They go wherever they please; noth- ing stops them in their course. When the Colorado is at its flood they will cross it from shore to shore, even near the Hardie, where it is four miles wide when at its highest gauge. Their range gives them the finest of feed-wild, sweet potatoes, jules, stray fish, clans, dead turtles and seaweed along the river bank at low tide. They are un- molested, except now and then by hunter who finds his way down the river. Most of the hunters give the wild swine wide berth, except now and then as they happen to spy nice little roaster on the bank and within easy rife shot.
 A few years ago man and his family were living few miles below the col had a pair of very fine, large stag hounds, which the owner claimed could run down and kill any wild hog in that region. One day he took dogs and rifle and went for nice little one, just right for the oven. He had not gone far be- fore he found large band of hogs, and turned his dogs loose on them. No sooner had they started when out of the jules near by jumped an enormous boar, a monster, who, with mouth wide open, paying no attention to the dogs, made for the hunter. The latter drew up his rife and fired, but on came the boar, the dogs nipping him at every jump. The hunter fired a second shot, but on came the beast. The hunter turned and ran for mesquite tree few yards distant, the hog close to his heels. He dropped his gun and jumped for life, grasping limb of the tree just as the hog grabbed his pants and tore one half of them from him, but he was safe, just out of reach. The dogs all this while ran grabbing the hog by the hind legs, to which the beast paid no atten- tion. The mad boar seized the bark of the tree in his great tuslzs and tore it into shreds. Finally he turned upon the dogs, instantly killed one and wounded the other so that it died soon after. He then turned his attention to the tree where sat the hunter. He guarded him until it was dark. Twice did the man get down and try to get his rife, but his foe was on guard and drove him back up the tree. During the night the boar left. Daylight came and so did help. The men had hardly reached the river and got in their boat when down came the old hog after them in vain pursuit.