Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-02-24
INDIAN PIG STICKING.

xNO1k4N - ~ NJ AN4A2AvNe
one Mar WHO sAxs r. y THE
FINEST SPORT m THE WORLD.
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A. IN ardent pig sticker I may b for
given for advancing the opinion that Il
3 the finest sport IN the world. BY ''pig
sticking" q course mean pig sticking
- it Is psacticed in India and in north
ern Africa and perhaps in some other
English colonies-viz. riding down the
pig on horseback and dispatching him
with spears.
The Indian wild pig varies naturally
according 70 his home. The biggest I
have ever oeen were in the Vindhya
mountains. where used to shoot them
- food Tor my beeters. Sometimes they
were of vast size. bigger. think, than
even their Gsnges cousins
A recrliarity of the wild pig II the
straightnees Of his tail as compared with
the curlesl appendage Of his domestic
brother. From the top Of his low fore
head to the end of his snout Is almos. .
perfectly straight line. and he has far
longer snout and Jaw than the English
market pig. His skin is n kind Of
blush gray and his bristles gray or
black. though sometimes an almost
brown pig is found. The wild mig will
never live far from water. He is hap
piest in the long grass. often 12 feet high,
that grows along the banks of the big
Indian rivers. and above all rejoices in
LAO" q kind Of evergreen brushwood
that is as common as the grass. He only
eats at night. AID about 10 p. m. he sal
lies forth from cover and will go many
miles TO find the sncculent sugar cane or
other luxury, returning as rule about
an hour before the first streaks of dawn.
Pig sticking begins usually about
Christmas week. when the giant vegeta-
ton OF the rains has died down sufficient
" to get at piggy, and the marshy
ground where i,e lives is firm enough Cor
horses. but it is not till the end of Feb
ruary that really good pig sticking be-
gins. and IL improves as the weather gets
dryer G,.d hotter till the June rains come.
and Zig sticking instantly ceases.
| At about g a. m, after light break.
fast. the sportsmen set out-usually "
''tumtums'-to the meet, having sen:
their spears and horses ON ahead over
night. together with the all important
mess ti!in basket. in which huge block
Of ice and innurnerab,e soda water bot.
ties and bee. bottles figure largely. I,
is rare 70 gather together more than 1:
men. 1t may have been different ir
olden times. but polo is q formidable
rival to pig sticking nowadays. and The
; ordinary British subaltern can rarely af
ford time and money for both. Indeed
from my own experience, l should sd,
the average field was not above FIVE. AND
personally. mach prefer, except ffor,
the social poiu; Of view, very few com
panions.
The officer in command divides til,
party. if large enough. into little sections
of three, and each section separates froi.
the other and keeps together all day
either Mt one end Of the lire or in tn
middle. The coolies are usually abou
80 in number and form line, coverin:
about 200 yards of ground. Each j
armed. or should he, with big stick
and the end men carry flags. which cal
be seen above the long grass and help L
keep the coolies in line. Behind ther
marches on each wing one of the SIN
, knri's satellites, and in the center is Il,
shilSari himself on horseback, and thes
officers. like sergeants, keep the lin
, straight. and c-hort. often in languas
more fo-cible than polite, the apatheti
coolies TO strenuous exertioas. Tn
sportsnen generally ride few yards il
= advance Of the line. unless. FROM the ma
/. trre Of the covert. the pig is likely t
break hack.
A pig lies usually in kind of for1
, like hare and will sometimes let
}. man or horse almost tread on him bs
fore moving, and Icing often covere
with mud or dust is very Difficult: to sc
in the grass and weeds. When. how
ever, he does jump mp. he slips along 9
an incredible speed for the first GO or 4
yards and then settles down to q yer
: fast gallon. Ihave known bears at ono
on being pct Up make straight for IL
iirrt man or horse they see before the
have been wounded or touched. and. q
all know. the tusk Of the Wild boar Gu,
like n raxor. though luckily the woun
;. In usually q healthy, clean cut-very iii
fcrent from q mauling by the fetid claw
Of tiger or leopard or the thrust Of
stag's horn.
Wherever . pig gets mp one Of Il
sections go after II. and there are varios
little rules rs to how the pig should I
attacked and in what order. The mo
, important rule is never to drop yor
spear. still less throw il at the pig, ;
some beginners have been known to d
Spears are weighted with lead at Il
a handle, and when dropped from the har
In the long grass, the sharp end. beir
= u lighter. naturally sticks mp, SO tn
= the next horseman or beaten may
wounded. KNOW Of several horrible q
cidents that have happened in this way
The man who first draws blood &c
a. -. Ia 81