The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-25
HUNTING A HUNTER.
PERILOUs ADVENTURE WITH A
HERD OF INFURIATED Pee
carries.
4 Lively Scramble for Life-Hnir-
breadth Escape From savage
Tuskcrs in "a Tropical FOrest-De-
Iivernce Came None Too soon.


Iiverace Came None Too soon.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
I was lost. This appalling conviction
was forced upon me as soon as I discov
cred that I was travelling in a circle. /
was in a pitiable plight. The sun was hid
den. the trees We're still dripping from a
tropic downpour that had barely ceased.
I was drenched. hungry. bewildered, and in
despair-almost. for never quite give up.
AT last, coming to a cliff. which overhung
a stream and gave some shelter, sat
down to think IL over.
Beneath the cliff there was a cave. dry
and quite deep, which offered a retreat
for the night. II It should chance that /
could not reach home. Placing my gun
far In, out Of the wet sat in the caves
mouth and abandoned myself to gloomy
reflections. 1 was. rudely aroused. how
ever. by a sound quite near me; and look
ing up. I saw the animal which. OF all
four-footed creatures, l dreaded most to
meet at such time and in such place.
IL was beast, short and sturdy in shape
and dark In color-a miniature hog, in
fact. a peccary-I recognized him at a
glance. I know, too, that there were likely
to be others not far away. Meanwhile he
stood staring at me, as n to inquire by
what right I had taken possession OF his
den. lie did not even move when 1 rose
legs apart and shook his vicious looking
head, In a manner that Indicated deter
mination to attack, rather than retreat
single step.
II was then very clear to me that I was
occupying the entrance TO his habitation,
and that he was very anxious for me TO
get out Of the way. He made several feints
and lunges as II TO pass me, and lodged
about so rapidly that for a while l could
get no good aim az Vulnerable spot IN
his tough, hairy hide. But at last as he
halted a moment beneath the cliff, seem
ingly about to charge upon me, i gave
him a load of coarse bird shot back of the
fore shoulder. This, however, was worse
than useless. II did not kill him. but mere
ly Infatuated him. He fell, TO be sure, but
with his snout toward the enemy, and
gave utterance TO such unearthly sounds
that / was much alarmed And with good
reason for either his horrld squeals or
the report OF my gun caused whole herd
OF peccaries to start up-they seemed to
come right out of the ground. They became
perfectly frenzied a sight Of their wound
ed companion: and after rubbing noses
with him a moment or two, and inquiring,
brute fashion, the cause OF his trouble,
they all made dash at me; / now had
both barrels OF my gun loaded with larger
shot. and let the ugly brutes have them,
right and left bowling over two of the
largest. ] then scrambled up the cliff as
far as ! could go.
1t was not very far-not far enough,
In fact, for they came after me, pell-
mel, tumbling over each other IN their
eagerness TO avenge their friend There
was one old "usker," whose white teeth
cleaned wickedly through his parted
lips, and he led the charge, getting 80
near to me that one of my leggins was
ripped up ard q small cash cut In one
leg. well-put kick IN his jaws sent
him tumbling down among the others,
though he was instantly up again ana
at me, the fire fairly flashing from his
eyes, and his lips dripping foam. In the
brief interval, / had drawn myself as
far up as the narrow ledge / was on
would permit; but this was only a few
inches beyond the reach Of the old boar
Hu. Ia Is.arn to a
could only hold on with great difficulty.
AT imminent risk of falling amongst
that grunting, writing mass of stark
mad peccaries, ! got a cartridge out or
my belt Out whether of large or small
shot could not teiD and finally managed
to slip It into my gun. This load sent
"tusker;" and over he went, landing at
the base of the cliff, where he spun round
and round on his back at a lively rate
The cliff above me was very steep, and
my foothold so precarious that / was IN
constant danger OF falling; but projects
ing from a rent in the rocks, not more
than twenty feet away / saw a large
tree overhanging the bed Of the stream.
II only / could but secure refuge in thar
the time; but the trouble was to get there,
without slipping, and falling into THE
midst of that herd of savage pigs beneath
me.
Singing my gun over my shoulder be-
gan the perllous experiment My motions
OF course attracted the attention Of the
nerd anu iNeY all uAHneQ Wildly at the
rock, but the foremost fell short by nearly
a foot, despite his most frantic efforts
My feelings at that moment were inde-
scrlbable; but / shut my eyes to the DOS
sfbility of a fall, and concentrated all my
powers in my finger-tips, clinging to the
wall of rock like a limpet, and worming
my way along inch by inch. My porcine
guards below continued to inform me Of
their presence, grunting their dlsapDrOval
Of my flight. and crashing their teeth in
expectation Of chance to whet them on
my bones. / was keenly aware OF their
every motion. yet dared not look In their
direction, but kept my eyes fixed upOn a
friendly limb which reached out towards
me; and this finally grasped, after what
seemed to me an age Of anxious expecta-
ton.
Safe in the tree at last, 1 seated myself
amongst a spongy mass Of wild-pines and
dripping, broad-leaved plants 1t was not
the pleasantest seat in the world and /
felt, as Crusoe once said that I had
found a dreadful deliVerance," though /
had escaped immediate death. From it's
almost horizontal position, hanging over
the ravine, the tree gave me bur little shell
ter, and l was exposed to the full force Of
the rain which fell at intervals through
out the DAY But mad chosen what SEEM
ed 10 me the lesser of the two evils and
must abide the consequences. The ''evils''
from Wnich mad escaped now counted UP
some 20 in number.
They no longer seemed animated by any
special fury, but they did seem to consid-
there was something particularly dis
couraging in their attitude Of sulien
doBged determination 10 stay right there
till came down, whether II was next day
or next week. No amount Of shooting or
shouting seemed to affect that determine
ton, and So after laying out several of
them with charges OF the largest SHOT /
had. 1 desisted from my attempt to drive
them away; for 1 had not cartridges
enough 10 eXtenminate the whole gang
SO there they sat all day long, grimly
watching. ! pictured TO myself the hor-
rors of the situation, If they should per-
sist in the siege until fatigue or starva-
ton should cause me to succumb; for l
knew that they we're capable Of prolonged
waiting, their nature being so vindictiVe
that they would stay for days In order to
crafty their rage. Even after it became
40 dark that l nnuld NOT disfinnrfish lthei1.