The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-03-01
CHAPTER VIII.
GRUNTER, THE WHITE PIG.

When the children awolle the next
morning they found that they were as
much puzzled as ever about Aaron. He
had escaped from Mr.. Gossett and the
patrol, and had gone into the woods:
but what then? What did he do there?
How long did he stay? There were
a thousand questions they wanted to
ask. So the next time they saw Aaron,
and each time thereafter, they begged
him to tell them this and tell them
that until, finally, he said he would
take them over to the two-mile place
some fine day and show them the
White Pig.
NOW, on the plantation, the White
Fig was q well-known character. His
history was a short one, but it was
enough. A good many years before
that an old SOW, with thirteen pigs
following her, concluded to 90 travel
ling She refused to come up to be fed
when the other hogs were called. No
body knew the reason. The hog feeder
had beautiful song to call them with,
and strong, melodious voice with
which to sing the song Ia voice that
could be heard from one end of the
pam AdIlOlt W BltG OlliCIs AJub ilOWENEI
long or however loud he might call,
the old SOW with her thirteen pigs kept
close in the swamp.
Day after day the hog feeder called;
day after day he expected them to
come; and day after day they failed
to come. After so long a time he went
to hunt them. The old SOW he found,
but her pigs were missing. Some said
the foxes and wildcats had caught the
young ones. and some said they had
gone wild in the swamp. But when
the negroes planted their watermelon
and goober patches they soon found
ont that not all Of the igs had been
caught.
Then a great effort was made to
catch them. Some were run down and
caught with dogs, and some We're shot;
but one of the most mischevous of all
was never caught. He kept out of the
way Of the guns, and he ripped open
and killed all the dogs that came with
in reach of him. He was feet of foot
and cunning. He never came out of the
canebrake except at night and he was
so white and swift that the negroes
came to be afraid of him. They said
to themselves that pig that could
fool the white people and outrun
pack Of foXhounds must be something |
more thar a common pig.
Consequently, when they were going |
through the fields at dead of night, |
and heard the White Pig crunching |
COOLERS, or chewing sugar cane, or |
smacking his mouth over yam pota- |
to, they said nothing, and slipped away |
as fast as they could, and left him to |
the enjoyment of his feast. This went |
on until the White Pig grew to be |
strong and dangerous. His tusks, or
tushes, as the negroes called them, |
were long and sharp. He could kill as /
many dogs as could be piled upon him. |
When catch dog was sent after him |
he had great trick of running until |
the dog came close enough, and then |
wheeling and ripping the pursuer's |
hide open
1t came to pass that the sport of |
hunting the White Pig grew too dam
gerous to be INDUCED in, so he was
left to roam in the swamps and cane
brakes with no one to modest. 1t hap |
pened, too that as soon as he was left |
alone, the White Pig ceased to modest |
the Watermelons, sugar canes, sweet /
potatoes, COOLERS, and other truck,
which the negroes were allowed to /
raise in order to make themselves a lit
tie pocket money. For a long time
this was the wonder of the plantation,
and yet none of the patches planted
by the negroes were torn up and de-
stroyed. Then, as everybody got used
to this state of things, it ceased to be
and was no longer talked
Of. And some of the negroes even for
got that the White Pig was still at
large, ready and willing to kill and |
cripple the biggest pack of dogs that
could be sent against him.
This, then, was the White Pig that
Aaron said he would have to show the
children. Many and many time they
had been told not to go too far from
the house for fear the White Pig would /
catch them. They had been taught to
regard the White Pig as the Booger- /
Bear of the plantation, and they, as
well as the negroes, stood greatly i'm /