Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-04-10
FIERUEST OF BRUTEs|
ODD TRAITS OF THE JAvEL.NA OF
THE NORTHWEST.

OF n Mail Carrier.
The wild hog Of the southwest,
writes H. S. Garfield, is known to ma
turalists as the peccary and to Mexi-
can herders as the "javelina," SO call
ed because the spines upon his back
are like spears or javelins. The AMI
NAL kingdom does not hold q more
cunning. malicious, stealthy and pa
tiently ferocious brute. He is not
pretty, but his appearance Is as good
as his disposition. He has no morals,
no love of home or family, no graft
tude, no self-respect. no liking even
1or ais own kind. He will eat any
thing he can swallow and steal any
thing he can eat. Next to infiicting
useless and causeless injury, he would
rather fight, and, strong In numbers,
he will fight anything from 2-year,
old Mexican bay lost In the chaparral
to puma that has gone week with
out food. Like any other corsair,
however, his name ia linked with one
virtue and a thousand crimes: He
will kill rattlesnakes. He is fond Of
their flesh. Certainly no desire for tho
betterment Of the world leads him to
slay them. He is not in peril in his
eombats with the deadliest monster
od The west. The poisoned fangs are
sent deep into his body, but he goes
away and eats of an herb that no man
has been wise enough to fnd and re-
turns to dine upon his late foeman.
If everything has its use in the grand
scheme Of creation. the use Of the
| javelina is to kill rattlesnakes. He
Is not good for anything else. His
NEST is not edible TO anyone save 3
starving man. His hide Is valueless,
| Like other wild animals, the jave-
Ina has been beaten back by the ad-
vancing waves OF civilization. Tweu-
ty years ago herds OF $50 to 2ao were
not uncommon in southwestern Texas,
To-day the largest band doea not num-
Der more than fifty He will not
stand close contact with the works OF
man. He detests the wire fence ana
Will break 1t down when he fnds it.
He has peculiar enmity to the do
mesdcated dog. Woe betide tie
ranch hound that meets him and hia
comrades in guilt. The javelina Stays
him forthwith and then OF course oats
him. He will root up anything whiok
he finds planted. Being an omni-
yorous feeder, he will destroy newly
dropped calves and lambs. He ia q
terror to children who 1--we in lonely
localities. Ten of him will not hesi.
tate to attack man. Providence has
II Nr1 N A.
I gifted him with power to climb a tree
But for this de1ect there would be no
escaping him. The javelina la quick
to anger. Indeed. he Is In a state OF
chronic irritation.
He objects ON principle to things
as they are. He Is against tho
government. He is four-legged an
archist. hating water and order and
restraint. His home Is any cave In a
mountain side or hole in river bank
That he discovers. II It Be- large
cave. ne Is content. If hole in the
river bank be too small. he win enlarge
1t with good deal of art. He digs
out separate chambers and connects
them with galleries and halls. The
whole Is not unlike the underground
dwellings OF the termites. but much
larger.
Manuel Bermada, who rode the
mail from old Fort Ewell to TwohiR.
was armed. as were all mail carriers
IN that day. with Winchester under
knee and revolver buckled to his
waist He saw q javelina standing in
the road. shot 1t, incauttously dis
mounted to examine 1t, and was sur.
rounded in an instant by Afty OF theua
tnaa smelled the blood and poured out
OF the chaparral. His frightened horse
plunged away. He managed to gain
q huisache tree and climbed II. He
used up all Of the cartridges In hta
revolver and in his belt and slew ten
or the besieging animals. How long
ne remained perched in the tree no
one knows. He must have moved
about in the branches, for rotten
limb broke with him and be fell. When
he was found only some scattered
bones and fragments of clothing re-
NAMED Of him The mail :bags had
fallen from the horse. and they, too.
were ripped to pieces. The incident
attracted no particular attention. Il
was ora Of the many unimportant
tragedies Of the southwest. A nsw
mail carrier was hired. who let tbs
1avelinas alone
Chasing the javelina is a favorits
diversion of the southwestern ranch-
man. He has little to do save watch
the increase Of his hocks and rolf
shuck cigarettes. and welcomes any
thing that promises to break the men
otony. The wild hog is swift and I'M
firing and freeuents only the toughest
and most Inaccessible country. Ho
emits strong scent. which even a
coarsely bred dog follows eaaily. and
is expert at all devices fer throwing
his pursuers Of the track, doubling
frequently, making his way through
underground passages known only to
himself, and even taking to the water
when forced to It. When brought to
bay he Is certain to afford the liveliest
kind of fight to anything less than .