The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-04-09
Tough Customers.

The most important rule to be OBJ
served by the rhan who hunts wild
hogs in Southern Colorado is to be
near a tree, otherwise his first hunt
may be his last. A Northern man who
went after these Southwestern hogs
was inclined to laugh at the warnings
of his Yuma Indian guides, but his ex-
perience, as reported in the Washing
ton Post. proves that the animals fair
ly ache to give the hunter all the sport
he wants.
When the hunters came upon
drove, lite, one of the Yuma guides,
told the sportsman to get his rifle
ready and take his stand near thick
spreading tree, with some low-hanging
limbs. He and Paul, the second In
dian, stepped off to the sides, each
standing beside a sapling. Then they
sent the dogs into the underbrush and
awaited developments.
Presently the dogs broke out of the
underbrush and made away as if they
had important business at the other
end of the county. Closely behind the
dogs came big boar, foam dripping
from his great tusks. and covered with
the blood of slaughtered dog. lite
fired. hitting him squarely in the head;
but the boar only grunted with rage
and wheeled.
The guide dropped his gun and
swung up his sapling without delay.
The boar came on full tilt. and struck
the little tree fair with his forehead.
The blow nearly shook the guide off.
After two or three attempts to butt
down the tree the boar began work
about three feet from it's foot, digging
up the ground until he struck root,
then biting it with his razor-like teeth.
The hunter then thought it time to
take a hand. With his rifle over his
shoulder he scrambled up into his tree.
and getting a good sight at the boar,
he fired. but did not bring the animal
down. 1t took seven shots to do that
After the big boar had been disposed
of, lite and the hunter thought of
Paul. He was concealed by interven,
ing underbrush, but they could hear
his rifle popping. Then the rifie-shots
suddenly stopped and they heard only
snarls and grunts. When they got
where they had clear view they saw
an exciting spectacle.
All the drove except the big boar had
broken through the brush near where
Paul was standing. He promptly
Skinned his sapling. and there he
was beseiged. some of the hogs butting
the tree, others vigorously underlnin-
ing it. He had made good use of his
rifle. but he had started out with only
half dozen cartridges. and there We're
more hogs than cartridges If he had
been alone he certainly would have
lost his life. for the hogs would either
have brought down the tree or waited
till hunger and exhaustion had forced
him to loose his grip. Once out of the
| tree. he would have been torn to pieces
in twinkling.
lite and the sportsman climbed two
| trees where they had clear range.
and opened fire. They had plenty of
ammunition and, of course, there could
be but one issue. But not one of the
| hogs-there were nineteen-ran away.
Every one was killed while raging and
foaming and fighting at the foot of
one of the trees In which the men
were perched. When they looked over
their cartridge-belts they found it had
taken fifty bullets TO dispose of the
drove. Yet all three men were ac-
! counted good shots.