The Grit-advocate., 1905-01-27
Among the Peccaries
! Bill Recalls . Hunt In Which he
Took Part.

What do you think of the peccaries7"
! asked Of Bill Ellis on his return from
II ngs'It IN Mexico.
Lots o lies told about EN-, just like
ererythin else in the line of game.
was a-hunting deer mostly, an antelope
an wasn't a-loakn' specially fur pee
carlss. iiut ] saw enough oi EN- 10 n mhu
out they're just like all other game. the
main thing they want is a chance TO
sit out. Tney are about wild as deer
ana so much lower that you can Sc, SCI
en- easy in the cactus and meScal, tili
they've heard or snelt you. or seen you
| perhaps; an when they do. they are gore
pretty near as fast as any deer. ek.
Pect, though. ] might IA got II scrap out
OF EN- II I'd had cnance. but ! was out
OF lack. 1t kind o locked AS II II wasn't
sa,e sac to IN make Ike. one & OF .em saueai unless
l asked.
Well, my ideas just drifted that way.
one day. an another day they kind o
anchored there. The first time d gone
only about 100 yards from my horse
when | saw soInethin' brown movin
among the stalks of the lechuga. Not
hem well up in the business. for want
OF practice. ] shot at IT without waitin
den squeal. like that Of a stack pig. and
then whole string of grunts an snorts.
with the dust a-nyin' from the dry
ground an the clatter of hoofs, as If a
knowcd enough To stoop down. or even
stand still and keep quiet. they'd prob
| huiS Sbl lnipuSH tftlF IacEel an gone OIL
without noticin me. But II few feet
away was a rock about six feet nigh
an broad on the tap, an my legs was
more logical than my nut. SO IN min
ute ! was on top of 1t. But I was In
such hurry that my rife made noise
against the rock. an in a jiry the whole
herd o pigs was at the base.
II had one of the old fashioned Sharps
rifles. pretty well rusted in the chamber.
an ia been too lazy to clean 1t. because
the air was dry there was no danger
ssu IL
40 that | couldn't git 1t in or out. SO
had the fun Of !ookin' down into the Jaws
cross between a razor-bnck an sun
iish. with a firing. OF long hair runntn
ders. red eyes that seem to burn into
your marrow. and white tusks curlin
outside the upper lip with a chilly gleam
months with a heap more expression
| than common wild pig, an when their
JAWS amt morc'n IA foot or 80 from your
toes IL has Il tendency to keep your think
er from g,tin, "nt OF practice -
'Abont III" time had concluded that
the best way was to Keep still and give
| EN- a chance TO go away. Jose. a Mexi-
cin boy mat was hun'in with me. come
laugh at his own funeral. you know, an
! the cuss just laid back on his horse. a
/ Few yards away. an laughed to split.
! Just as ! was ;-giltin' mad because he
didn't shoot, he began to tie his gun fast
under the flap of his saddle an uncoil
his RATA. knew the Mexican kids be,
gin ltsSon' the cat over the side OF thti
| cradle and ride Ike monkeys before they
| git pants ON, bu, how the deuce he ex-
pected To rope that whole gang In that
Kind or ground was d new tanHier fur my
| weary brains.
He shock. out small moose an ridn'
right inio the edge of tn. p.ccarics an
| lennn low IRON the saddle he snapped
one by the hind leg. just as they wheeled
around 10 see what was a-guin' on.
: a Il he. ht.r OF SpI-
! die as quick as liKhtnin. and jose had
| the rope fast an the horse under way,
! ern music. he rest of tn" gang left
! the rock where was an went after that
horse fast enough t" snit me. man
| wouldn't have stood ghost of H show
fur gettn' out Of their way. an they
| come mighty near ovcrhaulin' the horse.
Jose Wasn't goin' fast as he could, but
| Just fast enough to keep EN- follerin'.
But he was a-goin fast enough. an II
YOU think peccary can't run. you don't
want to try to find out with your own
! legs
"-.way he went. over rough rocks an
through cactus an all SORTS of prckly
like. had TO go right past my horse an
make him break loose and join the pro-
Ser SsTs9 his hs saddle ha turned and sa Nm
across the plans. bucked CT the saddle
and skinned fur home. leavin' me to walk
But Jose led the pigs out Of the brush
an along the outer edge until their
tongues was a-hangin' out. Then by a
ysed me to pull my freight fur town be
fore they got rested up. Altogether. it
kind o. looked as Il them pigs. could s.,
"A few days later became more Ger
that that i ! dan't t van, wan any my" wild il s pSrk' '''I
never was stuck on IT. after havin' some
OF my best dogs split open by the hig
wild ,hawgs, of the Sacramento tulr coun-
try IN early day9, Some of the t,S.
hawgs that got loose there made IT live"
y fur anybody that went in, But wh.n
pcccaries can't give 'cm pnts. Tule pork
Will i, 3mrr go 1-gnnn'ng fur you wi'hont
any any rim put DON think pecchries VII
peace an honor as any bear is. Bat Il
they have to face the music 1t looks as !.
they'd 40 to bet on,
"one day l went out with the station
agent of the railroad at the base of the
mountains that swings up out of tn" big
wasn't long before I saw him raise his
rifle an shoot at some dark brow
strcnks goin' through the lechuga. Their
reccaries the time l was out with Jose
MY legs heard 1t first and got down Io
consdcrln' the @ cactus sand and other hH thing
all fun Of stickers like everythin' in that
country when s1t of the corner of my
He had reached "a rock and WAS develop E.
IN pretty lively wiGgle In gittin' on top
OF IT, After he'd dragged his boat up on
top OF II he took aim at somcthin 1t
the base Of it an fired. There had been
the darndcst s1u"ln'. snortin' an grunI
in n-goin' on all this time an now II
was twice as loud when the gun went
Off.
II knowed what 1t was we'll enougN
but thought It would be time enough tu .
Interfere when | was called on. I've us"i
lots OF good Judgment In this line In bear
huntin, an it's a principle that will DO
in lots of other cases. Then, too. had .
sudden curiosity to find good houider
enough TO sleep on if the night shoulI
happcn to be cold. To tell the truth .
wanted to shoot the nit entirely, hut
there was no place for refreshments
near by. so l had to stay an see tNa
play. The best rock in reach was about
half way to my companion. It would be
comfortable to be near him II We Should
have TO spend the night. but suppose til"
cusscd peccaries should me before
got therc. II WAS IftY vards Xn& :