The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-26
A LTFE SAVING SWINE.

T.hoea of our readers who remember anything of their ancient history VIII call to mind that on one occasion the great city of Rome was saved by the cackling or souawking of geese. Our memory is somewhat filmy on the sub feet, but as we now remember 1t the foe was at the gates, the guards. worn by much vigil. were asleep and the enemies were preparing to rueh the city when a flock of geese set up an un- earthly noise which reused the senti- nels and the city was saved.
 That is one instance of the part played by animals or fowls in human afYairs. and a number of others might be cited Even in our day such things happen at times. and we have seen the statement frequently made that the war now going on between Hondu- ras and Nicaragua was caused by mule. As the story goes. Somebody stole a mule belonging to somebody else and soon the long-eared beast be- came exalted into a great moral prin- ciple for which men are crowding the frontier in eager competition to lay down their lives upon the altar of pa- triotism. We can imagine the frenzed troops of Honduras pressing forward with drawn faces and lifting the stir ring battle cry above the roar of bat tie: 'Remember the muIe! Certain ly this inspiring slogan should rouse the patriotic valor of even a sleepy native of the sun-baked plains of Hon. duras.
 Now this really looks like very small matter to go to war over, but how great a matter little fro kind lethr remarks one of the apostles, and it is true. We remember to have read of a long and bloody war between two Indian tribes in this country which all started because of a quarrel be- tween two boys of opposite tribes who fell out and fought over a bird that one of them had killed. The tribes were on perfectly friendly terms. but each took the side of its own boy and scalps became a drug in the market So also. we remember to have some- where read that an ancient king grew wroth because a prince who was his guest upset a goblet of wine. A great war followed and many thou sands were taken captive and became slaves. After peace had been estab- Iished it was found that it was not the prince who upset the wine, but ser- want. There were mutual explanations and the king had another revel in hon. or of the prince. But this amicable settlenent did not restore the lives that had been sacrificed nor free tho slaves. Honor, however. was satis- fled. All this seems very foolish, but it is human nature, and especially of savage human nature. And 1t is pleasant to turn from such cases as these and sneak of one where an ordinary repre- sentative of the swine family, acted tbe somewhat unusual part of a life saver. Our authority, to quote from The Manchester Union, is the crew of the walsh Bark Annie Lloyd which was lowed into New York harbor few days | ago. The mon assert with one Noice that each and all owes his life to the exertions of a pig. One day last Feb ruary the Annie Lloyd struck Hogstyo reef Of course, the going aground was accidental. but one can scarcely refrain from a query as to whether the name of the reef may not have sue- gested the story. At any rate the story is that the waves broke over the bark and every effort to get line to shore failed until 1t was suggested that the sbin's pig be tried as life-saver. Ao- cording to the story line was tied about the pig and he was thrown everboard. He swam for the shore. ii tbs story can be believed, and was seized by the waiting natives, wno pu1led upon the line until a hawser was drawn ashore and finally the ship wrecked sailors themselves. The crew eventually reached New York with their story of the pig, the pig. by the way, having been given to the natives
 That pig. the sentimentalists vii
 maintain. should have been brought l tn trtunnnh to New York. fed on the