Sentence:  The true "<WSD>Pike</WSD>," however, in the Californian sense of the word, is the wandering gypsy-like Southern poor white. ... "I found a <WSD>Pike</WSD> the other day killing and salting hogs, and actually hauling the salt pork off to sell it," said a gentleman in whose company we were discussing these people. / "Certainly that was an industrious <WSD>Pike</WSD>," said I. / "Yes, but confound it, they were "my" hogs," he replied, with natural wrath. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A gypsy, itinerant tramp, or traveller from any ethnic background; a pikey.