Year: 1872




never moro than twenty-four inches
high, they are, from the sharpness and
length of their tusks, and the rapidity
with which they can cut up and down
with them, really very dangerous lit.
! tie beasts; and from their going in small
bands of from three or four to fifteen or
twenty, sportsmen generally give them
a wide berth and no matter how good
your dogs may be they stand no chance
with them. They seem to fear no dam
ger, count no odds, and are seemingly
always ready for fight. Numberless
stories have been told of their fierceness,
and I am about to relate an adventure
of my own with them, which might
have resulted very unpleasantly for
myself.


Many years ago / was on shooting
expedition up the river Brazos, s,and feel
ing rather aguish one morning, did not
accompany my companions on their
daily excursion. Being better in the af-
| ternoon, took a small rifle and went
into a cane patch to see if could pick
up wild turkey for dinner. Moving on
in silent manner, Il noticed the slender
| cane stems in front of me shake, and
presently saw some small, dark object,
which at once concluded to be wild
turkey. Moving on as quickly, and at
the same time as quietly as L could, I
at last saw enough of the body to fire at,
| and pulled.


Scarce had the report died away be-
fore, in twenty directions, the canes
were shaking, and l heard the snap,
snap noise which wild hogs make. ]
knew it was no time to lOiter there, or
even to wait to reload. So turning
about bOlted for the outskirs of the
cane patch as hard as | could lay foot to
ground, with the whole pack after me
like so many hounds after fox. For
tunately for me, just outside the canes
were some trees, upon reaching which
threw the sling of my rifle over my
head, and went up one quicker, be.
lieve, than ever topman went aloft (;
and even then my pursuers were snap
ping and grunting around the root of
my tree before had time to comforta-
bly, settle myself amongst its branches.
At first was disposed to make light
| of the situation, for did not then know
the tenacity with which these little
mixtures of ill-temper and bristles stick
to their enemies, and fancied that if l
shot one or two of them the rest would
skedaddle but as I wanted to save my
ammunition, l determined to have a
pipe, hoping that they would get tired
of waiting, and by returning to the
banquet of young cane. shoots give me
a chance of descending from my perch
and returning home. So lit my pipe and
then reloaded my rifle. Upon counting
the herd, 1 found that there were six
teen of them; and they really formed
no pleasant picture, as, with the bristles
on their backs standing on end like
"quills upon the fretful porcupine,"
they ratified their ivory tusks like
castanets, and besprinkled their breasts
and shoulders with white frothy foam,
as they ran round and round the tree,
looking up at me with anything but a
friendly expression of countenance.


After waiting for about half an hour,
1 saw that they had no present inten
tion of leaving. So, selecting the largest
of them, put ball through his head
The flash and report, instead of,a hat
fondly hoped, soaring them, merely
seemed toadd fresh fuel to their rage, ,anC
their efforts to scale my fortress became
redoubled. Again loaded and dropped
smother, which had merely the same
effect upon them. l now began to bt
seriously alarmed, for had only foul
more bullets in my pouch; aud ofcOurse


from my position being 50 much above


him, they only represented four NOR


of my enemies, leaving party of tel


still to keep up the blockade. 1t wa


only about three o'clock, and kneV


that my friends would not return t.
, camp until sundown, and even thel
my absence would cause no alarm, a,
f they would conjecture that was hunt
ing; and so the only thing l could d,


was to sit in my tree until the time 70
my friends return drew nigh, and the
, open fire on the brutes again, and trus


to the chance that the report of my rifl
: might bring some of our party to Sc
, what was up.


Hour after hour dragged on, but tn
t day seemed never ending and from tn
cramped quarters / had to occupy, an
the extreme hardness of my seat, IN
: position was, as may be easily imagir
, ed, anything but Il pleasant one. Sur
. ly, l thought, the beggars won't sto
, here all day they must get tired of
before long. But no, there they stucl
t and if ever any set of beasts, or eve
t men, showed indomitable patienc,
0 these peccaries did.


BY sunset l found the hardness of NJ
Q seat becoming uncomfortable, and i shii
Q ed my position TO standing one, b.