276 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNIA 



be applied to. The following description, which 

 appeared in an Eastern publication, gives the attempt 

 of an Englishman to try East Indian pig-sticking at 

 Santa Cruz: 



"A party of hunters in search of otter and Indian relics 

 landed at Santa Rosa some years ago and made camp on the 

 beach. The guide, one Manuel Sarto, in turning the cakes 

 one evening, stopped to listen. 



'"What do you hear?' asked a member of the party. 



*"Ough,' whispered the man, 'wild boars!' 



'"Wild boars?' exclaimed the other. 'Why didn't you say 

 so before? We will hunt them ; it 's the finest sport in the world ! ' 



"'Sport?' rejoined the Mexican. 'Is cUmbing trees sport? 

 That's what I do when I meet a wild boar.' 



" 'The sport of kings,' replied the hunter, who was an English- 

 man. 'I have n't seen a pig-sticking since I was in India. We 

 will try it, Manuel; not you, but we, eh?' 



'"Si, senor,' answered the Mexican, 'not I, but you. But 

 I go if we get horses. These boars hunted the sheep when I 

 was a boy, and my father was a shearer here.' 

 ' "It appeared that the herders who kept sheep on the island 

 at this time had horses at the corral of the httle ranch house, 

 and were glad to have the hogs killed off. Three were secured 

 and that afternoon the party, mounted on big Mexican sad- 

 dles and armed with rifles, rode up the trail leading into the 

 interior of the island. They reached a high ridge, then pitched 

 down into a canon filled with wild Ulac, masses of the island 

 greasewood, and cactus. There was a well-worn trail, doubt- 

 less used by the Indians long ago, and as it gradually pitched 

 down the canon grew deeper, the mountains seemed to shut in. 

 Now and then flocks of valley quail flew up; the wild dove's 

 voice rose on the air with its mournful who-who-o-o, and far 

 away, coming up the canon with rhythmic measure, was the 

 sound of seas breaking on the west coast. 



" Suddenly the canon widened out and a Httle valley appeared, 

 with cactus patches rich in green and briUiant yellow blossoms. 

 The hunters had almost forgotten the object of their quest 



