The Hog 99 



The boars fight fiercely among themselves. 

 It is very rare to kill a boar even two years 

 old with tusks unbroken. They seldom kill 

 each other in these fights, but the vanquished 

 has a cheerful habit of running away and 

 venting his anger upon the trunk of a tree. 

 He rears, and gashes the bark of it as high 

 as he can reach. If he strikes a knot, the 

 gashing may cost him a tusk. Woodsmen 

 judge of his size by the height of these gashes. 

 When they find gashes breast-high they know 

 it is time to go wild-hog hunting. A big 

 savage boar can go through or over any 

 fence ever built, and, beside being the worst 

 ravager of growing crops, may kill a flock 

 of lambs, rip up grazing cattle, hamstring a 

 colt or two, and even attack human beings. 



