A Peccary Hunt on the Nueces 175 



saddle when it had come to bay, turning and 

 going straight at him. Two of the peccaries 

 got off; the remaining one, a rather large boar, 

 was followed by the two dogs, and as soon 

 as I had killed the sow I leaped again on my 

 horse and made after them, guided by the 

 yelping and baying. In less than a quarter of 

 a mile they were on his haunches, and he 

 wheeled and stood under a bush, charging at 

 them when they came near him, and once 

 catching one, inflicting an ugly cut. All the 

 while his teeth kept going like castanets, with 

 a rapid champing sound. I ran up close and 

 killed him by a shot through the backbone 

 where it joined the neck. His tusks were fine. 

 The few minutes' chase on horseback was 

 great fun, and there was a certain excitement 

 in seeing the fierce little creatures come to 

 bay; but the true way to kill these peccaries 

 would be with the spear. They could often 

 be speared on horseback, and where this was 

 impossible, by using dogs to bring them to bay 

 they could readily be killed on foot; though, 

 as they are very active, absolutely fearless, 

 and inflict a most formidable bite, it would 

 usually be safest to have two men go at one 

 together. Peccaries are not difficult beasts 

 to kill, because their short wind and their 



