148 HUNTING THE GRISLY. 



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 im- 

 possible, 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 pugnacity make them 

 come to bay before hounds so quickly. Two 

 or three good dogs can bring to a halt a herd 

 of considerable size. They then all stand in 

 a bunch, or else with their sterns against a 

 bank, chattering their teeth at their antagonists. 

 When angry and at bay, they get their legs 

 close together, their shoulders high, and their 

 bristles all ruffled and look the very incarnation 

 of anger, and they fight with reckless indiffer- 

 ence to the very last. Hunters usually treat 

 them with a certain amount of caution ; but, 

 as a matter of fact, I know of but one case 

 where a man was hurt by them. He had shot 

 at and wounded one, was charged both by it 

 and by its two companions, and started to climb 

 a tree ; but as he drew himself from the ground, 

 one sprang at him and bit him through the 



