TREED BY WILD PECCARIES. 157 



such a time and in such a place. It was short and 

 sturdy in shape and dark in color — a miniature hog ; 

 in fact, a peccary — I recognized him at a glance. 

 I knew, too, that there were likely to be other pec- 

 caries not far away. 



Meanwhile he stood staring at me, as if to inquire 

 by what right I had taken possession of his den. He 

 did not even move when I rose and reached in for my 

 gun, but spread his legs apart and shook his vicious- 

 looking head, in a manner that indicated a determina- 

 tion to attack, rather than retreat a single step. It 

 was then quite clear to me that I was occupying the 

 entrance to his habitation, and that he was very 

 anxious for me to get out of the way. 



He made several feints and lunges as if to pass 

 me, and dodged about so rapidly that for a while I 

 could get no good aim at a vulnerable spot in his 

 tough, hairy hide. But at last as he halted a moment 

 beneath the cliff, seemingly about to charge upon me, 

 I gave him a load of coarse bird-shot, back of the 

 fore shoulder. This, however, was worse than useless. 

 It did not kill him, but merely infuriated him. He 

 fell, to be sure, but with his snout toward the enemy, 

 and gave utterance to such unearthly sounds that I 

 was much alarmed. And with good reason ; for 

 either his horrid squeals or the report of my gun 

 caused a whole herd of peccaries to start up — they 

 seemed to come right out of the ground. They be- 

 came perfectly frenzied at the sight of their wounded 

 companion ; and after rubbing noses with him a mo- 

 ment or two, and inquiring, brute fashion, the cause 



