158 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



of his trouble, they all made a dash at me. I now 

 had both barrels of my gun loaded with larger shot, 

 and let the ugly brutes have them, right and left, 

 bowling over two of the largest. I then scrambled 

 up the cliff as far as I could go. 



It was not very far — ^not far enough, in fact — for 

 they came after me, pell-mell, tumbling over each 

 other, in their eagerness to avenge their friend. 

 There was one old "tusker," whose white teeth 

 gleamed wickedly through his parted lips, and he led 

 the charge, getting so near to me that one of my 

 leggings was ripped up and a small gash cut in one 

 leg. A well-put kick in his jaws sent him tumbling 

 down among the others, though he was instantly up 

 again and at me, the fire flashing from his eyes, and 

 his lips dripping foam. 



In the brief interval, I had drawn myself as far 

 up as the narrow ledge I was on would permit ; but 

 this was only a few inches beyond the reach of the 

 old boar, in his desperate lunges, and even there I 

 could only hold on with great difficulty. 



At imminent risk of falling among that grunting, 

 writhing mass of stark-mad peccaries, I got a cartridge 

 out of my belt (but whether of large or small shot I 

 could not tell) and finally managed to slip it into my 

 gun. This load I sent right into the face and eyes of 

 the " tusker," and over he went, landing at the base 

 of the cliff, where he spun round and round on his 

 back at a lively rate. 



The cliff above me was very steep, and my foot- 

 hold so precarious that I was in constant danger of 



