132 SPOKT IN NOKTH AMERICA. 



punch, told them a stoiy about peccaries, which I take 

 the liberty of reproducing here, word for word : — 



" One evening (said the Texan), I was a shootin' 

 with a friend in Trinity Swamp. You know that 

 we planters are very fond of sport, and my friend 

 and self spent every day with our guns in our 

 hands. One morning, happening near a wood, I 

 met a herd of peccaries. I had no notion then of 

 the vengeful nature of these darned wild pigs, so I 

 fired at two of 'em, and killed 'em. In a minnit, the 

 hull herd was on me, cuttin' at me with their sharp 

 tusks. I defended myself as well as I cud with 

 the butt end of my rifle, but as soon as one was 

 knocked over another kem up to take his place. 

 I soon got tired o' this, and med my way to a tree 

 close by, and climbin' on a branch, I managed to 

 climb up to a fork about six yards above the sile, 

 I must confess, I didn't like my position. One, 

 two, three hours passed, but no help kem. Tlie 

 pigs, as mad as cud be, surrounded the tree on 

 which I was perched, and did not show the slightest 

 inclination to skedaddle. All on a sudden, the 

 notion came into my 'ed that p'raps my friend was 

 looking out for me, and that if I fired off my rifle 

 he would cum up to my assistance. Then it struck 

 me that it was no use burnin' powder for nothin', 

 and that I might just as well kill one of the darned 

 pigs as not. So I rolled one over straight off. 

 When I'd done this, it struck me that, as I'd got 



