HUNTING PECCARIES IN TEXAS. 393 



the poor dogs like shuttlecocks to tlie right and left, quicker 

 than thought, a troop of grunting Peccaries came rushing in, 

 and charged headlong upon bear, dogs, and all. Such yells, 

 and screams, and roars of pain, and such a medley helter- 

 skelter rout as now occurred, would be difficult to describe. 

 The wounded dogs, with tails between their legs, came 

 skulking towards us. The bear, frantic with pain, rolled 

 his great carcass to and fro, and gaped his red mouth, as 

 he struck blindly about him here and there. The grunting 

 and rushing patter of an addition to the herd coming in 

 behind us, waked us from the sort of stupor this unexpected 

 scene had thrown us into for the instant. " Run, run !" 

 shouted my friend, with a voice half choked with mingled 

 rage and laughter, and such a scurrying on all sides, for 

 the other hunters had just come in, and the cry of "Peccaries ! 

 Peccaries ! run ! run !" and the popping of our guns all round 

 at them, as we urged our horses to escape through the cane, 

 closed this eventful scene, of my first introduction to the 

 Peccaries ! 



