THE LAND AND THE MAN 291 



like sending them to the butcher, because although 

 I think an expert can probably get through the 

 business much more swiftly and humanely than the 

 average man, I am sure a pig would rather die 

 ten swift deaths than be caught and hoisted into a 

 wagon, and taken on a long, strange, jolting journey 

 to a place of dread. 



'' Kill a pig ! Boys Alive ! " said Adam. " Kill a 

 dozen. Kill a hundred. Butcherin's my trade. I 

 learned the knife with a butcher down East. Kill 

 pigs ! Boys Alive ! You have me there, and cattle too. 

 Butcherin' ! That's my job of all the lot. If you 

 want to give me a job to suit me fine and good, just 

 show me the knife, hold him down, and one, two " 



" Be quiet at once," I said, hating him I think 

 more than I had ever hated human being before. 

 His eyes had a ferocious, bloodthirsty look, and his 

 face, with the Friday chin of those who use a razor 

 once a week, looked like the face of one who killed 

 with glee. " See that everything is ready, so that it 

 is got over as quickly and quietly as possible, and 

 come and tell me when it is done." 



All the winter through I had fed those pigs, who 

 were friendly creatures, not very big, and pigs can 

 be so human. I waited in the granary for the wail 

 of the announcement of the end. Two or three 

 unusually feeble editions came at intervals of 

 about ten minutes, and I felt my poor beast was 

 going through the hateful business over and over 

 again. At last I heard my brother call me. 



" Is it over ? " I asked. 



" That bragging, bouncing, cowardly fool," he 

 said, " and after all his yarns about butchering down 

 East ! He can no more kill a pig than I can. He 



