186 THE WILD HOG. 



nearly all the planters have pens built in the woods to 

 entrap the wild hogs. The old boars, and others that 

 are worthless, are then destroyed, while the porkers 

 are bound and carried away to the plantation, where 

 they are kept and fed upon corn and proper food until 

 they are killed and salted down for future use. 



The hog-pen, a contrivance of the simplest kind, is 

 a square enclosure, of some eight or ten feet wide, the 

 materials of which are large split pieces of timber. 

 The common plantation fence-rails are, however, often 

 used, as these are always eight feet in length. The pen 

 is built some six feet in height, the rails or split trees 

 being laid one upon another at right angles. In one 

 side of the pen is placed a swing-door, which will 

 open only inwards. The pen is baited inside with 

 several ears of Indian corn, a train of grain being laid 

 up to the swing-door. 



A herd of hogs, taking their evening stroll, come 

 upon this train of scattered golden maize-grains, which 

 they follow up in hot haste, shoving one another on 

 one side, each striving to secure the largest share. 

 Presently they come to the pen itself, and through the 

 interstices of the rails and the holes in the swing-door 

 they see the rich prize which only awaits the gathering. 

 They are not shy of the rude pen, for they have often 

 tried to force their way through the fence of some Indian 

 corn-field, and have done their prettiest on more than 

 one occasion to rob some corn-crib : so thev lose no 



