CHARLES GUYON. 181 



but "How can we dress them on these islands?" I asked. 

 Henry said, "I'll show you/' and we pulled the scow up 

 high and dry, filled it with water, made a roaring fire and 

 heated a lot of stones which had been brought to the isl- 

 and for the purpose, and boiled the water to scald the 

 pigs. How easy it is to do things if you know how! 

 Fresh pork was cheap in those days, and I have seen 

 where a hog had been killed and only one ham taken 

 and the rest left in the woods, perhaps by some fellow 

 who never paid his $i to "buy into a claim o' hogs." 



Once, while alone going down to the marshes with 

 my rifle to get a duck or two for dinner, for it was the 

 only gun I owned, I went a little way up the side of the 

 bluff to get a view of the overflowed lands, and make a 

 reconnoissance of the flocks of ducks and of such cover 

 as might conceal an approach to them. I sat on a log 

 to view the scene and recover some lost breath. It was 

 early in the afternoon, and the log was so comfortable 

 that I sat some time. Four half-grown foxes were play- 

 ing in the leaves like kittens, and a move would have 

 spoiled the show. Suddenly there was a shot close by 

 and the foxes vanished; a pig squealed, an old hog 

 grunted and a boy screamed. I jumped at the shot and 

 started slowly to see who was shooting, but ran when I 

 heard the boy. There he was on his back, and a big 

 sow chewing his arm. Quicker than I can tell it I shot, 

 and fortunately hit the hog in the eye and she dropped 

 dead. Then I became excited at what might have hap- 

 pened if I had missed the hog or killed the boy. He had 

 fainted, and, having no water, I fanned him until he came 

 to. His arm was badly torn, but no bones were broken, 

 and the doctor soon had him repaired. A hog will 

 charge a man any time if he makes a pig squeal, and then 

 they are dangerous animals. On telling this pig scrape 



