152 Through the Brazilian Wilderness 



evil, and works out her ends or no ends with utter dis- 

 regard of pain and woe. 



The following morning at sunrise we started again. 

 This time only Colonel Rondon and I went with Bene- 

 detto and Antonio the Indian. We brought along four 

 dogs which it was fondly hoped might chase the cashadas. 

 Two of them disappeared on the track of a tapir and we 

 saw them no more ; one of the others promptly fled when 

 we came across the tracks of our game, and would not 

 even venture after them in our company; the remaining 

 one did not actually run away and occasionally gave 

 tongue, but could not be persuaded to advance unless 

 there was a man ahead of him. However, Colonel Ron- 

 don, Benedetto, and Antonio formed a trio of hunters 

 who could do fairly well without dogs. 



After four hours of riding, Benedetto, who was in 

 the lead, suddenly stopped and pointed downward. We 

 were riding along a grassy intervale between masses of 

 forest, and he had found the fresh track of a herd of big 

 peccaries crossing from left to right. There were appar- 

 ently thirty or forty in the herd. The small peccaries go 

 singly or in small parties, and when chased take refuge 

 in holes or hollow logs, where they show valiant fight; 

 but the big peccaries go in herds of considerable size, and 

 are so truculent that they are reluctant to run, and prefer 

 either to move slowly off chattering their tusks and 

 grunting, or else actually to charge. Where much perse- 

 cuted the survivors gradually grow more willing to run, 

 but their instinct is not to run but to trust to their trucu- 

 lence and their mass-action for safety. They inflict a fear- 

 ful bite and frequently kill dogs. They often charge the 



