"I now believed that we were safe. Both Frank and I experienced that
happiness which men feel who have been suddenly snatched from the jaws
of death. `The peccaries,' thought we, `will soon disperse and go off
into the woods, now that their enemy has been destroyed.' To our
consternation, however, we soon found that we were mistaken; for,
instead of retiring after they had glutted their vengeance upon the
cougar, they again surrounded the tree, looking fiercely up at us,
tearing the bark as before, and uttering their wild cries. It was
evident they were determined to destroy us if they could. It was a
strange way to thank us for delivering over to them their enemy!
"We were upon the lower branches, and they could see us distinctly. We
might easily have climbed higher, but that would have served no purpose,
as they could not reach us where we were. They could only destroy us by
keeping us in the tree, until we might perish by hunger or thirst; and
from what I had heard of the nature of these animals, I knew that it was
not improbable that they might do this.
"At first I was determined not to fire at them, thinking that after a
while their fury might subside, and they would disperse. Frank and I,
therefore, climbed a little higher; and concealed ourselves, as well as
we could, in the thick tufts of the moss.
"After remaining thus for above two hours, we saw that it was all to no
purpose--for the peccaries, although they had become more quiet, still
formed a dense circle around the tree, and appeared determined to carry
out the siege. Some of them had lain down--intending, no doubt, to take
it as coolly and easily as possible--but not one had as yet left the
spot.
"I grew impatient. I knew that our people would be uneasy about our
long absence. I feared, moreover, that Harry and Cudjo might come in
search of us; and they, being on foot and not able to climb quickly
enough to a tree, might fall victims to these fierce creatures. I
determined, therefore, at length to try what effect a shot or two might
have upon the herd.
"I again descended amongst the lowermost branches, to make sure of my
aim, and commenced firing. Each time I selected an animal, aiming as
nearly as I could for its heart. I fired five times, and at every shot
one of the peccaries was seen to bite the dust; but the rest, instead of
being frightened by the fearful havoc I was making among them, only
trampled over the bodies of their dead companions, grunting more
fiercely than ever, and rushing against the trunk with their hoofed
feet, as though they would climb up it.
"As I returned to load my rifle for the sixth time, I found to my
consternation that I had but one bullet left! This I rammed into the
gun, which I again discharged among the peccaries, and another of them
lay stretched upon the ground. But all to no purpose was this
slaughter--the animals seemed to be quite regardless of death.
"I knew of no other method to drive them away, and I now returned to the
upper branches where I had left my companion, and sat down beside him.
We could do no more than wait with patience--in hopes that the night
might call off our strange besiegers. Although we could hear them below
us, still uttering their wild cries, and scratching against the trunk of
the tree, we now paid them no more attention, but sat quietly upon our
perch, confiding in the hand of Providence to deliver us.
"We had been seated thus but a very short while, when all at once we
became conscious that there was a bitter smoke rising around us. At
first we had taken it for the smoke which had been produced by the
firing of the rifle and which had hung for some time about the tree.
Now we knew it could not be that, for it was growing thicker and
thicker, and we noticed that it had a smell very different from that of
burnt powder. Moreover, it produced a stifling, choking sensation,
causing us to cough, and rub our eyes with the pain. On looking
downward, I was unable to see either the ground or the peccaries; but I
could perceive a thick cloud rising up all around the tree. I could
hear the voices of the fierce brutes, loud as ever; but they appeared to
be scattering outward, and their cry was different to what it had
hitherto been. It now occurred to me that the moss had caught fire from
the wadding of my rifle; and this soon proved to be the fact, for the
smoke all at at once became illuminated with a bright blaze that seemed
to spread almost instantaneously over the surface of the ground. We saw
that it did not fully envelope the tree, but burned on that side where
we had thrown down large quantities of the moss.
"My companion and I scrambled out on the branches to the opposite side--
going as far as we could to avoid the smoke. We feared, all the while,
that the hanging mass, or even the tree itself, might catch fire, and
force us to leap into the midst of our enemies. Fortunately, however,
we had clean stripped those branches that hung directly over the blazing
heap; and as yet the flames did not mount high enough to reach the
others.
"When we had crawled beyond the blinding smoke, we could distinguish the
peccaries, standing in a thick mass at some distance from the tree, and
evidently somewhat terrified by the fire. `Now,' thought I, `we shall
be delivered from them. They will go off far enough to enable us to
escape through the smoke;' and with this intention, I commenced
reconnoitring the ground in the direction in which the thick clouds were
carried by the wind. I concluded that none of the animals had gone in
this direction; and I saw that if we could leap down without being seen,
we might make off through the trees. We were about descending upon a
lower limb to carry out this purpose, when a sound like the distant
yelping of dogs broke upon our ears. It filled us at once with a
terrible foreboding. We knew that it must be our own dogs; and we knew
that Harry or Cudjo, or perhaps both, would be coming close upon their
heels. I knew that the dogs would soon be killed by the herd, and then
poor Harry--he would be at once torn in pieces! This was a fearful
thought, and Frank and I paused a moment, with palpitating hearts, to
listen. Yes, it was the dogs! We could hear them yelping and barking
at intervals, and evidently coming nearer. The next moment we could
plainly distinguish voices, as of people following upon the track of the
dogs. The voices could be no other than those of Harry and Cudjo coming
in search of us. I was irresolute how to act. Should I allow them to
come on, and while the dogs might keep the peccaries engaged for a
moment, shout out and warn them to take to the trees. It then occurred
to me that I might leave Frank where he was, and by making a sudden rush
through the smoke, get nearer to Harry and Cudjo and give them warning
before the peccaries could get up. Fortunately their voices sounded in
the right direction, and I might reach them without being pursued at
all.
"I did not hesitate a moment after forming this resolve; but, handing my
empty rifle to Frank, and drawing my knife, I dropped down among the
smoking heaps of half-burnt moss. I ran off the moment my feet touched
the ground; and, after going a distance of an hundred yards or so, I
came in sight of the dogs, and the next moment of Harry and Cudjo. But
at the same instant, on glancing back, I saw the whole herd of the
peccaries rushing after me with shrill cries. I had barely time to
shout to Harry and Cudjo, and swing myself up to a branch, when the
animals were around me. The others, seeing me climb, and also
perceiving the cause, made to a tree; and the next moment I had the
satisfaction of seeing both of them mount into its branches. The dogs,
on the contrary, ran forward to meet the herd, and give them battle.
This did not last long, for as soon as they had encountered the sharp
teeth of the peccaries they ran howling back to the tree where Harry and
Cudjo had taken shelter. Fortunately for the dogs, poor brutes! there
were some low branches, to which, by the help of Cudjo, they were able
to spring up. Had it not been so, they would soon have suffered the
fate of the cougar; for the peccaries, fiercely enraged in their short
encounter with them, pursued them hotly, and surrounded the tree into
which they had been lucky enough to climb.
"I was now left to myself. From the position I occupied I could not see
Harry, Cudjo, or the mastiffs; but I could see the black herd that was
around them. I could hear all that passed--the howling of the dogs--the
voices of Harry and Cudjo--the vengeful notes of the peccaries, all
ringing together in a wild concert. Then I heard the crack of the
little rifle, and I saw one of the animals tumble over upon the ground.
I heard the shouts of Cudjo, and I could see the blade of his long spear
lunging down a intervals among the dark bodies below. I could see that
it streamed with blood; and that numbers of the animals were falling to
the earth. Again came the crack of Harry's rifle, again the loud
barking of the dogs, and again the shouts of Cudjo, as he stood upon the
lowermost branches, and plied his terrible weapon. And thus for some
minutes raged the battle, until I could see the ground fairly strewed
with black and bleeding forms. Only a few of the peccaries remained
upon their feet; and these at length, becoming alarmed by the fearful
slaughter of their companions, turned away from the tree, and fled into
the thick underwood. It was plain that they were defeated, and would
not again molest us; and, feeling confident of this, we all descended
from our trees, and made our way to the house as quickly as we could--so
as to relieve the anxiety of my wife.
"Although we often afterwards met a few of the peccaries in our hunting
excursions--and had the fortune to capture some of their young--they
never from that time offered to attack us, but always endeavoured to
escape. It is the nature of this animal to fight bravely with an enemy
until conquered, when it will in future always run at his approach. In
fact, there appeared to be but one herd of them in the valley; and as
that had been nearly destroyed, we found them afterwards both scarce and
shy.
"Next day we returned, well armed, for our opossum and her young, which
in our hurry we had quite forgotten. We found, to our mortification,
that the cunning animal had gnawed off her fastenings, and escaped, with
her whole brood."