They seemed as agile as cats, and occasionally one more ferocious than the others would bound up, until I began to think I should be obliged to leave the limb on which I was sitting.

As soon as we were fairly fixed on our perches, and had time to take a survey of the situation, we opened fire upon them to such good purpose that we killed nine with our revolvers.  This wholesale slaughter seemed only to excite the fury of the others, for they commenced gnawing the trees so fiercely that Jerry became alarmed, and urged me to use all possible dispatch in reloading my pistol.

Fortunately there were only ten of the animals left, and these we finally managed to silence.  After descending from the tree, I found Jerry in anything but an amiable mood, at “the idee of an old hunter like he was, bein’ treed by a lot of hogs;” and, as usual, he declared that “them cussid boys” was to blame, “for boys hadn’t no bizness on the plains, no how.”

By the exercise of considerable caution in approaching the herd, we managed to get quite near without attracting their attention; and I asked Jerry if it wasn’t strange that the boys gave no sign of being aware of our presence.

“Sign!” said Jerry; “how could they give any sign when I couldn’t hear my own shots?  Why, the only way I knowed if thet pistol went off or not was by watchin’ fur the smoke:  the critters kep’ up such a squealin’ that I couldn’t hear you speak a word.  I’ll bet my hoss agin a chaw of terbacker that them boys hain’t heerd a shot we’ve fired, an’ dunno we’re within five miles on ’em.”

Taking advantage of our former experience, we approached as near and as quietly as possible, obtaining position beneath a tree,—­in the branches of which we could place ourselves if necessary,—­and then opened fire upon them with our revolvers, with such good effect, that the remainder of the herd took to their long legs and were soon out of sight.

[Illustration:  Wild Hogs.]

When the last of them disappeared, the boys dropped to the ground; but so cramped were their limbs from their long confinement, that it was some time before they could stand.  While they were getting “the kinks out of their legs,” as Jerry termed it, we counted our game and found twenty-two of the creatures dead, and the ground strewn with portions of flesh, bristles and bones, all bearing evidence of a fearful fray.

As the boys claimed to have killed but one of the creatures, we called upon them for an explanation; and, from their story, it appeared, that, shortly after leaving camp, Ned, who was in advance, had come upon a large flock of turkeys, and discharged one of the barrels of his gun at them without effect.

Soon afterwards they discovered the tracks of the havilinas.  Supposing they were either antelope or deer tracks, they followed them into the grove, where they discovered the herd of hogs, quietly feeding upon the mast with which the ground was thickly strewn.