Hogs are very smart animals. They are one of the few wild animals that I believe have the ability to understand the concept of revenge. Back when we caught pigs with dogs, we built a very sturdy 1/2 acre hog pen for dog training. We caught this one boar about 250 lbs and rank as they come. Uncle Bud had aggravated that hog quite a bit before we released him into the pen. That boar despised Bud with a special passion. Other people could walk to the fence and he'd back into a corner and glare at them. If Bud walked up, he'd start violently charging the fence. That hog would have weaved between other men, just to get to Bud. By the time this story took place, I had caught hundreds of hogs, killed many with traditional bows and generally fooled with them for many years. I had been cut, run over and charged by numerous hogs. I can honestly say no hog had ever really scared me. When I first heard Goliath rustle the brush a few feet to my right in the willows, I was concerned, but not really scared. I froze and slowly turned my head. As I peered into the shadows, I could see him lying there on his belly with his legs under him. I was relieved. I thought he was down and dying. A very cold shiver ran down my spine when he rose to his feet, squared himself to me and began popping his teeth. He was just feet away and glaring at me like I owed him some money. For the first time in my life, I was really scared of a hog. If he would have just charged, I don't think it would have been as scary. It was the suspense and having the time to think about the fix I was in. I stood utterly still. There was nowhere to go. We were right on the banks of the river, the water only a few feet across a small strip of sand. But it was shallow and would do me no good. If there were deep water near, I'd have went for it. Hogs need their feet under them to really be dangerous, and deep water works against them. There was a small willow to my left that might get me 4 feet off the ground. That's actually high enough if I could get to it, and my only real option. I had another arrow nocked and my fingers on the string. I did not think about doing this, it was all just instinct and habit. I expected a charge. It did not come. My memory of what I did next is strange, it's almost like someone else was doing it and I was watching. Yes, I was scared, but still all business. I drew and released in one quick motion, the heavy arrow slipped right under his nose and buried in his chest. He came for me immediately.
Topic: Goliath Rising (Read 1620 times)
