This incident happened when I was about 6 years old and living in St Mary with my grand-aunt. It was the ideal country life for a child – a nice river, lots of janga (crayfish for the non-Jamaicans), chickens to chase etc and we always bathed in the river. So there I was peacefully minding my own business, trying to catch some janga after I had bathed when I noticed this HORRIBLE SMELL IN THE WATER. Lo and behold the water was also getting very muddy (now remember, I had just bathed). After I ran out of the river (I had to bathe again later of course) I discovered that the hog that belonged to our neighbor Miss Vinny was upstream from me WALLOWING IN THE RIVER. I was furious – but what could I do?
A few days later though I had my own little revenge (somewhat). It rained and the river “come down” (again for the non-Jamaicans – flooded). There being rushed down the river with all the debris was the dratted hog. I was so happy. But it was short-lived as it landed on a rock and stayed there for the duration of the storm. After the river went back to normal levels it simply waddled back into Miss Vinny’s yard. Again, poor me , I could only make note of when it would wallow (it was a creature of habit you see) and made sure that I did not bathe in the river at that time.
