THE Gazette's columnist Ariel, who flourished a century ago, certainly liked a good fight between animals.

A couple of weeks ago it was the monster rat versus the ferrets. This week, he turned his attention to a dispute that took place in a pigsty behind the Westminster Hotel in West Malvern.

The owner had some time ago put five new pigs into the sty and at first "they were the same size and a contented and happy family".

"As time went one, however, appeared to thrive better than the others. He developed into a fine animal and walked about the sty with an air of importance bred of scorn for his diminutive comrades.

"Like Joseph of old, this pig found disfavour in the eyes of his brethren, and they took counsel together as to the best means to get rid of him.

"At meal times they refused to allow him to partake of the viands, and when they had reduced his strength by means of starvation, they began to create a breach of the peace.

"The small pigs went at the large one hammer and tongs. The struggle aroused intense excitement, but to quote the words of the French marshal who watched the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, "It was magnificent, it was heroic, but it was not war," for the large pig could make no stand against his profligate assailants and was almost mortally wounded in the fight.

"He had to be removed from the sty but even now had not recovered from the severe pounding of his riotous aggressors.

"Those who saw the battle got more thrilling realism in ten minutes than they will get at the Assembly Rooms between now and Christmas."