Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-11-27
SeIeftsd MistelIany.
THE GYMNAsT AND THE JAGUAR.

MET the gymnast st menagerie which
was stationed in New York one winter
His name was Jorl-I never knew
whether it was his first name or last
name, for | never heard him called any
thing but Jorl.
He was full Of interesting stories,
found, had been in nearly all the countries
of the globe, and had had adyenturers in
Vulnerable. We fell into conversation
about the wild beasts in the cages before
us, and he soon began to tell me one of
his stories.
There was South American tiger in
one of the cages-or jaguar, as it should
be called-and / inquired of its habits.
"They are terrible creature in their
native lairs, sir" said the gymnast. "a
fiercer animal don't go on four legs, prom
ise you. A grown-up one never yet was
caught. That enc there looks quietly
enough, but he is the ugliest beast in the
shsw. He was caught when he was a
baby, and has never been out of cage
since, bnf he's far from tame. He is not
so wild as he might be, III allow, but yet
tame he is not nor never will be.
There is an African lion over yonder,
that looks more terrible, with his great
shaggy name and his big body but if l
had got to be put into the cage of one or
the other Of them, you may be sure I'd go
in with the gentleman from Africa. | amt
very much afraid of him, but the jaguar |
am afraid of-mortal. He'd make nothing
of just chawing my head right off of me
You saw the lon-king go into that
other cage to-day, suppose? Well, you
just keep coming here till you see the lion
king go into that jaguar's cage, and the
result will be that you will come every
day for the next six months-and then
you won't see him do it. He never does
it, sir. He don't dare.
And yet, as l said before, that jaguar
looks quiet enough, and he is no more to
be compared to live one, roaming about
in his native wilds, than fighting cock
is to be compared to an American bald
eagle 4 Jfl5 .4 4l
81 could tell you pretty story about 8
fight once saw between one Of them Pan
anna ,roosters and bald eagle, but not to-
day. But if you don't mind sitting down
here for few minutes, I'll tell you about
the jaguar that chased me once in South
America"
agreed to this proposition, and we sat
down.
"You' must know, in the first place"
said the gymnast, "that the jaguar geaaer-
ally, is like other wild beasts in this
respect-that he don't prey on human
flesh. He preys on animals and fish, and
only fights a man when he is attacked
himself; but then don't he fight! Whew |
He is just the ugliest creature that ever
licked his jaws. m -stf.sa r
"But though this is true of the jaguar
in general, it is not true of some particu.
lar ones, you see. When one of them has
once met man and fought with him, he
is not the same beast for the rest of his
q life-he is more ferocious and blood
thirsty If the man escapes, this is true.
But when he don't escape-when he is
killed, and the jaguar eats him up-ah,
that'sa dreadful misfortune p
The gymnast shuddered.
,s OF course it is always misfortune
for human being to be killed, that is un-
derstood but it is misfortune in this
case, for this reason-that jaguar becomes
from that day hunter of men. He has
tasted human flesh, and found out that
there is no other so sweet. He watches for
men night and day, and woe to the man
that crosses his track
Well, sir, that was my lot exactly. I
crossed the track of a man-eater, whose
fame was terror to the whole country.
The hardest hunters would tremble at the
sound of his name--for he was so ceIe-
brated that he was known far and wide bv
the nickname of 'the murdererp He had
succeeded in catching and eating eleven
men, up to the time l ran across him, and
so you may understand what a monster he
was. He would venture forth nearer to
the edge of the great South American for.
est than any other beast of his tribe; for
you know the jaguar lives very deep in
the woods, as rule
"Well, about that time / am speaking
OF, ! got into trouble in San Blanco, and
was obliged u take to the woods for safety
till my companions could join me.
I" 1t was not without very uncomfort.
able feeling under my wsistcoat, assure
you, that | struck into the woods; for
had no more deadly weapon than my
knife-no gun, no pistol, nothing that
could even attempt to defend myself with
in case of attack.
There were rumors that the murder