Wichita eagle., 1889-03-30
REMARKABLE BRAVERY.
Bold Encounter Between an In
dian and q Jaguar.


To gentleman who spent some of the
best years of his life in Brazil, we are in
debted for the following account of an adj
venture with a jaguar ID one of the dark
and vast forests of that country:
Jaguars are generally about the size of a
large wolf, of brownish yellow, with
black circles and spots along the upper
parts, the skin gradully softening down to
. pale yellow, and approaching to white
about the belly, legs and feet. They steal
upon their prey like the tiger, which, in
6erceness and strength, they much re-
semble They are powerful enough to kill
horse, ali OK, or a mule, and carry off or
drag away the dead body afterward
lone night" says our informant, "as 1
lay encamped In dense forest, on the
bank of one of the tributaries of the ANA
Eon; with my guide and four negro servants
around me- was startled from my slum-
bers by such screeching and yelling as l
pray Heaven l may never hear again! l
jumped up with my ideas all bewlldered
and confused My campfire had pretty
well gone down, but was still light enough
to show me the black, shadowy forms of
my attendants, dancing and bowling around
me like so many fends.
"As soon as could shake my senses to-
gether little, let out my voice to its very
highest pitch, and, in stentorian tones, de-
manded the cause of this nocturnal
tumult.
ga jaguar, masterl jaguar among the
mulesp yelled every voice in reply.
"Well, if there were forty jaguars, in
stead of one, they might have been scared
into fits by this timer returned L; and SO
cease your Internal ceilings, and like rea-
soning human beings, tell me all you know
about iti''
my cool and apparently unexcited man.
ner soon had the effect of calming down the
frightened wretches to common-sense de-
gree; and then l learned there had been a
great commotion among the mules-which
were tied so as to feed without escaping,
within short distance of the ire-and this
disturbance was supposed to proceed from
the presence of the dreaded jaguar in their
midst though no one had seen him, and
none had possessed the courage to venture
thither and ascertain.
al lost no time in seeing that my rife,
pistols and hunting knife were In proper
brder; and then getting my Indian guide,
the least tlmid of the five, armed with his
long lance, bow and arrows, TO keep by my
side, with blazing brand, 1 moved eau
tiously forward to the place where the
mules were tied, the four negroes keeping
close at my heels, crouching and trembling
with terror.
.sOn reaching the frightened animals l
was anv thing but pleased to find that the
suspicious of my servants were correct, and
that a valuable pack-mule was among the
missing. There were broad traces of blood,
,,d ,rida trail into some hushpS showing
where he had been dragged away by his
fierce and powerful assailant. / was so
angry at the daring of the beast and my
loss that ! should have followed on, per-
haps to nv own destruction, had not the In
dian guide taken hold of me, and emphatic
ally declared was mad to think of such a
thing.
Don't you hear the beast growing over
the carcass, masterp he said; and do you
think that now, when he can see so much
better than you, that be will let you APP
proach him and return alive?
"tAnd am to let the audacious scoundrel
escape, and he within reach of as good
rifle ball as ever let out the hearts blood of
his racer was my angry reply, as l halted
and listened to his ravenous snarls and
growls.
"'Let US hunt him tomorrow, master,
when we can do it with so much less risk
returned the Indian. My friend, Cotantin,
a great hunter, lives within a few leagues
of here, and with his dogs and experienced
attendants he will make sure of him.
ga minutes reflection convinced me there
was nothing better to be done, for to attack
the animal now, in the dark, was to give
him all the advantage; and so / smothered
down my anger as well as l could, and
passed a weary night in keeping watch
around the fire, not one of my party ventur-
ing to again close his eyes in sleep.
..At the first blush of day dispatched my
guide in quest of his friend, charging him
to bring him without fail, with all his at
tendants and dogs, and assuring him that
if the animal was finally caught | would pay
q handsome reward.
after it became light went out into the
thicket, and there found a small portion OF
my mules carcass, the remainder having (
been eaten or carried of, or, perhaps, some
thing of both; but l made no further at
tempt to trace the jaguar further, content
ing myself to wait for the hunters and dogs. /
There was small place, called Cozva, dis /
tant some ten or twelve miles. TO which one /
of the blacks knew the way, and sent the
four OF them thither, with all the mules,
save one, which l reserved for my own
riding.
after my servants had gone l was left
alone for several hours, and l amused my
self by secreting myself in thicket and
irving my craftsmanship upon the vultures
that came in quest of the remnant left by
the destroying beast. / was fortunate
to kill six before the guide and
hunters appeared upon the scene-a feat of
which was quite proud.
INV Indian guide returned about noon,
bringing his Indian friend Cotantin, with
three more experienced hunters, and six
dsps muzzled and IN leash Cotantin was
small. wiry man, straight as a needle, with
;et black ewes, and a rather bright, lntelh-
gent countenance He seemed to be In the
very prime of life. and his compact, sinewy
limbs were free from all restraint, has only
costume being a strip of green cloth about
the loins. and a band of feathers around his
head how and sheaf of arrows. long
spear and q knife, were his hunting impie-
ments
HE made no use of firearms, consider
ing them too NOISY. His companions were
armed and dressed like himself, but two OF
them carried each lariat and large
sheepskn with the wool on. What this lat
ter was for, could not imagine then, but
had q chance TO see it used before night
" AS hunters and dogs were all eager for
the sport TO begin, the sagacious brutes
were led 70 the spot where the jaguar had
made his midnight feast and were then set
free OF course the scent was strong, and
with many wild, joyful bark, yelp and
howl, away they went pell-mei, and the
hunters after them, leaving me alone with
Ichuras my faithful guide. IIastened to