The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-23
A FIGHT WITH 4 JAGUAR.

The Savage Beast Attacked BY y Native Boy in
Costa Rica Armed Only with . Machete.
"When Won get AWAY from the towns and
| more thickly settled parts of Central America
into the forest clearinRs you will find that the
native houses are built upon posts well above
the ground. This is in part to protect the
jewellers from dampness in the rainy season and
to keep out reptiles, but the principal reason for
putting the houses upon posts is for the safety
of the residents against tigers, the name by
which jaRuars are generally called in Central
and South America"
James Sharpley, now of New York, was tho
speaker, and he was telling some of his experi-
ences in Central America, whore he had trav-
elled as agent of a rubber-buying firm.
"Those who think lightly of the courage of tho
people in these southern regions might recon-
slider their opinion II they had seen the perform
ance of q boy who acted as attendant, guide, and
porter for me during a three weeks trip among
the rubber gatherers OF Costa Rica- He was OF
aant eood.temnersd vonne rsIIow without :.
son, S"seo, asnee. hs aa-s S ~. 80
an aI1 master al sero Of the Situation N in the trop as lI tor'
est One NIGHT we were stonnino At a iittIe set.
. u y.
the house of the head man, who had assigned me
his ha.t oharhor NJ hov Io.1-Iosa No,
limo was his full name-had swung his hammock
from two posts of the veranda directly in front
of my door. which opened upon the verandA.
l was sitting with my host outside the door at
about 8 o'clock in the evening. 1t was a clear.
e,afle nisn.' ! y .kntinS ny .m no
clearing and the dozen little houses about the
ness of the dense forest that henmed u. in on
cigarettes. his machete hanging from a peg in
Tho nos, bshind him
inc @, posi- Ok. oeni = nm nm Tho. ,..,u,.,,., =, :, 49,,
travels, q big native brute that he set q great
deal bv, like Central American dogs IN General
1t never barked. but would growl or yell or
whine on occasion, and had a value to us as a
watch dog. This dog. seeking. perhaps. the com.
partnership OF its kind, had wandered from the
nous NY most was IN the act OF teilne me
.h"'' "hl' .here uhuehiaoiy "ero IiserS IN
the forest, they never v%entured near Las
called it. From the shadow Of a hut near
the edge of the forest, tho dog came trotting
about sixty yards in width for it to cross. and
Sory ia ~ watching nnt gsathve g, doSS is,, moving . taWr Y
the bright moonlight. against the yellowish
way across the Opening, when from the deep
a creature vastly larger. that we did not see
his feet. Like flash Jose came ont of his ham
mock upon his feet and seized his machete from
the peg. He had wrapped his grass-woven
blanket round his arm and leapodt to the ground round
had started to run, but was overtaken In a jify.
The weight Of the jaguar crushed the dog to the
earth; there was, one yell, shut on half way as
the jaguar's teeth. found its throat; there was a
brief struggle. then the taguar seized tho
d,og midway Of It's back, lifting 1t az
turned back toward the forest just as jose
came up; He was not In time to strike the
jaRuar a blow, but he threw his machete at II,
wounding the beast In It's headquarters. In:
stantly the jaguar turned. dropped the dog. and