Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-07-22
HUNTING The JAGUAR.
A ROYAL SPORT THAT is ENJOYED
IN VENEZUELA.

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Spear to XIII the Fsrocious South
American Tigsr-A PIucky Indians
Exploit.
The July Century has several AZ
hcles devoted to the hunting of big
game. One of them is Hunting the
Jaguar in Venezuela" written by
William Willard Howard. Mr..
Howard describes the method of the
native hunters in killing the jaguars
with short spears, and relates the fol-
lowing experience of his native guide
In a moment great brown-and-
yellow beast, spotted and ringed with
black, strobe leisurely into view,
looking upward at the screaming
birds. 1t was the fierce and cruel
jaguar, the South American tiger,
king of all beasts south of the Isthmus
of Darien, and matched in ferocity
and courage only by the wounded
grizzly bear of North America.
The monstrous creature suddenly
paused, with amassive foot lifted from
the ground. He had seen the hunter
Trife was as one turned to stone, a
sort of bronze image that might have
stood neglected in the wilderness
since the days of the Chibchas, whom
Quesada conquered to found the vice.
regal state of New Granada
The tigers long tail swung slowly
from left to right, and from right to
left again, while over his yellow face
crept look of mild surprise and in
quiry, as though he had asked the
meaning of this strange thing which
had the figure of flesh and blood and
the inscrutable stiffness of inanimate
rock.
1t was splendid courage that this
dumb brute did not turn tail and
bound away. 1 know of no other ami
NAL that would have stood his ground.
Even the grizzly bear, more terrible
to meet than the lion of Africa or the
monarch of the Bengal jungle, would
have growled savagely and retired.
Matchless in his calm courage, the
great jaguar put down his uplifted
paw and advanced few steps, half
crouching, with lowered head and
neck, as cat creeps upon its prey.
Then he paused, swinging his long
tail slowly from side to side. Terife
stood like stone, superior in cour-
age even to this remarkable ruler of
the forest
Slowly, cautiously, the tiger came
on again, hanging his head and neck
low between his shoulders, and never
for an instant taking his greenland
yellow eyes from the strange thing in
the path. He was beautiful creature
wonderfully beautiful in his sinewy
strength and graceful curves.
AS the tiger drew near, step at
time, his tail swung more rapidly, with
a vicious jerk at the end of each swing.
Apparently he was giving way to the
idea that the strange thing in the path
was flesh and blood. Still, he was not
quite certain, and he meant to investi-
gate The Indian bad seemingly petri-
fled where he stood. Not even the
loose folds of his cotton shirt stirred
in the breeze. The birds circled and
wheeled for a few moments, and then
flew away, caring little for the impend-
ing death grapple, now that their own
domestic arrangements were no longer
imperilled. Puzzled, undecided, watch
full, the tiger walked slowly to the
hunter, his green eye searching craft
lily for some undetected sign of life.
When he had come to the end of his
uncertain path the yellow monster
bent his head and shifted suspiciously
at the Indians feet.
Like steel spring the great beast
recoiled. The strange, still thing was
flesh and blood.
A step at time-alert, wary, fierce
he withdrew his massive paws,
measuring the distance with the saw
age instinct of the forest. The Indian
made no sign.
Then the tiger crouched in the path;
his giant muscles quivered in tense
knots, his red tongue curled stifiiy be-
tween his keen fangs, his tail thrashed
viciously, and his spotted skin moved
in bristling waves of anger, as quick
squall races across standing grain.
In an instant all would be over:
lonely tragedy far away in the South
American wilderness-a tragedy for
beast, or a tragedy for man.
The tiger gathered himself for the
spring, his sinewy length all a-tremble;
but just as his punched muscles were
quivering with the first impulse of up
ward motion, the hunter came back to
life. Terife snatched the loose hand
kerchief from his neck, and cast it full
i'll the tigers face. In an ecstasy of
surprise the beast threw up his head
and shoulders, and paved insanely at
the cloth. In the catching of breath
Terife aimed the appraised spear at the
rounded yellow throat, and drove it
home.
Tiger and spear rolled in the dust
together, the blood squirting over the
spear-shaft and staining the narrow
trail. The king of the Cordilleras
was conquered. He died as he had
lived, fierce, cruel, savage, with no
abatement of his splendid courage.