The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-03
JAGUAR HUNTING.
A ROYAL SPORT THAT is ENJOYED IN
VENEZUELA.

The Natives Use Only Short stabbing
Spear To XIII the ferocious South Amer
lean Tigcr-A Plucky Indians Exploit.
Courage Against Courage.
Hunting the .Iaguar In Venezuela"
written by William Willard Howard for
Century, 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 moment great brown and yell
low beast, spotted and ringed with
black, strobe leisurely into view, look
| ing 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 massive foot lifted from
the ground He had seen the hunter
Terife was as one turned TO stone,
sort of bronze image that might have
stood neglected in the wilderness since
the days of the Chibchas whom Quesada
conquered to found the viceregal 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 inquiry, 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 | know of no other animal 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 uplltted paw
and advanced few steps, half crouch
ing, with lowered head and neck, as a
cat creeps upon its prey. Then he
paused, swinging his long tail slowly
from side to side. Terife stood like q
stone, superior in courage 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 green and yellow
eyes from the strange thing i'll the path
He was a beautiful creature-wonder
fully beautiful in his sinewy strength
and graceful curves. 5o.,a.
As the tiger drew near, a step at
time, his tail swung more rapidly, Will
a vicious jerk at the end of each swing
Apparently he was giving way to thu
idea that the strange thing in the patti
was flesh and blood. Still he was5no
quite certain, and he meant TO investi
: gate. The Indian had seemingly petri
: fed where he stood. Not even the .loos
folds of his cotton shirt stirred i'll tn
5 breeze. The birds circled and wheele
for few moments and then flew away
D caring little for the impending deaf
/ grapple, now that their own domesti
arrangements were no longer imperlled
u Puzzled undecided, watchful. the tige
. walked slowly to the hunter, his gree
: eve searching craftily for some unde
: tected sign of life. When he had com
10 to tine end of his uncertain path, the yel
IL low monster bent his head and sniffe'
u suspiciously at the Indians feet
Like steel spring, the great beas
recoiled The strange, still thing wa
flesh and blood.
% A step at time-alert, wary, fierc
II he withdrew his massive paws, meas
:, uring the distance with the savage IL
q stinct of the forest. The Indian mad
no sign.
l. Then the tiger crouched in the path
l. his giant muscles quivered IN tiers
knots, his red tongue curled stitfiy bt
is tween his keen fangs, his tail thrashe
viciously, and his spotted skin moved
n bristline waves of anger as quic
20 suuall races across standing grain.
rs In AN instant all would be over
l. lonely tragedy far away in the Sout
v American wilderness, tragedy Il
?, beast or a tragedy for man.
v The tiger gathered himself for tf
n spring, his sinewy length all a-trembl
os but Just as his punched muscles wei
Q. uuivering with the first impulse OF nj
le ward motion the hunter came back
n life. Terife snatched the loose handkc
" chief from his neck and cast it full
- the tigers face. In an ecstasy of su
as prise the beast threw up his head an
SO shoulders and paved insanely at Il
ly cloth. In the catching of breath L
s. rife aimed the appraised spear at Il
s. rounded yellow throat and drove
" home.
IN Tiger and spear rolled in the dust t
d. gether, the blood squirting over Il
- spear shaft and staining the mario
trail. The king of the cordilleras WI
conquered. He died as he had live
fierce, cruel, savage, with no abateme
be of his splendid courage.
& TIL