Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-08
JAGUARS AND THEIR WAYS.


New YORK sum-
I'm the feline tribe the Jaguar ranks
in size next to the lion and Bengal
tiger, and for ferocity he is not ex-
ceeded by any animal that walks,
said Edgar Maystrom. whose business
for years took him into the forests anu
upon the pampas of Venezuela. his
range of habitation Is n wide ono, cx-
tending from the northern boarder of
Mexico southwark throughout all OF
Central and South America almost To
the Straits OF Magellan. lie Is san
culinary creature, as beautiful as ne is
vicious, with his 1.-THE form combining
strength with agility in high degree,
and the handsome spottings of his
black and yellow skin. 1t is probable
that in no other region of America are
there to be found jaguars which In size
and ferocity exceed those of Venezuela.
During my stay there l fell in the way
of el tigre--ln Spanish speaking Amer
lea the taguar is always called tiger,
as the puma is always n lion several
times, and on two of these occasions |
found him anything but safe and pleas
ant company.
my first experience with el tigre was
when one sprang into a group OF n
dozen men. OF whom | was one. sleep
ing In the open air, and tried to carry
one of them Off. 1t was In the woods
bordering the Payara river. and the
men were llaneros-cattle herders--in
the employ OF Ellis Grell, the cattle
king of Venezuela. / was asleep In Il
hammock swung between two trees. out
of the way OF snakes. and the men
We're lying wrapped in their ponchos
upon the ground. Why the jaguar did
not select me, who was separated Il
little from the others and was the one
the most plainly in view, is moro than
can say, but have no complaint to
make.
1.-The first / knew of his presence was
when was awakened by the noise OF n
frlghtful growl scuflle and the yells
of the man whom the iagunr had
seized. As ] started up in the ham
mock. at the same time grabbing hold
of my gun. which rested by my head.
] saw, dimly in the darkness. the
jaguar dragging the man from among
his comrades, and the llaneros, wax
ened by the uproar, springing to their
feet. Realizing instantly what was the
matter, they attacked the jaguar with
knives. machetes, clubs-anything they
could get hold Of most quickly-and so
boldly that the beast quit his prey,
made one savage dash among his as
sailants. leaving sad marks of teeth
and claws in two of them, and then
sprang into the forest With all the
men about the jaguar could not safe
~ use my gun, and the creature got
away.
81 dressed the wounds OF the man
whom the jaguar had seized--he had
one raking blow of five claws across the
side of the head and the creatures teeth
had met in the flesh of his right Shout
der-and then, having posted a sentinel
against the Jaguar's coming back we
turned In our blankets and slept TIL
morning. with daylight we saw by his
trail that the jaguar was wounded
and lame. Following the tracks, we
found the beast In thicket half n mile
AWAY, completely disabled for mischief
by machete cut across one hind leg,
and ! shot him without difficulty.
II had one or two experiences In
hunting the jaguar before the time
came for one Of the creatures to hunt
me. In hunting el tlgre. llaneros with
their machetes and lassos and a pack
OF tiger dogs figured, making the sport
an exciting one, with no more danger
than served to give zest to the affair
though saw n llanero get badly clawed
in the business, and several dogs were
killed. / was travelling alone on horse
back between San Filadelfo, in the
pampus country, and Caracas when I
had my most unpleasant adventure
with IL jagunr. At the ranch of Don
Ernestius Monacaballo, about 200 miles
from the capital, made the acquGint-
ance of Captain Nicanor Cortez, of the
Venezuelan army, who was riding in
agreed to travel in company. 1t was
strethch of rough semi mountainous
country that we had to take the second
day. and night overlook us on the
trail. Our horses We're pretty well
beaten out, and it was dangerous to
try to put them over so rough a trail
In the darkness, so we stopped at
clump' of trees. hobbled our horses and
turned them loose down n little grassy
valley, ate the remains of our MONDAY
lunch, and prepared to pass the night
as comfortably as we could. We had
heard many stories of the mountain
jaguars which abound in this region.
and we slung our hammock between
tree trunks as high as possible, so as
to be above reach should one of these
animals try to spring up at us from
the ground, and the trees to which we
fastened our hammock ropes We're too
small OF trunk for n jnguar to run up
for, except In case of n leaning tree.
the jagunr cannot ascend a tree trunk
that is less than two feet In diameter.
The jaguar does not climb step by
step, cllnging to the tree trunk like II
bear. but, like all the cnt family, runs
rapidly up to the branches.
BY working together, Captain Cortez
and / got our hammocks slung at a
height of about eight feet from the
ground. The heads of the hammocks
were made fast to the same tree ana
the Ittt WtEt W
so that we lay nearly at right angles 70
each other. Singularly enough, we Doth
were without frearms,hn unusual thlns
for travellers making this journey, me
captain having no cartridges Tor ms
pistols and having foolishly sold mine
before starting away. depending on ~
ting a new pair Caracas, The Sh.i
weapon for defense we had, except Dui
pocket knives. was the captains sword;
in the use OF this. fortunately for us, he
was proficient.
1--WE smoked n cigarette or two ana
talked little together after going To
rest, then dropped off to sleep. l was
awakened after an hour or two by
noise like that of some heavy object
striking softly upon the ground some
where below me. Something was Gid
ing smoothly and lithely upon the
ground beneath the hammock as l
looked down over the edge and by the
moon rays that came through the tree
branches ] saw that 1t was jaguar
that had jumped at my hammock and
missed. His fiery eyes We're fixed on
me, MS. halr crouching, with the end OF
his tail curling to and fro, the creature
walked aboGt, selecting place from
which 10 tE,np for me Il second time
Presently the jaguar turned, crduched
lower, seemed TO measure the distance
with his eye, and then leaEed for me.
As he rose in the air II seemed that he
surely would come straight upon me,
and i shrunk back In the hammock:
but though 1t was only few Inches,
he fell short. The jaguar struck the
IL .H.1l