The National tribune., 1901-04-18
c. THURSDAY APRIL 49, 1901

through INTERCHANGEABLE jaguar put one
paw upon it. Lopez pounced upon that
sign Immediately, cast an infaliible glance
aloft, and understood everything. He saw
the direction indicated, viewed claw
SCARED bough, and .depleying his followers
into open order, swung round to find where
this creature landed Jafter taking an ar
boreal tour.
When found, the trail for a long dis
tance was so direct as to make it GER
tam that some particular destination lay
at Its end. Once more, however, our game
took to tree-traveinS. The jaguar hap
pened upon anothersses of footprints
emerging from an entangled cactus and
thornbush brake, and ne instantly took
advantage of this opportunity to send any
pursuers astray. This cunning creature
leaped straight up where his own and the
others. tracks Joined, repeating its former
excursion on high and getting found out
as before.
By now, also, both of us knew some
thing which our native attendants did not
know; namely, that we were tracking a
man-eater. After the animal had been
shot such an opinion was fully substan-
tiated, but it needed no corroborative tes-
timony: This long journey of his, the
foresight and precaution when pursuit
could not have been more than q mere
pcsslbllIty, that wariness which never
Tagged, and complicated strategy, told q
plain story to anyone familiar with these
scourges. Full as they are of tricks and
devices, ordinary beasts do not act like
this one; that sort of behavior is confined
to valuable, or more especially dangerous,
brutes, whom mans enterprise have often
compelled to match their wits against hui
man sagacity.
Those reasonings which took him into
a tree when another jaguar's trail might
lead suppositious pursuers away were ad
mirable, though they did not 20 far
enough.
The lower mind is frequently acute
without being comprehensive, and never
rises TO any process OF abstract thought.
We recovered our lost traces in due
course, and this time they led directly
into valley nearly without trees, where
the animal had entered its lair under some
Overhanging rocks. They formed an en-
trance or porch to n cavern which might
be quite large, besides having more than
one opening; SO the first step under such
circumstances was directed toward block
ing any avenues permitting exit. An aper
ture leading out behind had stones, spiney
nOpal, and thorn brush packed into it, af
ter which all assembled in front and for
mally besieged the jaguar
OF course, it goes without saying that
only heroes Of romances seek such an ami
NAL as this in n cave. 1t must be made
to come out and fight, but since starving
any of the large cats is time thrown away,
nothing was left except smoke: unless. in
deed, this beast got into rage and made
an onslaught of its own accord.
That is not unusual, however, where
fore making bonfires before the dens of
tigers or their kin becomes far more ex-
citing than safe. Feline beasts are in
carnations OF sudden death. and no man
can go up to a place like this without the
risk of instant destruction.
Our Indians fully appreciated their dan
ger; they knew that rifles at either side
of the entrance would most probably not
prevent someone from being killed in case
of a rush; yet all worked as coolly as if
nothing threatened. First dry grass and
leaves, next light wood, then green logs
with noxious weeds and vilely-smeling
creepers intermixed, were carefully laid
down, after which everybody fell back
some little distance while Lepoz set fire
to the pile.
There was strong draught through
crevices, the fire, constantly fed, burned
fiercely, and such volumes of sitting
smoke rolled inwards that one scarcely
comprehended how any air-breathing crea-
ture could live there
Before long it did become insuppOrtable.
We heard q hoarse. half-strangled roar,
we saw the wild, dark form surrounded
by flames. With one dull, sickening crash
an Indian fell as if stricken by n thun-
derbolt, and then this infuriated brute was
raging among scattered, flying figures.
Fortunately it had become partially blind
and much confused, or worse than what
happened would have ensued. In such
cases q man mnst Ghoot quickly, but above
all else keep cool.
Ounce rife-balls cannot be safely fired
into crowds; yet here nothing alive stood
still for an instant.
The scene passed like series of fash
photographs, swift as light.
Both fired. an awful shape tried to
spring upon us, fell short, and crouched
with jaws dripping frothy blood. In the
passing OF a shadow it writhed at new
wounds, reared with tossing arms, and
sank shivering to the earth.
FTo be continued)