The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-04-19

clothed with hesh and stood beside him, Q
! horribly human dwarf. and said:
S'Thank you, brother, ! have been wait
ing a long time for some one 10 break the
spell that bound me by taking a tooth And
he waddlcd on on his rev ersed feet,
These are fair examples Of the stories
ono hears on the lower Amazon D
1One evening. shortly before the close
Of my etay, JoBe end ] were sitting on CGpt.
Naldcz's piFzzs chatting about the many
hunts We bad enjoyed together. Every one
on the plantation knew that ives going
away, not to return, and probably beoause
he did not fear any results OF nus conu-
denoes Jose spoke far more Freely nan
ever before.
Il mentioned that I was disappointed in
not being able 20 get q description OF a
cucupira from one who he'd seen II. To my
establishment he replied ! have seen one,
and without hesitation he related the iol-
lowing story:
About two years ago, while hunting
down below the mill, along the creek. !
followed a deer for miles trying TO get a
shot. but failed and started home; was
sunset and | was nearing the mil when !
ran into a band Of black monkeys teedlng
along the treetops, secreted myself ana
waited for one to come within shot and
then fired at him. -
Though he did not fell, but made on
with the others, | knew that he was hard
hit and followed, knowing that he could
not 60 far. AT last | heard him come tnm-
bling to the ground and went forward 10
look for him.
It was growing dark, though ! could
still see we'll enough to find him. ] had got
10 within fifty feet Of the spot when | heard
a sort OF murmuring, a slngsong voice, IKE
some one muttering to himself. ! dropped
TO my knees and reloaded my gun, putting
in n slug instead Of shot, not knowing h
J might meet.
Then / began 10 creep forward, keeping
a sharp lookout. ~ last | saw a slght
movement, and looking through a small
opening ! could see quite plainly a spotted
creature which / supposed to be a Jaguar
licking blood from the fallen monkey
Jaguars sometimes do steal upon the game
a hunter has shot, and / thought that THIS
one had been following the same band oil
monkeys that | had and seen him fall,
81 was near enough 10 give me a sure
shot, and very glad that | had a bullet In my
gun instead Of shot. took careful aim and
hred. ! distinctly heard the bail strike him
with a : harp spat, like the sound OF a bullet
striking a rock.
az sprang 10 my feet, when instead Of the
death STR ggle that / had expected to see, a
queer little creature rose to its two feet
stepped to a more open place, and began 70
examine tho place where the bullet had
struck his side. II looked like the spot made
when a bullet strikes a smooth rock. lie
made no effort TO learn where II came from,
and never looked once at me.
81 could SEQ him perfectly now. he
was about three feet in height, HE body so
fat that II was almost round; his arms and
legs we're short, and his feet turned back
ward, instead Of the way he was FACING. lie
had long hair, but no beard, and wore no
clothing.
His mouth was very large, but whether
his teeth we're green, ac they say, | could
not see in the dusk. There wOs no hair on
his body: it looked like a shell. and was
spotted like a jaguar, and must have been
hard to stop a bullet. He kept up a mum
bling sound. but nothing like words, though
they say that the c~ucupiras do talk to hun
teri sometimes.
II was angry to lose my monkey and as
the creature had paid no attention TO me
l reloaded my gun. II did not seem quite
right TO shoot a creature which stood up
like a man, but | hoped to drive him away
at least.
"'But the result was the same. The bullet
struck him with the same sharp sound as
before and left another mark, which he
carefully examined without the slightest
apparent curiosity to see where II came
from. After looking at and feeling II for
a moment he dropped to his knees and
resumed licking the blood from the monkey
and making that murmuring, mumbling
sound ! had heard,
81 did not try to take my game away
from a creature with a shell that would
stop a bullet, and il wa dark before | got
home and no one would 20 back with me
at night. | went there the next morning,
but found nothing but some blood stains
on the leaves. Something had eaten or
carried my monkey away. Our people say
that il is a bad omen to meet a uucupiTa
while hunting and so / have never told Of
this to the people here
Thus il ! didn't meet a cucupira myself,
at least | had a description Of one