South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-10-25


splendid set OF glistcning. cruel fangs
that spelled hate and death.
Whether il was just ] that caused
him 10 display such a hateful loach-
Ing, or the idea that l had come 10
rob him OF his rishtful prey,~ was a
question 90 dwell on later. He SEEM
ed about to diSpel the idea that his
race retired before man: and yet Z
felt certain, in spite of all his ap-
parent willingness 10 do battle, he
would not come on another inch. And
just herein lays the rub.
I had been persuaded, against my
better judgment. that q shotgun load
ed with buckshOt was the proper arm
to use in the thick jungle, as almost
invariably the shooting was close up
and, too. in the case Of following up
a wounded jaguar, it gave opportunity
for quicker action.
And so. much TO my dismay. had
brought the shotgun. How, for just
that fraction OF a second, my thoughts
turned IOngingly 10 the old rifle; for
the distance, though not great, was
still too Tar to shoot with any degree
OF certainty of killing with such an
arm. Better take a chance, while L
have il. even if it is a slim one, d"
/ thought. At any moment the
crafty fellow might. with a single
bound, disappear-and perhaps /
should never again catch a glimpse
of his beautifully spotted hide. l in
tended, after shooting the first barrel.
10 Instantly shoot the second, even if
/ had TO make a wing shot while he
was in the air, so to speak, but there
was no chance. At the instant of the
first shot he had vanished with a wild
leap that was so lightning-like that
the eye could scarce follow
Reloading and slipping to the
ground, / paused at the butt of the
tree TO catch the slightest sound or
movement. There was neither. Then
out along the Mora log, with the gun
at the ready, l stepped cautiously
along. A big lizard went scuttling
over some dead leaves. Up went the
gun, and I almost let off the right
barrel. Near the end of the great
log a few dots of scarlet caught my
eye. He was hit-there was no
doubt Of that Ever so carefully, step
by step, and scanning carefully every
possible foot of the way, 1 took up
his trail. Twice I lost it, and twice
turned back and puzzled it out again.
Now and then L could see his foot
prints plainly in the soft soil, and
occasionally a spot Of blood. Then
the ground became harder, and the
blood spots fewer and further apart,
until l finally lost all trace; made a
circle back 10 pick up the trail again,
missed it. tried again and again, and
then tried to find my way back to the
tree where 1 had been watching.
In an hour more there was no use
trying to fool myself, though l hated
to accept it as a fact
1 was lost!
And. what was more. at almost
this moment there came a veritable
tropical downpour. Before the tor
rents Of rain pelted down and drench-
ed me through, | was in a dripping
perspiration. but now the sudden
wetting has thrown me into a Vio-
lent chill, shaking so from head to
foot I was compelled to put my sun
down for fear of dropping it.
So far l had escaped fever. but
this occurrence was almost sure to
bring on fever that would so raging
and surging until it ran its course
one way or the other. TO put il
mildly, my prospects were not good.
At length the rain passed over, but
every few minutes l would be seized
with another chill. When / realized
that I was in a maze out of which
no human being could possibly find
his way, excepting il were a native
Indian, a horror Of loneliness gripped
me as I felt myself being completely
swallowed up in the immensely of the
Jungle
Gould John Charley trail me after
that sea of rain had swept away every
sign? I didn't know But | did know
that every bit of wild craft he pos
sessed would be taxed to its utmost
to do so! l climbed high up in tree