Ch. VIII.] ENCOUNTER WITH A JAGUAR. U5 



was continued at intervals of a few seconds. Seeing a 

 large animal moving amongst the thick bushes, only a 

 few yards from me, I stopped, when, to my amazement, 

 out stalked a great jaguar (like the housekeeper's rat, 

 the largest I had ever seen), in whose jaws I should 

 have been nearly as helpless as a mouse in those of a 

 cat. He was lashing his tail, at every roar showing his 

 great teeth, and was evidently in a bad humour. 

 Notwithstanding I was so near to him, I scarcely think 

 he saw me at first, as he was crossing the open glade 

 about twenty yards in front of me. I had not even a 

 knife with me to show fight if he attacked me, and my 

 small charge of shot would not have penetrated beyond 

 his skin, unless I managed to hit him when he was very 

 near to me. To steady my aim, if he approached me, I 

 knelt down on one knee, supporting my left elbow on 

 the other. He was just opposite to me at the time, the 

 movement caught his eye, he turned half round, and 



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put down his neck and head towards the ground as if he 

 was going to spring, and I believe he could have cleared 

 the ground between us at a single bound, but the next 

 moment he turned awav from me, and was lost sk'ht 



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of amongst the bushes. I half regretted I had not fired 

 and taken my chance ; and when he disappeared, I 

 followed a few yards, greatly chagrined that in the only 

 chance I had ever had of bagging a jaguar, I was not 

 prepared for the encounter, and had to let "I dare not, 

 wait upon " I would." I returned the next morniu 

 with a supply of ball cartridges, but in the night it had 

 rained heavily, so that I could not even find the jaguar's 

 tracks, and although afterwards I was always prepared, 

 I never met with another. From the accounts of the 





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