AND A JOURNEY OVER THE LLANOS OF CUMANA. 37 



raised my club and struck him with my whole force on the muzzle. 

 A deep growl answered me, but he retained his hold, and continued 

 his advance with the same cautious footing. He did not, however, 

 seem by any means emboldened by this salute, and slightly altered 

 his course for the purpose of avoiding me. This change was so far 

 advantageous to him that it removed his head to a point where, in 

 consequence of the projection of an arm of the tree, I was unable to 

 hit him where my light weapon could alone be available. To have 

 battered his body would have a been loss of time, which was becoming 

 every moment more valuable. I now endeavoured, by fixing the end 

 of my pole in the angle of his jaw, to force him down by mere 

 strength. This for a few minutes retarded his progress, and gave 

 him great pain. He was rendered only more fierce by this means, 

 and drawing up his body till he was nearly round, prepared for an 

 advance which would have placed a branch within reach of his paw, 

 which if attained, would have at once enabled him to compete 

 with me on more equal footing. Finding my pole insufficient to 

 repel him, I laid it down, and seizing my knife, stooped down on one 

 knee, hoping to strike him in the eye, in the expectation that the 

 blade was strong enough to penetrate the bone separating the orbit 

 from the brain. My situation was becoming momentarily more cri- 

 tical, for if I failed in the direction of my blow, the character of the 

 contest would be changed, and would have to be carried on in a way 

 that might speedily prove fatal to me. His huge fore-foot was now 

 resting in immediate contact with my knee ; he was steadily draw- 

 ing up his trunk, when stooping over him, I plunged my knife 

 into his eye. A roar of anguish broke from him, and loosing his 

 claws, he endeavoured to strike me. He did, however, no farther 

 injury than slightly scratching my arm ; and, withdrawing my hand, 

 I prepared to repeat the blow. It did not appear that the wound I 

 had inflicted was of a very serious nature beyond depriving him of 

 the vision of one eye. He retreated a little, and I was now in hopes 

 that he would relinquish his attack, as it often happens that when 

 foiled at first they retire. He now changed his course, still per- 

 severing in his intention, and wound partly round the tree before he 

 again made any effort to climb higher. Laying down the knife, I 

 again seized my staff, and fixing it firmly in the socket of the injured 

 eye, I exercised my whole strength in a vigorous push. This was to 

 some extent successful, for he receded a few feet, leaving deep in- 

 dentations by his claws as he was forced downwards. He was now 

 fairly at bay, and my confidence was completely restored. His 

 position, and the mode of his clinging to the bark, prevented him 

 from hindering my efforts to repel him. He growled incessantly, 

 partly from rage, but partly too from pain, and a pause of a few 

 minutes now took place. I kept my eye warily fixed upon his mo- 

 tions. Suddenly fixing his hind claws firmly, and giving a hideous 

 snarl, he endeavoured to make a spring upon a projecting branch. 

 His rage had overcome his cautious instinct. Aiming a blow at his 

 muzzle, which took full effect, and the check given to his impetus 

 by the attachment of his nails to the bark, he lost his footing, and 

 fell into the shallows. Here his fate was quickly decided. The noise 



