366 LEAVES FllOM A LOG. 



The beasts of the forest roared, and the birds shrieked, and the poor 

 Llanero was in dreadful consternation ; for common as these convul- 

 sions are in this part of the world, they are most terrifying ; nor does 

 the frequency of their occurrence render them less fearful to those 

 who have experienced their horrors. The Llanero vainly endea- 

 voured to compose himself to sleep in his lofty lodgings. His fears 

 gradually subsided with their cause ; but it effectually prevented his 

 reposing, and the shrill notes of porvie, and the discordant shriekings 

 of the parrots, announced the coming morn. To amuse himself he 

 took out his flute, and commenced playing, which he continued till 

 the eastern rays of the sun penetrated through the forest. As day 

 broke, he perceived he had more listeners to his music than he had 

 calculated on, or wished for in fact, he found beneath his tree about 

 sixty very dark Indians of the Choqua tribe, a race reported to be of 

 a much more warlike disposition than the Guarahoons. They called 

 to him in a language he could not understand, and motioned him to 

 continue playing his flute ; this intimation he did not feel it so easy 

 to comply with, being by no means pleased with the martial air and 

 arms of his audience ; finding their orders disobeyed, these amateur 

 musicians levelled their arrows at him, which he endeavoured to 

 avoid by climbing to the highest branch of the tree (a species of the 

 ficus), and went to the extreme end of the bough, where he hoped 

 his dark foes w r ould not follow him, or at all events would not dare 

 to grapple with him. In his desperate situation, any one attempting 

 to approach him with a hostile intent, would inevitably cause both to 

 fall to the ground, which must have been fatal. The savages ob- 

 serving this, about a dozen, with the activity of apes, scaled the tree ; 

 but as he signed to them that he would perish rather thin surrender, 

 no one was bold enough to approach ; however, an Indian got on the 

 same branch, but nearer the trunk, and commenced shaking it with all 

 his power. His situation became appalling j he was, as I before stated, 

 as near the extremity of the bough as it was capable of bearing his 

 weight ; the branch was agitated fearfully, and he was perhaps 200 

 feet from the ground. Few, but men bred to encounter danger in its 

 sternest mood, could have had nerve enough to remain there without 

 their brain reeling. Bestriding the branch, and clinging closely with 

 one arm, he had the presence of mind to present a pistol at the Indian, 

 and coolness not to pull the trigger, which would have signed his 

 fate, as he saw a dozen of these unerring marksmen levelling their 

 poisoned arrows at him. All parties paused at this " situation," which 

 was more picturesque than agreeable. The nearest Indian motioned 

 to him to desist from his defence and play on his flute, as their in- 

 tentions was pacific. Ideas of capitulation were fast gaining upon 

 him, when they were suddenly arrested by the horrible consciousness 

 that the branch was'failing under him then a loud and long crash 

 smote his ear, and the poor Llanero felt himself whirled he knew not 

 whither. With the firmness of despair he clung to the falling limb 

 until he was brought up among the nether branches the limb had 

 not entirely separated ; but as he scrambled for safety to the trunk of 

 the tree, he was seized and brought to the ground, to the no small 

 delight and exultation of his savage captors. 



