The Puma 293 



kill. In other words, he was taught that which unreclaimed 

 wild beasts find out for themselves everywhere on the face 

 of the earth. 



What finished his education in this way, was an incident 

 that very nearly proved disastrous to himself. One 

 summer morning while he was fastened in the court-yard, 

 and his guardian sat reading in his sala, a large rabid dog 

 dashed into the room from the street, and without notic- 

 ing the motionless figure in a chair, rushed out by an 

 opposite door towards the puma, who lay under a tree. 

 Instant aid was necessary to prevent the latter from being 

 bitten ; for although at that time he would have torn the 

 dog to pieces, as he had already done in the case of two or 

 three others, this would not have saved him. He witnessed 

 the whole affair ; saw the revolver, the aim and flash, 

 heard the report, beheld the dog fall, struggle a moment, 

 and die. Afterwards its body was dragged nearer to him, 

 so he could feel assured that life was gone. Then for the 

 first time did a realizing sense of the potency of this 

 instrument enter into his mind. Subsequent to this 

 occurrence, it was for a while only necessary to wear 

 a pistol to keep Gato at a distance. Once in an unlucky 

 hour his guardian told a servant to aim one at him by way 

 of experiment, and nothing but the promptest and most 

 determined interference saved the man. Charles Darwin 

 (" Expression of the Emotions," etc.) says that the physi- 

 ognomy of fear among cats is difficult to describe because 

 it passes so quickly into that of rage. In this case the 

 transition was instantaneous, and a fine fury it was. 



The blare of cavalry trumpets, the roll of drums, and 



