112 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
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 with 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 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 away from me, and was lost sight 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 morning 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 natives, I believe that in Central America 
he never attacks man unless first interfered with, but when 
‘wounded is very savage and dangerous. Velasquez told 
me that his father had mortally wounded one, which, how- 
-ever, sprang after him, and had got hold of him by the leg, 
‘when it fortunately fell down dead. 
The path up Pena Blanca hill gets steeper and steeper, 
until about fifty yards from the rock it is too precipitous and 
‘rugged to ride with safety, so that the rest of the ascent 
must be made on foot. Tying my mule to a sapling, I 
‘scrambled up the path, and soon emerging from the dark 
forest, stood under the grey face of the rock towering up 
-above me. It has two peaks, of which the highest is acces- 
sible, footholds having been cut into the face of it, and the 
most difficult part being surmounted by a rude ladder made 
by cutting notches in a pole. Above it the rock is shelving, 
and the top is easily reached. I found a strong north-east 
~wind blowing, which made it rather uncomfortable on the 
