The Puma, or Lion of America. 55 



sufficiently near hurled the missile with such 

 precision and force that he knocked it down sense- 

 less. After killing it, he found that the heaviest 

 part of his task remained, as it was necessary for 

 the success of his project to carry the beast, still 

 warm and bleeding, to the Indian village ; but 

 now his mule steadfastly refused to approach it. 

 Father Ugarte was not, however, to be defeated, 

 and partly by stratagem, partly by force, he 

 finally succeeded in getting the puma on to the 

 mule's back, after which he rode in triumph to 

 the settlement. The Indians at first thought it 

 all a trick of their priest, who was so anxious to 

 involve them in a conflict with the pumas, and 

 standing at a distance they began jeering at him, 

 and exclaiming that he had found the animal dead. 

 But when they were induced to approach, and saw 

 that it was still warm and bleeding, they were 

 astonished beyond measure, and began to watch the 

 priest narrowly, thinking that he would presently 

 drop down and die in sight of them all. It was 

 their belief that death would quickly overtake the 

 slayer of a puma. As this did not happen, the 

 priest gained a great influence over them, and in the 

 end they were persuaded to turn their weapons 

 against the Chimbica. 



Clavigero has nothing to say concerning the 

 origin of this Californian superstition ; but with 

 some knowledge of the puma's character, it is not 

 difficult to imagine what it may have been. No 

 doubt these savages had been very well acquainted 

 from ancient times with the animal's instinct of 

 friendliness toward man, and its extreme hatred of 



