220 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 



ceeded onwards with Mm, lie fouglit hard for 

 freedom, but it was all in vain. The day was 

 now too far spent to think of dissecting him. 

 Had I killed him, a partial putrefaction would 

 have taken place before morning. I had brought 

 with me up into the forest a strong bag, large 

 enough to contain any animal that I should want 

 to dissect. I considered this the best mode of 

 keeping live wild animals when I was pressed for 

 daylight; for the bag yielding in every direction 

 to their efforts, they would have nothing solid or 

 fixed to work on, and thus would be prevented 

 from making a hole through it. I say fixed, for 

 after the mouth of the bag was closed, the bag 

 itself was not fastened or tied to anything, but 

 moved about wherever the animal inside caused 

 it to roll. After securing afresh the mouth of 

 the coulacanara, so that he could not open it, he 

 was forced into this bag, and left to his fate till 

 morning. 



I cannot say he allowed me to have a quiet 

 night. My hammock was in the loft just above 

 him, and the floor betwixt us, half gone to decay, 

 so that in parts of it no boards intervened betwixt 

 his lodging-room and mine. He was very rest- 

 less and fretful ; and had Medusa been my wife, 

 there could not have been more continued and 

 disagreeable hissing in the bedchamber that night. 

 At daybreak, I sent to borrow ten of the negroes 

 who were cutting wood at a distance ; I could have 

 done with half that number, but judged it most 

 prudent to have a good force, in case he should 

 try to escape from the house when we opened the 

 bag. However, nothing serious occurred. 



