274 HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE. 



opportunity, in one of these leaps, Thursday and I gave 

 hiui each our quota of cold lead, and he fell dead beside 

 the native. 



I supposed the latter, too, was killed, of course ; but 

 not at all. His shoulder was laid open, but not badly, 

 and after a few days he was round with the rest, 

 against whom he seemed to harbor no ill-will for their 

 cowardliness. 



A great American hunter, whose books are famous, 

 told me that the jaguar is harmless enough until he 

 sees or tastes blood. Then nothing will control him ; 

 he is mad for more, and simply kills blindly to satisfy 

 this passion. He told me, that returning one day from 

 the fields he had found three negroes lying in their blood, 

 and a pet jaguar, that had always seemed perfectly sub- 

 missive and friendly, hidden behind some bags, ashamed 

 of the fury that a sudden sight of flowing blood had 

 occasioned in him. He looked for all the world like 

 a dog that expected a thrashiug for some fault. 



"We have a wild-cat," said he, ''beside which the jaguar 

 is a lamb. I was travelling once among the Indians of 

 South America, and came to a little village of a friendly 

 tribe, where my party was most hospitably received. 

 The best hut in the village and the best food and 

 drink were given us with a grace civilization does 

 not know. When we awoke in the morning the village 

 was in an uproar, and all our friends bore signs of the 

 liveliest distress on their faces. We found a great mis- 



