1 82 Wild Beasts 



tioned respecting the temper and habits of the large car- 

 nivora would lead us to look for. 



The writer never saw a full-grown animal of this kind 

 which had been domesticated to the extent of being harm- 

 less if left at large, and never succeeded in taming one 

 completely himself. E. George Squier (" Adventures on 

 the Mosquito Shore ") mentions an incident in which such 

 was the case. He was summoned to an interview with 

 "The Mother of the Tigers," who, under this ominous 

 title, proved to be a modest young Indian girl, and the high 

 priestess of one of those secret semi-religious societies that 

 gave Alvarado so much trouble in the days of the Spanish 

 invasion. Her retreat lay in the darkest recesses of one 

 of those gloomy forests where there is always twilight, 

 even at the tropical noonday. He found that Sukia was 

 only attended by one old woman, and guarded by an 

 immense jaguar. This beast did not like the stranger's 

 appearance, but made no attack, and at once passed into 

 the house and lay down when commanded to do so. 



Perhaps it is unnecessary to bring, as might readily be 

 done, proof of what might be assumed beforehand ; namely, 

 that an animal like the jaguar is certain to attack men 

 wherever their possession of firearms has not in the course 

 of time taught the sagacious beast that the contest is an 

 unequal one. It happens, however, that the explorer C. 

 Barrington Brown ("Canoe and Camp Life in British 

 Guiana ") has given some quite explicit information con- 

 cerning a point which has been rarely touched upon, that 

 is to say the behavior of a wild beast that very probably 

 never saw a man before, and certainly not a white man. 



