TORPOR OF ANIMAL LIFE 17 



the graceful aguti, the hoggish peccary, and the timid deer of 

 the savannah, — have left the parched plains and migrated to 

 the forest or the river. The large mane- 

 less puma and the spotted jaguar, fol- 

 lowing their prey to less arid regions, 

 are now no longer seen in their former 

 hunting-grounds, and the Indian has 

 also disappeared with the stag whom he 

 pursued with his poisoned arrows. In 

 the Siberian Tundras the reindeer and 

 the migratory birds are scared away by 

 winter ; here life is banished or sua- Aguu. 



pended by an intolerable heat. 



Sometimes the ravages of fire are added to complete the 

 image of death on the parched savannah. 



" We had not yet penetrated far into 

 the plain," says Schomburgk, "when 

 we saw to the south-east high columns 

 of smoke ascending to the skies, the 

 sure signs of a savannah fire, and at the 

 same time the Indians anxiously pressed 

 us to speed on, as the burning torrent Peccary. 



would most likely roll in our direction. Although at first we 

 were inclined to consider their fears as exaggerated, yet the 

 next half-hour served to convince us of the extreme peril of 

 our situation. In whatever direction we gazed, we nowhere 

 saw a darker patch in the grass-plain announcing the refuge 

 of a water-pool ; we could already distinguish the flames of 

 the advancing column, already hear the bursting and crackling 

 of the reeds, when fortimately the sharp eye of the Indians 

 discovered some small eminences before us, only sparingly 

 covered with a low vegetation, and to these we now careered 

 as if Death himself were behind us. Half a minute later, 

 and I should never have lived to relate our adventures. 

 With beating hearts we saw the sea of fire rolling its devouring 

 billows towards us ; the suffocating smoke, striking in our faces, 

 forced us to turn our back upon the advancing conflagration, 

 and to await the dreadful decision with the resignation of help- 

 less despair. 



" And now we were in the midst of the blaze. Two arms of 



c 



