66 BIG GAME FIELDS 



sticking- straight up in his neck, while John Char- 

 ley's last arrow went well-nigh through the only 

 remaining one. The valiant Dash, who had been 

 foremost in the fray, was carried back to camp, 

 where we nursed him as best we could. The rest 

 of the pack were the worst for wear, but still on 

 their feet. There was more meat in camp than 

 we had hoped for, but the porkers did not go to 

 waste. 



The next two days' searching of the forest 

 for fresh jaguar signs revealed very little. On 

 the third morning after the encounter wdth the 

 peccaries I remained in camp, while John Char- 

 ley, who had been off since daylight, returned 

 about ten o'clock and reported that a jaguar had 

 just killed a wild hog, only eating a small portion 

 of it. As the "kill" had been carefully covered, 

 we felt sure this signified the intention of the 

 slayer's return. All the rest of the men had gone 

 up the stream in the large boat, on a sort of holi- 

 day and fishing trip. They had also taken along 

 the dogs, leaving me quite alone and undisturbed 

 in camp, where I w r as penning this very narrative. 

 The news of the jaguar banished all further 

 thought of writing that da}', and with John 

 Charley in the little wood-skin craft, slid rapidly 

 down stream for a couple of miles. Thinking 



