THE PUMA, Oil AMERICAN LION. l-:t 



torn. Apprised by tin's discovery that the animal shot at was large and ferocious, he became anxious 

 for the fate of his friend, and assiduously continued the search for him ; when his eyes wure suddenly 

 directed, by the deep growl of a puma, to the large branch of a tree, where he saw the animal crouch- 

 ing on the body of a man, and directing his eyes towards him, apparently hesitating whether to 

 descend and make a fresh attack on the survivor, or to relinquish his prey, and take to flight. 



Conscious that much depended on Celerity, the hunter discharged his piece, and wounded the 

 puma mortally, when it and the body of the man fell together from the tree. The surviving dog then 

 ilew at the prostrate beast ; but a single blow from his paw laid him dead by his side. Finding that 

 his comrade was dead, and that there was still danger in approaching the wounded animal, he retired, 

 and, with all hasto, brought several persons to the spot, where the unfortunate hunter and both the 

 dogs were lying dead together. The skin of this animal was (and perhaps still is) preserved in the 

 Museum of New York, as a memorial of the story. 



The following curious encounter with a puma is related by Sir E. Head, in his " Journey Across . 

 the Pampas :" 



" The fear which all wild animals in America have of man is very singularly seen in the Pampas. 

 I often rode towards the ostriches and zamas, crouching under the opposite side of my horse's neck ; 

 but I always found that, although they would allow any loose horse to approach them, they, even 

 when young, ran from me, though little of my figure was visible ; and when I saw them all enjoying 

 themselves in such full liberty, it was at first not pleasing to observe that one's appearance was every- 

 where a signal to them that they should fly from their enemy. Yet it is by this fear ' that man hath 

 dominion over the beasts of the field,' and there is no animal in South America that does not acknow- 

 ledge this instinctive feeling. As a singular proof of the above, and of the difference between the wild 

 beasts of America and the Old World, I will venture to relate a circumstance which a man sincerely 

 assured me had happened to him in South America : 



" He was trying to shoot some wild ducks, and, in order to approach them unperceived, he put 

 the corner of his poncho (which is a sort of long, narrow blanket) over his head, and crawling along 

 the ground upon his hands and knees, the poncho not only covered his body, but trailed along the 

 ground behind him. As he was thus creeping by a large bush of reeds, he heard a loud, sudden noise, 

 between a bark and a roar : he felt something heavy strike his feet, and, instantly jumping up, he 

 saw, to his astonishment, a large puma actually standing on his poncho ; and, perhaps, the animal was 

 equally astonished to find himself in the immediate presence of so athletic a man. The man told me 

 he was unwilling to fire, as his gun was loaded with very small shot ; and he therefore remained 

 motionless, the puma standing on liis poncho for many seconds : at last, the creature turned his head, 

 and walking very slowly away about ten yards, he stopped and turned again : the man still maintained 

 his ground, upon which the puma tacitly acknowledged his supremacy, and walked ofl'." 



A dreadful famine raged at Buenos Ayr'es, during the government of Don Diego de Mendoza, in 

 Paraguay ; yet, afraid to give the Indians a habit of spilling Spanish blood, he forbade the inhabitants, 

 on pain of death, to go into the fields in search of relief, placing soldiers at all the outlets to the 

 country, with orders to fire on those who should attempt to transgress his orders. A woman, how- 

 ever, called Maldonata, was artful enough to elude the vigilance of the guards, and escape. After 

 wandering about the country for a long time, she sought shelter in a cavern ; but she had scarcely 

 entered it, when she became dreadfully alarmed, by espying a female puma. She was, however, soon 

 quieted, by the animal approaching and caressing her. The poor brute was in a state in which assist- 

 ance is of the most service, and, when rendered, is gratefully remembered, even by the brute creation. 

 Of this the puma gave her benefactress the most sensible proofs. She never returned from searching 

 alter her daily subsistence without laying a portion of it at the feet of Maldonata, until, her whelps 

 being strong enough to walk abroad, she took them with her, and never returned. 



Some time after, Maldonata fell into the hands of the Spaniards ; and, being brought back to 

 Buenos Ay res, was conducted before Don Francis Ruez de Galen, who then commanded there. She 

 was charged with having left the city, contrai'y to orders, (lalcn was a man of cruel and tyrannical 

 : i Ion, and condemned the unfortunate woman to a death which none but the most cruel tyr:;nt could 

 li;ive devised. He ordered some soldiers to take her into the country, and leave her tied to a tree, 

 either to perish with hunger, or to be torn to pieces by wild beasts, as he expected. Two days after 



