104 HUNTING THE TAPIR. 



show himself above the bushes, before the guide and my- 

 self could get in position. He fired, but missed, and the 

 animal plunged into the water and disappeared. By the 

 advice of the guide, we then stood upon the bank of the 

 stream, about thirty yards apart. The opposite bank 

 was within rifle-shot, and we naturally expected that the 

 tapir would strive to escape by swimming to that point. 

 We stood patiently in shooting position for full ten mi- 

 nutes, when the animal was seen slowly ascending the 

 bank. Instantly two balls were driven into him, and he 

 fell backwards into the water. 



The next difficulty was to secure the game. The stream 

 was too deep to ford. But with a rapidity that startled 

 me, the guide constructed a stout raft of small palm 

 trunks, bound together with vines, and with one of our 

 camping-poles pushed it across. Then, tying the snout 

 of the tapir to the raft, he towed, the carcass in triumph 

 to our side, upon which we gave him a round of cheers. 

 The animal proved to be a male of the largest size. It 

 was a clumsy looking beast. We cut off such portions of 

 the meat as the guide recommended, and made a hearty 

 meal in the forest. The flesh is very much inferior to 

 that of the buffalo, but still quite palatable. 



The next day we had another tapir hunt, in which we 

 ascertained the remarkable peculiarities of this animal. 

 When pursued, it ran awkwardly, leaving a broad trail, 



