30 Through the Brazilian Wilderness 



fore sunrise, he left his camp by the south shore of 

 the lake, to make a topographical sketch of the lake. 

 He was unarmed, but carried a prismatic compass in a 

 leather case with a strap. It was cold, and he wrapped 

 his poncho of guanaco-hide round his neck and head. 

 He had walked a few hundred yards, when a puma, a 

 female, sprang on him from behind and knocked him 

 down. As she sprang on him she tried to seize his 

 head with one paw, striking him on the shoulder with 

 the other. She lacerated his mouth and also his back, 

 but tumbled over with him, and in the scuffle they sepa- 

 rated before she could bite him. He sprang to his feet, 

 and, as he said, was forced to think quickly. She had 

 recovered herself, and sat on her haunches like a cat, 

 looking at him, and then crouched to spring again; 

 whereupon he whipped off his poncho, and as she sprang 

 at him he opened it, and at the same moment hit her 

 head with the prismatic compass in its case which he 

 held by the strap. She struck the poncho and was evi- 

 dently puzzled by it, for, turning, she slunk off to one 

 side, under a bush, and then proceeded to try to get 

 round behind him. He faced her, keeping his eyes upon 

 her, and backed off. She followed him for three or 

 four hundred yards. At least twice she came up to 

 attack him, but each time he opened his poncho and 

 yelled, and at the last moment she shrank back. She 

 continually, however, tried, by taking advantage of cover, 

 to sneak up to one side, or behind, to attack him. 

 Finally, when he got near camp, she abandoned the pur- 

 suit and went into a small patch of bushes. He raised 

 the alarm; an Indian rode up and set fire to the bushes 



