A Jaguar-Hunt on the Taquary 67 



to our approach and to the sound of the shots. Some- 

 times they ran into the water erect on their legs, looking 

 like miniatures of the monsters of the prime. One 

 showed by its behavior how little an ordinary shot pains 

 or affects these dull-nerved, cold-blooded creatures. As 

 it lay on a sand-bank, it was hit with a long 22 bullet. 

 It slid into the water but found itself in the midst of a 

 school of fish. It at once forgot everything except its 

 greedy appetite, and began catching the fish. It seized 

 fish after fish, holding its head above water as soon as 

 its jaws had closed on a fish; and a second bullet killed 

 it. Some of the crocodiles when shot performed most 

 extraordinary antics. Our weapons, by the way, were 

 good, except Miller's shotgun. The outfit furnished by 

 the American museum was excellent — except in guns and 

 cartridges; this gun was so bad that Miller had to use 

 Fiala's gun or else my Fox 12-bore. 



In the late afternoon we secured a more interesting 

 creature than the jacares. Kermit had charge of two 

 hounds which we owed to the courtesy of one of our 

 Argentine friends. They were biggish, nondescript ani- 

 mals, obviously good fighters, and they speedily devel- 

 oped the utmost affection for all the members of the 

 expedition, but especially for Kermit, who took care of 

 them. One we named "Shenzi," the name given the wild 

 bush natives by the Swahili, the semicivllized African 

 porters. He was good-natured, rough, and stupid — 

 hence his name. The other was called by a native name, 

 "Trigueiro." The chance now came to try them. We 

 were steaming between long stretches of coarse grass, 

 about three feet high, when we spied from the deck a 



