CHAP. Ill] AN ANT-EATER 63 



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 jacar^s. Kermit had charge of two 

 hounds which we owed to the courtesy of one of our 

 Argentine friends. They were biggish, nondescript 

 animals, obviously good fighters, and they speedily 

 developed 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 semi-civiUzed 

 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 black object, very conspicuous against 

 the vivid green. It was a giant ant-eater, or tamandud 

 bandeira, one of the most extraordinary creatures of the 

 latter-day world. It is about the size of a rather small 

 black bear. It has a very long, narrow, toothless snout, 

 with a tongue it can project a couple of feet; it is 



