192 



WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



stage amongst the trees, close to tlie water's edge. 

 From this we intended to shoot an arrow into the 

 cayman : at the end of this arrow was to be attached a 

 string, which would be tied to the rope, and as soon as 

 the cayman was struck, we were to have the canoe 

 ready, and pursue him in the river. 



While we were busy in preparing the stage, a tiger 

 began to roar. We judged by the sound that he was 

 not above a quarter of a mile from us, and that he was 

 close to the side of the river. Unfortunately, the 

 Indian said it was not a jaguar that was roaring, but a 

 couguar. The couguar is of a pale, brownish 

 red colour, and not as large as the jaguai\ 

 As there was nothing particular in this animal, I 

 thought it better to attend to the apparatus for catch- 

 ing the cayman than to go in quest of the couguar. 

 The people, however, went in the canoe to the place 

 where the couguar was roaring. On arriving near the 

 spot, they saw it was not a couguar, but an immense 

 jaguar, standing on the trunk of an aged mora-tree, 

 which bended over the river j he growled and showed 

 his teeth as they approached ; the coloured man fired 

 at him with a ball, but probably missed him, and the 

 tiger instantly descended, and took off into the woods. 

 I went to the place before dark, and we searched the 

 forest for about half a mile in the direction he had 

 fled : but we could see no traces of him, or any marks 

 of blood, so I concluded that fear had prevented the 

 man from taking steady aim. 



We spent best part of the fourth night in trying for 

 the cayman, but aU to no purpose. I was now con- 

 vinced that something was materially wrong. We ought 

 to have been successful^ considering our vigilance and 



