124 CENTRAL AMERICA. 



rancho, and turned out our horses and mules., 

 together with the cow and calf, into the forest. 

 We had scarcely been a week settled, when 

 my father happened to be returning from a 

 maize field he was fencing not far off, and on 

 arriving at the clearing saw a tigre spring at 

 his only remaining calf ; he had no arms with 

 him, which was a very rare thing for him ; 

 but he ran to the panther, who did not see 

 him, and seized it by the tail and actually 

 pulled it off the calf, calling out loudly for his 

 three sons to bring their spears. We all ran 

 out directly, but my poor father who was 

 pulling backwards, tripped over the trunk of 

 a tree and in a second the panther was over 

 him tearing great strips of flesh from him 

 with his claws. We killed the tiger and 

 pulled him off our father, who was to all 

 appearance dead ; he recovered at last, but 

 will always be terrible to look at. 



The next chapter will contain some remarks 

 on the puma lion and tiger cats. 



Note. — Every man who kills a " tigre " is entitled 

 to a cow, or six dollars. 



