Jaguars Will Attack Human Beings. 
69 
weapon, and wounded the furious beast, but not mortally, when with a 
couple of .springs the maimed creature caught up to the unfortunate 
huntsman, stuck its paws into his shoulders, and next minute would- have 
torn his neck to pieces. To ward oft' the awful nionu-nt, the unfortunate 
s])()i-tsman must just then have unconsciously driven Iiis right hand down 
into the blood',- thirsty animal's jaws, because when he again recovered 
his senses, there lay the cat in its death-rattle, with his hand close by. 
At the psychological moment, the accompanying Indian had reached the 
scene of strife and stuck his long cutlass into the beast's heart, without 
however ))e*ing able to prevent it in its death-struggle biting out fi-om the 
already unconscious Kegro the whole of the shoulder flesh into which 
it had fastened its claws. We were furnished with several accounts of 
the jaguar attacking people of its own accord. Tims, one of my brother's 
carriers on his ]n*evious journey still ))ore on his breast the scars caused 
by one of these animals' teeth : the Ind'ian while yet a l>oy was proceeding 
to the cassava-field wirli his gi-andmpthei' when the jaguar, rushing out 
of the thicket seized him by the In^east and was dragging him off when it 
was stopped by the spirited old grandmother who, attacking It with her 
cutlass, gave it such a siTrprisc that it let the boy drop, nnd took 
to flight.* 
173. Except during the period when iiie female lias her young, the 
jaguar does not seem to possess any particular lair, but rambles about 
everywhere. On seeing people, wlien unaccompanied by dogs, it never 
takes to flight, bnt proceeds at a quiet pace, during which it now and 
again turns round. It is only when its pursuers are too close upon its 
heels, and their number appears likely to overcome its powers, that it 
takes on a short trot. It swims over the widest rivers with the greatest 
ease with its tail exposed and bent above the surface, so that it can l»e 
recognised already from a fair distance off : when it now climbs the bank, 
before inaking a start overland, it shakes the water oft' its liack just like 
our dogs do. AYhen circling round a cam]) or cattle-pen, it is always 
with a continual purring: not until hunting at night for its prey, does 
it set uj) a frightful roar, that booms tlirough the whole forest. Not 
only Indians, but also the most trustworthy Colonists have assured us 
that they have been witnesses of fights between kaimans and jaguars, 
combats that one had hitherto always regarded as myths. From what 
we were told, the jaguar only succumbs in such a battle, which com- 
mences always on land, when its claws get wedged into the belly-plates 
of its opponent, whereupon the latter usually drags it into the near 
water and drowns it. 
174. It was on his previous expeditions that my brother first 
became acquainted by personal experience with the almost inconceivable 
boldness of the jaguar. While staying at CurassaAvaka, a Carib 
village on the Rupunnni, the suspicious purring just mentioned and the 
awful roar during the course of the night indicated the presence of one 
of these animals. jNFy brother's tent was pitched about 100 paces from 
the houses of the Indians. One of his sluts had a pup that was missing 
* Ofises lire ou record where a jaguar h^"^ run nff witb infant children, (Ed ) 
