t an' the
sprinkle o' snow that made the ground a leetle slickerer.

"Howsomever, I got safe to the Fort, whur I wur soon rigged out in a
fresh suit o' buckskin an' a hoss.

"But I never arterward see'd a parairy-wolf within range o' my rifle,
that I didn't let it into him, an' as you see, I've throwed a good wheen
in their tracks since then. Wagh! Hain't I, Mark?"

CHAPTER THIRTY.

HUNTING THE TAPIR.

At one of our prairie-camps our English comrade furnished us with the
following account of that strange creature, the tapir.

"No one who has turned over the pages of a picture-book of mammalia will
be likely to forget the odd-looking animal known as the tapir. Its long
proboscis-like snout, its stiff-maned neck, and clumsy hog-like body,
render the _tout ensemble_ of this creature so peculiar, that there is
no mistaking it for any other animal.

"When full-grown, the tapir, or anta, as it is sometimes called, is six
feet in length by four in height--its weight being nearly equal to that
of a small bullock. Its teeth resemble those of the horse; but instead
of hoofs, its feet are toed--the fore ones having four toes, while the
hind-feet have only three each. The eyes are small and lateral, while
the ears are large and pointed. The skin is thick, somewhat like that
of the hippopotamus, with a very thin scattering of silky hairs over it;
but along the ridge of the neck, and upon the short tail, the hairs are
longer and more profuse. The upper jaw protrudes far beyond the
extremity of the under one. It is, moreover, highly prehensile, and
enables the tapir to seize the roots upon which it feeds with greater
ease. In fact, it plays the part of the elephant's proboscis to a
limited degree.

"Although the largest quadruped indigenous to South America, the tapir
is not very well-known to naturalists. Its haunts are far beyond the
borders of civilisation. It is, moreover, a shy and solitary creature,
and its active life is mostly nocturnal; hence no great opportunity is
offered for observing its habits. The chapter of its natural history is
therefore a short one.

"The tapir is an inhabitant of the tropical countries of America,
dwelling near the banks of rivers and marshy lagoons. It is the
American representative of the rhinoceros and hippopotamus, or, more
properly, of the _maiba_, or Indian tapir (_Tapirus Indicus_) of
Sumatra, which has but lately become known to naturalists. The latter,
in fact