race the dark brown body
of the tapir. It was making for the deeper channel of the river, but
evidently dragging itself along with difficulty. One of its legs was
disabled by our shots.

"I had scarcely time to get a good view of it before the chief sprang
into the air, and dropped head foremost into the water. I could see a
struggle going on at the bottom--turbid water came to the surface--and
then up came the dark head of the savage chief.

"`Ugh!' cried he, as he shook the water from his thick tresses, and
beckoned me to assist him--`Ugh! Senhor, you eat roast tapir for
dinner. Si--bueno--here tapir.'

"I pulled him into the boat, and afterwards assisted to haul up the huge
body of the slain tapir.

"As was now seen, both our shots had taken effect; but it was the
rifle-bullet that had broken the creature's leg, and the generous savage
acknowledged that he would have had but little chance of overtaking the
game under water, had it not been previously crippled.

"The hunt of the day proved a very successful one. Two more tapirs were
killed; several capivaras; and a paca--which is an animal much prized by
the Indians for its flesh, as well as the teeth--used by them in making
their blow-guns. We also obtained a pair of the small peccaries,
several macaws, and no less than a whole troop of guariba monkeys. We
returned to the malocca with a game-bag as various as it was full, and a
grand dance of the Juruna women wound up the amusements of the day."

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

THE BUFFALOES AT LAST.

The long looked for day at length arrived when the game were to be met
with, and I had myself the "distinguished honour" of being the first not
only to see the great buffalo, but to throw a couple of them "in their
tracks." This incident, however, was not without an "adventure," and
one that was neither very pleasant nor without peril. During several
late days of our journey we had been in the habit of straggling a good
deal in search of game--deer if we could find it, but more especially in
hopes of falling in with the buffalo. Sometimes we went in twos or
threes, but as often one of the party rode off alone to hunt wherever
his inclination guided him. Sometimes these solitary expeditions took
place while the party was on the march, but oftener during the hours
after we had pitched our night-camp.

One evening, after we had camped as usual, and my brave horse had eaten
his "bite" of corn, I leaped into