hich he could
climb.

With the energy of despair he let fly an arrow with all his force; but
the weak shaft glanced from the tapir's side without doing it the
slightest damage. Then Martin turned to fly, but at the same moment the
tapir did the same, to his great delight and surprise. It wheeled round
with a snort, and went off crashing through the stout under-wood as if
it had been grass, leaving a broad track behind it.

On another occasion he met with a formidable-looking but comparatively
harmless animal, called the great ant-eater. This remarkable creature
is about six feet in length, with very short legs and very long strong
claws; a short curly tail, and a sharp snout, out of which it thrusts a
long narrow tongue. It can roll itself up like a hedgehog, and when in
this position might be easily mistaken for a bundle of coarse hay. It
lives chiefly, if not entirely, upon ants.

When Martin discovered the great ant-eater, it was about to begin its
supper; so he watched it. The plain was covered with ant-hills,
somewhat pillar-like in shape. At the foot of one of these the animal
made an attack, tearing up earth and sticks with its enormously strong
claws, until it made a large hole in the hard materials, of which the
hill was composed. Into this hole it thrust its long tongue, and
immediately the ants swarmed upon it. The creature let its tongue rest
till it was completely covered over with thousands of ants, then it drew
it into its mouth and engulfed them all!

As Martin had no reason in the world for attempting to shoot the great
ant-eater, and as he was, moreover, by no means sure that he could kill
it if he were to try, he passed on quietly and left this curious animal
to finish its supper in peace.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

MARTIN MEETS WITH FRIENDS AND VISITS THE DIAMOND MINES.

One day, after Martin had spent many weeks in wandering alone through
the forest, during the course of which he was sometimes tempted to
despair of seeing the face of man again, he discovered a beaten track;
at the sight of which his heart bounded with delight. It was a Saturday
afternoon when he made this discovery, and he spent the Sabbath-day in
rest beside it. For Martin had more than once called to remembrance the
words which good Aunt Dorothy used to hear him repeat out of the Bible,
"Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy." He had many long, earnest,
and serious meditations in that silent forest, such a