thick heavy metal nearly six feet in length.

As he approached the group his sharp eye soon took in the different
individuals that composed it, and rested with a satisfied look on the
form of Tiburcio.

"The devil take that fire of yours!" he said abruptly, but in a tone of
good-humour. "It has frightened away from us two of the most beautiful
jaguars that ever roamed about these deserts."

"Frightened them away!" exclaimed Baraja. "_Carramba_! I hope that may
be true!"

"Will you allow me to put the fire out?" inquired the new-comer.

"Put out the fire--our only safeguard!" cried the astonished Senator.

"Your only safeguard!" repeated the trapper, equally astonished, as he
pointed with his finger around him. "What! eight men wanting a fire for
a safeguard against two poor tigers! You are surely making game of me!"

"Who are you, sir?" demanded Don Estevan, in a haughty tone.

"A hunter--as you see."

"Hunter, of what?"

"My comrade and I trap the beaver, hunt the wolf, the tiger--or an
Indian, if need be."

"Heaven has sent you then to deliver us from these fierce animals," said
Cuchillo, showing himself in front.

"Not very likely," replied the trapper, whose first impression of the
outlaw was evidently an unfavourable one. "Heaven I fancy had nothing
to do with it. My comrade and I at about two leagues from here chanced
upon a panther and two jaguars, quarrelling over the body of a dead
horse."

"I re was mine," interrupted Tiburcio.

"Yours, young man!" continued the trapper, in a tone of rude cordiality.
"Well, I am glad to see you here, for we thought that the owner of the
horse might be no longer among the living. The panther we killed, but
the two jaguars made off, and we tracked them hither to the spring,
which your fire now hinders them from approaching. Therefore, if you
wish to be rid of these beasts, the sooner you put out the fire the
better; and you will see how soon we shall disembarrass you of their
presence."

"And your comrade?" asked Don Estevan, struck with the idea of making a
brace of valuable recruits. "Where is he?"

"He'll be here presently; but to the work, else we must leave you to get
out of your scrape as you best can."

There was a certain authority in the tone and words of the trapper--a
cool assurance that produced conviction--and upon his drawing near to
put out the fire, Don Estevan did not offer to hinder him, but tacitly
permitted him to have his way.