ased. Boughs seemed broken off, shrubs trampled under
foot. Presently we saw, bearing down upon as, a large dark-skinned
creature, though its form could scarcely be distinguished amid the
foliage.

"Stand fast!" said the recluse. "It will not harm you. See! it has an
enemy to contend with."

As the creature drew nearer, I saw that it bore on its back a huge
jaguar, distinguished by its spotted hide and its fierce glaring eyes.
Its jaws were fixed in the creature's neck, to which it clung also with
its sharp claws.

"The animal is a tapir," said the recluse. "I am not certain yet though
whether the jaguar will conquer it. See, the back of the latter is
bleeding and torn from the rough branches beneath which the tapir has
carried it."

As he spoke, the animals came close to us, the tapir making for the
thick branch of a fallen tree kept up by a network of sipos, which hung
like a beam almost horizontally a few feet from the ground. The tapir
dashed under it, and we could hear the crash of the jaguar's head as it
came in contact with the hard wood. Still it clung on, but its eyes had
lost their fierce glare. Blood covered the backs of the animals, and
the next moment the jaguar fell to the ground, where it lay struggling
faintly. Twice it tried to rise, but fell back, and lay apparently
dead.

John had lifted his rifle to fire at the tapir. "Hold!" said the
recluse; "let the victor go; he deserves his liberty for having thus
sagaciously liberated himself from his tormentor. Would that we could
as easily get rid of ours! How eagerly we should seek the lower
branches of the trees!" He gave one of those peculiar, sarcastic
laughs, which I observed he was apt to indulge in.

We cautiously approached the jaguar, feeling uncertain whether it might
not yet rise up and spring at us. John and I kept our rifles at its
head, while True went boldly up towards it. He had been an excited
spectator of the scene, and I had some difficulty in keeping him from
following the tapir. The jaguar did not move. Even a poke with the
muzzle of my rifle failed to arouse it. True began to tear away at its
neck; and at length we were convinced that the savage creature was
really dead. "There let him lie," said the recluse. "Strong as he was
a few moments ago, he will be food for the armadillos before morning."

We again lifted up Arthur, and proceeded onwards, the recluse leading
and clearing away the branches which might