with our rifles ready to shoot the creature, should
it burst forth into the open. Nearly two hours must have passed since
the dogs first got scent of it, and yet the animal managed to evade
them. I was standing in a palmetto-scrub almost up to my shoulders,
when about a dozen paces off I saw a movement among the leaves, which I
suspected was caused by a wild beast of some sort. I stood ready to
receive it. In a few seconds, catching a glimpse of a yellow skin, I
fired, but my bullet failed to take effect; and the next instant an
animal, with glaring eyes and outstretched claws, sprang towards me, as
if about to fly at my throat. I was endeavouring to reload, when I
heard a shot, and the creature fell dead almost at my feet. Turning
round, I saw that it was Rochford who had fired.

"Thank you," I said, as he came forward to examine the animal.

It was, as had been supposed, an ocelot, the most beautiful creature of
that region. It measured about three feet in length from the nose to
the root of the tail. It had a reddish fur, marked with black spots,
oblong on the back, and round or streaked on the under part and paws.
The strongly-formed shoulder showed the power which it could exert when
seizing its prey. Its handsome fur was soon taken off, and placed on
the back of one of the ponies.

The dogs in a short time hunted out two other ocelots, which were
speedily shot; and we killed also several racoons, polecats, opossums,
two deer, besides turkeys, ducks, snipes, and quails,--which I mention
to show the abundance of game to be found in that part of the country.

We encountered several rattlesnakes; but as they gave us notice of their
whereabouts, we easily despatched them, and carried off their rattles as
trophies. The one I killed, by blowing off its head, was upwards of
seven feet in length, and would have proved a disagreeable customer to
meet with in a narrow pathway. We fell in also with several herds of
wild hogs; but as we had brought no salt for pickling them, we shot only
one each day, that we might have fresh pork for dinner, for in that
climate meat becomes unfit to eat in the course of a very few hours. As
may be supposed, we lived very well, as far as meat was concerned; and
we also occasionally added a cabbage-palm, and some wild roots and
fruits, to our bill of fare.

At length Carlos and I agreed that we ought to turn our faces homewards,
as we had almost come to an end of our ammunition