e effect on the prisoner was magical. For all he knew the great snake
had come to life again and was attacking him from the rear. With a
mighty wrench he turned on his side and slipped through the opening to
freedom.
All through the weeks of rain that followed Warruk hunted along the
border of the windfall; but he did not again venture near the region
where Suma, his mother held sway. He saw nothing of her. It was not
until long, long after that their lives again intertwined when Suma
unwittingly assumed the role of avenger and thus fulfilled an old belief
of the wild men of the forest. So far Warruk knew nothing of man--did
not even suspect the existence of such a creature. Blessed ignorance!
for with the coming of that knowledge the lives of all the inhabitants
of the wilderness undergo a change.
Food was so plentiful that on no occasion did the cub go hungry. And
nurtured by the great abundance he grew in size and fearlessness even as
the vegetation overhead and underfoot thrived in the soggy earth and
moisture-laden air.
When the rains stopped, as they finally did, Warruk instinctively headed
back toward the low country. After the long weeks in the rain-drenched
forest the prospect of the pampas flooded with golden sunlight, of reedy
marshes where the birds twittered and animals worthy of his prowess
moved shadow-like in and out of the fringe of papyrus, and of tree
islands with their ever-present air of mystery and adventure, was a
joyous one to contemplate.
On the last day but one before the jungle's end was reached Warruk came
upon the vanguard of the peccary herd. There were several hundreds of
the ferocious little beasts scattered over a wide area uprooting the
succulent sprouts that grew luxuriantly among the undergrowth.
The cub did not suspect that the band was so large, for there was no
indication of its great number. The individuals ate quietly and moved
stealthily. There was but an occasional low, moaning grunt given as a
signal to keep the herd headed in the right direction, and the champing
of the murderous tusks of the leaders.
Selecting the straggler nearest him the jaguar rushed upon it and in a
short leap landed upon his victim's back. The peccary was doomed, but
before the end came it had ample time to voice its terror in shrill
screams that penetrated through the forest with an appalling clearness.
Instantly the place was in an uproar. A hundred throats took up the cry
and dark forms
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