ping site while the day was young. They
pushed their long, narrow, dugout canoes into the water, clambered
aboard, took up the short paddles and pushed to the other side which had
not, as yet, been despoiled of its buried treasures. There they fell to
work probing the sand with sharpened sticks and when it yielded easily
to the thrust they dug with their hands until the pocket containing the
oblong, tough-skinned eggs had been uncovered. These they gathered into
baskets to be emptied into the canoes so fast as they were filled. All
day long they toiled giving not a thought to the women and children who
had been left behind.

Warruk, from his place of concealment in the border of the thick jungle
had not for a moment taken his eyes from the human habitations. He had
seen the men emerge from the shelters and paddle away. And he marvelled
at the strange creatures that were taller than any of the animals of the
forest or plain and that walked on two feet. He felt no antagonism
toward them, no desire to attack or slay. He was overawed, for he could
not comprehend them and that filled him with a burning curiosity to know
more about them, to see them at closer range.

So long as the queer creatures were present in numbers he dared not show
himself for he well remembered his experience with the peccary herd
whose strength lay in numbers.

The long awaited opportunity came toward mid-afternoon. From the
collection of huts, crackling and warping in the heat came a solitary
form. It was not unlike the others that had appeared earlier in the day
except that it was very much smaller and seemed to walk with uncertain
steps.

The little man-creature faltered to the shady side of one of the
shelters and sat down. Then it began to dig in the sand and toss
handfuls of it up into the air.

Warruk watched with glowing eyes. Here was his opportunity. Almost
before he knew it he had slipped out of the thick cover and was gliding
shadow-like across the sandbar. So silent and so stealthy were his
movements that the child was not aware of his approach, and even when he
halted and crouched low not more than ten paces away his presence still
was unsuspected.

In his turn, the Jaguar was so interested, so fascinated by the child
that he was oblivious to all else. Had he been suffering from hunger his
intentions might have been different. But with food so plentiful, the
thought of attack had not even occurred to him.

Mata, mother of the c