om the talons of the harpy eagle
and claws of the tiger cats; but when Suma dealt her crushing blow it
proved at once the fallacy of taking too many things for granted. So the
shattered casques and broken bones of many a luckless armadillo were
strewn along the way, mute evidences of Suma's insatiable savagery.

In contrast to the actions of the agoutis and armadillos was the
behavior of the ocelots. At the first intimation of danger they
disappeared to their hiding places or climbed the nearest tree from the
branches of which they watched with the eyes of hatred as their larger
relative passed below. However, in the event that they were trapped in
the middle of a stalk they spat and hissed and offered the strongest
resistance of which they were capable, or at least so it seemed. In
reality they were merely bluffing, knowing all the while, with sinking
hearts, that their position was hopeless, and that their strategy had no
effect whatever on the actions of their persecutor.

The more knowing animals heeded the warning so plainly written in the
mutilated bodies of their brethren; in the snarls of rage and in the
screams of terror of the doomed victims; and in the roars of triumph
that followed each notable kill. To them, all these signs were
superfluous, for had they not witnessed the coming of Siluk, the
Storm-God, and had they not known of the thing that portended? But such
is the nature of the wild things that they are loath to change the
established order of their lives until forced to do so. So, not until
death walked boldly in their midst, and struck--no one could tell when
and where--did they profit by their superior intelligence. Then the
more timid ones among their number moved to safe quarters far from the
windfall, while the others redoubled their vigilance and dared not
venture many paces from the protection of their burrows and shelters.

So far, the inhabitants of the treetops had not been molested. Largest
among them were the howling monkeys. Secretly, they feared Suma and
hated her with all the vehemence of their intractable natures. In secret
also, they followed her movements whenever possible, dogging her steps
and gazing with furtive eyes upon her acts of violence. But they were
careful to keep to the higher branches and to view the jungle tragedies
from the safety of their lofty perches. So long as the Jaguar hunted
openly and made no efforts to conceal her movements, they had nothing to
fear. It w