o the ground. Manoel ran forward to secure it,
but just before he reached it he stopped and beckoned to me. As he did
so I saw a huge jaguar, which had been drinking at the stream, not two
hundred yards from us. I had, as a sportsman should, reloaded my gun
before moving. The only weapon Manoel possessed, besides the manchette
at his girdle, was his sharp-pointed staff,--not calculated for an
encounter with so powerful a beast. The jaguar, having seen the turkey
fall, crept on to seize it. I advanced as rapidly as I dared, keeping
my gun ready for instant use. Lion would have rushed forward to get the
bird had I not ordered him to remain at my heels, for, powerful as he
was, a blow from the jaguar's paw would have been too much for him.

The jaguar seemed determined not to be disappointed of the turkey, and
would probably, I thought, spring at Manoel. The difficulty was to
avoid wounding him in shooting at the jaguar. Manoel stood ready for
action, with his staff in his hand. He dared not for a moment withdraw
his eye from the jaguar, which, had he done so, would immediately have
sprung upon him. I called to him, telling him I was coming, in case he
might not have heard my footsteps. The jaguar was all the time creeping
up, threatening at any moment to spring, and I was about twelve yards
behind Manoel when the brute began to bound forward. Manoel leapt on
one side. Now or never, I must gain the victory, or both my companion
and I might lose our lives. I fired. The jaguar bounded into the air,
then fell over on its side.

Manoel dashed forward and plunged his stick into the creature's neck,
pinning it to the ground; then drawing his manchette, he quickly
terminated its existence. We left it where it lay, for we could not
have carried its skin, even had we taken the trouble of flaying it.

Near the top of the hill we met Mr Laffan, who had witnessed the
encounter.

"Bravo, Duncan! you behaved famously; and Manoel too--he is a fine
fellow. All the same, the turkey is welcome, for I am terribly hard
set."

We soon had the bird roasting before the fire. It was, however, but a
moderate supper for four people and a dog, and I was sorry that I had
not succeeded in killing another turkey.

Mr Laffan kept constantly jumping up and looking down the path by which
we had come, in the hope of seeing our attendants; and just as the
shades of evening were creeping over the mountains, he exclaimed, "There
they