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is buried in sight of the traps in such a manner as to be covered with leaves, and in such a posture, as to observe the creatures coming toward the traps, and hurry them into them by missiles, but never attempts to show himself until the badger passes him. In this manner, the remainder of the party advance into the brushwood and then let loose their dogs, who, on scenting the badgers, set up a whining cry, accompanied by the rattles of the Indians, making the badger start, and betake himself to his burrow. Sometimes seven or eight will start together, the most of which are always caught; but should one escape, they again hunt the ground over. If their party is not numerous enough, the women join after the first chase, as the danger of coming in contact with tigers is over, the first noise having started them as well as most noxious creatures. Indeed, the badger is seldom found near the jungle, as he is not fond of such neighbours. Should one escape the traps, which is very seldom the case, they leave the traps set day and night, and a man to watch him, until hunger forces him to quit his subterraneous abode. Sometimes the Indian curs will enter, and kill the creature, if his burrow is large enough to admit them; yet he often makes them retreat, provided they cannot surround him, although those curs are certainly superior to our European terriers in bite, and tenacity of their hold. Whenever a badger earths, the Indians cast lots, to know which shall watch until the badger breaks, leaving him two days' provisions in the mean time, supposing this to be the usual time until the animal bolts. But it is sometimes a toss-up which will hold out longest, especially if it be an old badger: but even here the Indian has decidedly the advantage, as he is known to endure four days' hunger, without any bad results. If it happens in harvest, he is pretty well off; for his cunning makes him an overmatch for the animal, and he always carries the image of a man of rude workmanship, which he sets before the earth, supported by twigs in a moving position: this prevents the badger stirring while the Indian goes in quest of food,

a work of little time with him, as he is satisfied with the first thing he finds: he soon returns to await the coming out of his subterraneous visitor, as the disgrace of returning without the badger is shocking to a hunter, and debars his ever being a guapo or warrior, until he can, by some very extraordinary feat, wipe this stain off his name. They also use the noose or snare to catch these creatures, which is placed across the pathways, like rabbit-wires, with this exception-that the Indian's snare is attached to a spring-pole, that suspends and strangles the creature. The South American badger is larger than those in Europe, and much browner: he is also much easier killed.

Perhaps its habits are the most social of any quadruped in the universe; it is not known to quarrel with any other quadruped; even the fox, pole-cat, stinkard, the opossum, the land-crab and snake make it resign its abode, although it is much stronger than any of them. It also lives in the greatest harmony with its own species, subsisting principally on nuts, roots, and vegetables; and is cleanly in its habits, being observed to perform its ablution while the dew is on the ground. The Indians count two species of it, viz. the Marano, or pig-badger; and the Pero, or dog-badger. I am informed the former roots for its amusement like a pig; they bring forth two, three and four at a litter, and preserve them carefully. Badger hams are certainly delicious, and the sale of them was prohibited but to the Viceroy, who generally shipped a quantity of them annually to Madrid, for the use of their august Majesties; now they are purchased for one-fourth of the original value, as the Viceroy sometimes paid eight or ten dollars for a pair of gammons. The way of curing them perhaps contributed to their flavour, which was simply to rub them with coarse sugar and Chili pepper, each day, pressing them very hard until quite dry. This source of emolument would have been considerable to these hunting tribes were they not cheated and made tribetary to the Viceroy, as they had to give him a dozen first, and afterwards take trinkets out of the stores at what

ever price he chose to demand. The butter, or Manteca de Marano, as they call the lard, was also in great demand among the grandees, who fried most of their food in it. A party of eight would destroy two or three hundred badgers and a quantity of deer, on their return home, beside guanas. These hunting parties are so delightful, even to the women, that the hopes of being allowed to accompany the men will be a stimulus to conduct themselves properly the year round. On those excursions they live well, and seem more happy than during the rainy season: in their way home they travel day and night rapidly, in spite of all obstructions, carrying long poles between them, on which the animals are slung; the skins and lard the boys carry. The women are certainly the heaviest loaded, and must keep pace with those gentry; the dogs too are better fed during this period, and seem to return with regret. A cloud of vultures generally hover over them, and are seen by their clans a day or two before they arrive, who make every preparation to receive them: their return is greeted like that of victors. The rainy nights are passed in recounting their exploits one to another.

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THE JAGUAR.

The taking of this fierce creature forms a portion of the warlike features distinguishing the Indians of South America, particularly the Laneros, or men of the plains, though these creatures invariably avoid the haunts of men, and commit very little depredations on any property unless sheep and goats, as the forest affords them plenty prey, and their sagacity is great in discovering the numerous herds of deer and mountain goats. Fierce in his habits, he will not attack man, unless be scents human blood; in this case his thirst gets the better of him, and he has been frequently known at night to leap over six or seven file of men, in attempting to reach a wounded man: of this the Laneros are so well convinced that they encompass the wounded.

One inducement a Laneros has in pursuing the jaguar is the honour of the feat, for the value of its skin, and the little depredations it commits on

his flocks, would never, I apprehend, induce him to risk a single combat with such fierce animals; but there is a stronger stimulus, viz. that killing seven jaguars, or six tigers, will give him the title of guapo, or warrior, and entitle him to choose the fattest virgin for his companion in the tribe ; for with them the lady who is most en bon point is most beautiful. This alone is a sufficient inducement; and they endeavour to complete their task as early as the age of seventeen. On the approach of the breeding season, they watch with great assiduity the battles that take place between the male and female, as this is a sure indication of her littering, not wishing to have the male know where she deposits the cubs, as some naturalists assert that he eats them; others, that he hugs them to death. However this be, she never suffers him to approach the jungle, if I may be allowed to call it so, until they are able to run after her. During this period, he awaits her with the most tender solicitude, and even brings her a portion of his prey. He is seen hovering instinctively about the place where she is couched at noontide. When the Laneros perceives this, he envelops himself in a jaguar's skin, and approaches him, taking good care to have the wind in his favour, as the jaguar's keen scent would soon discover the imposition. Even this sagacity and instinct they think they have got over, by burning plantain leaves so as to take away any human scent the body has for hours; though this is probably a fancy. As soon as the Laneros perceives the jaguar, he runs from him on all fours, and endeavours to mimic the whining cry of the beast, which by some is said to be like a cat, or like hogs crouching in a stye; the latter is what I would compare them to, as I have seen them mustering by night previous to hunting. As soon as the male perceives him, he bounds towards him; when the Laneros dexterously throws the noose over him, and soon strangles him. Sometimes he wounds him with his lance, and then a sanguinary conflict takes place. As the Laneros has his left arm well bound round with tanned

horse-skin, impervious to the jaguar's tusks, he presents his left hand; as soon as the jaguar seizes it, he is stabbed with a long knife, which seldom misses the heart, as the principal excellence of a guapo is killing the beast with as few stabs as possible. As soon as he despatches the male, the female becomes an easy prey. Sometimes the Laneros, when their numbers are complete, will, to prove their dexterity and address, decoy the jaguar into a defile, when the man uncovers and shows himself; the jaguar endeavours to retreat, but is prevented by other Indians, who scare him with fire-brands, for they can produce fire by rubbing two pieces of wood together, as quick as if with tinder. In this manner they sometimes worry him with dogs, while they keep him at bay until the women arrive to witness their cruelty. As the jaguar gets frantic, he endeavours to bite at every thing near him; as often as the creature opens his mouth he is sure to have a burning torch rammed into his throat, until madness exhausts him, and he is no longer able to close his jaws; then the women and boys descend from their high positions, chop off his paws, hammer out his teeth, and often skin him alive, while the boys are smeared with the blood, in order to make them good warriors, and the mothers take delight in seeing the animosity they have to the creature, even when no longer able to do any injury. As to the female jaguar, they have only to come near her couching-place to provoke a quarrel, as she will often attack them before they are within two hundred yards of it: in her they sometimes find a more formidable enemy than in the male, although much inferior in point of size and strength, but more subtle and crafty: their bite is difficult to heal, and the Laneros think a wound from a jaguar a great disgrace; so much so that a young aspirant for the title of guapo, who had the misfortune of being wounded in a rencontre, was so much ashamed of acknowledging it, that he suffered a mortification sooner than expose the wound, although he was well aware the women possessed a salve that would

cure him.

THE OTTER.

Pero de Agua water-dog, and otter are synonimous terms in both languages. As hunting this species of otter in South America forms a recreation for the grandees or better sort of gentry for two or three months in the year, like our grousing or partridge shooting parties, an account of their aquatic excursions may prove interesting. In the month of May the parties assemble by previous arrangement, composed principally of the chief inhabitants of these districts and their relatives or clans and visitors, male slaves, muleteers, &c. Having as cended the waterfalls, they encamp near those clear and transparent rivers in which otters abound in great numbers. After the business of physicking the blood-hounds and a species of bluish cur without any hair, they make their hunting dispositions, and appoint their land and water captains to head each party; the duty of the latter is to stand in the prow of the canoe and cheer the dogs to the prey. A huntsman, in fact, is mostly an Indian, as those dogs will not hunt to any other tongue; what this is owing to, whether custom or sagacity, I know not, but it is certainly the case; however, the young Spaniards and Creoles have latterly remedied this defect, and are now as well qualified to hunt a hloodhound in the Indian tongue as an Indian himself. Both parties having armed themselves with otter spears, barbed like harpoons, and with long handles made of rough light wood about ten feet or more, they cheer on the bloodhounds, who no sooner wind the prey than they join chorus with their huntsmen, until they arrive near the Calle Pero, or otter city, when the land party divide into three; one watch; another ascend the ford; while the others poke the banks, in order to eject the creature. As soon as he is started, the hounds are again in full cry, and the curs are loosed to dive after him, and will relieve each other in this task: as soon as one is up down goes the other, while the hounds keep up the cry in the water at a slow pace, until they eventually force the creature to the head of the stream into shallow water,

where these curs either snap him up or he is speared by the hunters; after this, the hounds are allowed the gratification of mouthing him until satisfied, when they again return to depopulate this little commonwealth of otters. After all the old otters have fled, the young ones betake themselves to the uppermost recesses of their burrows, and defend themselves with great obstinacy when they are dug out of their dirty habitation; a slight blow on the forehead will soon despatch them, as that seems their most vulnerable part. In their abode the head, fins, tails and fragments of several species of fish are to be seen, for the otter is, like most aquatic monsters, a glutton; as he seldom eats more than a mouthful of each fish, he must cause frightful destruction among the finny race, and his depredation causes his haunts to be found out at low water, when the hounds would pass him: Abbé Ricardo, who wrote a little treatise on the history of this animal, about a century ago, (in good preservation in the Cathedral of Carraccas) relates, that while the parent otters are in existence, they do not suffer the young gentry to attempt propagating, but that the young are two or three years under their parents' guardianship one thing is very certain, in the same community are to be met three or four different generations of those creatures under the guidance of their patriarch. The alligator is the

only aquatic enemy of this creature, with the exception of the shark, with whom he has very little intercourse. It seems Father Ricardo caused a cagepond to be erected in his garden, in order to study their natural history. His little legend teems with amusing anecdotes of the aboriginal hunters, of whose club he was a member; those gentry, he said, during such excursions, lived well. Certainly, the echoing cry of hounds and hunters is the most delightful I ever heard. It vibrates through every glen at the distance of five or six miles.

The colour of the South American otter is different from that of the European; the latter is much darker; and the male is still darker than the female, who generally gets brown while suckling her puppies; Abbé Ricardo says that they change coats. The skin is now more valuable than formerly, as General Parr's cavalry use them for pistol-covers, and foraging regimental caps are made of them. They also use their skins for segar cases, and the Indians eat the flesh. In destroying fish, the otter rejects the head, and will not use it, although pressed by hunger. In Buenos Ayres there is one quite domesticated, which will invariably bring home what it gets in the river: but tame habits make it lazy and indolent ; it is vicious during the breeding season, and is obliged to be chained.

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KARL AND HIS HORSE NICOLAUS.

YOUNG German who was serving his time to a jeweller, at Magdeburg, was allowed by his master, in the third year of his apprenticeship, to go to Brunswick to see his parents. That he might effect this with comfort to himself, and in a way worthy of the assistant of a reputable tradesman and public functionary of Magdeburg, his master lent him one of his own horses, and provided him with money; whilst the old cook, with whom he was a great favourite, filled his wallet with all the dainties that she could lay her hands upon, and gave him sundry well-meaning hints and admonitions touching the temptations that awaited him in Brunswick. It was on the morning of Midsummerday, in the year 1612, that he arose at six o'clock, lighted his travelling pipe, and mounted the steed, which by no means seemed to sympathize with his rider in the pleasure to be derived from the prospect of a long journey. He was in truth a sluggish beast, overfed and under-worked, and apparently upon such good terms with himself that, when he took any thing into his head, the whip was of no avail, and the spur, however manfully applied, could not drive him from his purpose. He was so fat, that Karl, although a handsome stripling, looked with his legs sticking out almost at right angles like a Y turned upside down. "The devil take thee on our journey (said Karl) if thou go not more speedily than at present. Would I had all the money that has been expended on thee in the article of whips; truly with that I might buy a better animal than thou art, or hast been, or ever wilt be." As he concluded his petulant, but, under all the circumstances, excusable harangue, Nicolaus (for that was his horse's name) shook his head, and gave two or three most significant neighs, which seemed pretty much the same as "Hold thy peace, and speak not of that which thou understandest not! Assuredly I am the best judge of what pace is most proper for me and advisa

ble for thee: I am come to years of discretion, and shall take especial care of thy neck and my own health and comfort!" Well! on they jogged, every now and then renewing this kind of conversation, which always ended in the same manner. About three o'clock in the afternoon, Karl, to the entire satisfaction of Nicolaus, alighted at the Three Golden Bottles, a small herberge, or public-house, situated at the extremity of a hamlet, replenished his meerschaum, and seated himself in a room set apart for the more respectable visitors of this notable house of entertainment, on the outside of which hung a board, whose crooked letters indicated to travellers that—

Horses might a stable find,

And men have liquors to their mind.

At one corner of the room he be held two persons playing at cards, and remarked that one of them, who appeared by his dress and the sums of money that he staked to be a substantial farmer, continually lost; at which the other, who was a dark mysterious looking man, only smiled, and every now and then incited him to continue his destructive course, by saying, "It is your turn now! play boldly-the luck cannot always keep to one side. Come! to give you a better chance, I will put down double to your single stakes." The farmer, buoyed up with the hope of regaining his money, which was indeed the greater part of what be possessed in the world, played on until he had lost all, and then, burning with ill-concealed rage and disappointment, rushed out of the room, whilst he, who had made himself the possessor of his wealth, laughed thrice loudly and triumphantly, and stole out, as Karl supposed, to follow his unfortunate companion. Now, our young traveller had looked on attentively, and saw the result of their gaming with no very pleasant feelings. He was in particu lar shocked and indignant at the coldhearted laugh that escaped from the dark lips of the stranger. Karl drank

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