THE PUMA AND THE GREAT ANT-BEAR.
All at once the attention of the boy was called away from the crawling
millions. A rustling among some dead leaves was heard. It appeared to
proceed from the edge of the glade, not far from the ant-hills. The
branches of the underwood were seen to move, and the next moment a
slender cylindrical object, about a foot and a half in length, was
protruded out from the leaves. Had there not been a pair of small eyes
and ears near the farther end of this cylindrical object, no one would
have taken it for the head and snout of an animal. But Leon saw the
little sparkling black eyes, and he therefore conjectured that it was
some such creature.
The next moment the body came into view, and a singular creature it was.
It was about the size of a very large Newfoundland dog, though of a
different shape. It was covered all over with long brownish hair, part
of which looked so coarse as to resemble dry grass or bristles. On each
shoulder was a wide strip of black, bordered with whitish bands; and the
tail, which was full three feet long, was clothed with a thick growth of
coarse hair, several inches in length, that looked like strips of
whalebone. This was carried aloft, and curving over the back. But the
most curious feature of the animal was its snout.
Talk of the nose of a grey hound. It would be a "pug" in comparison!
That of this animal was full twice as long, and not half so thick, with
a little mouth not over an inch in size, and without a single tooth! It
was certainly the oddest snout Leon had ever seen. The legs, too, were
remarkable. They were stout and thick, the hinder ones appearing much
shorter than the fore-legs; but this was because the creature in its
hind-feet was _plantigrade_, that is, it walked with the whole of its
soles touching the surface, which only bears and a few other sorts of
quadrupeds do.
Its fore-feet, too, were oddly placed upon the ground. They had four
long claws upon each, but these claws, instead of being spread out, as
in the dog or cat, were all folded backward along the sole, and the
creature, to avoid treading on them, actually walked on the sides of its
feet! The claws were only used for scraping up the ground, and then it
could bring them forward in a perpendicular position, like the blade of
a hoe, or the teeth of a garden-rake. Of course, with feet furnished in
such an out-of-the-way fashion, the animal moved but slowly over the
ground. In fact it went very slowly, and with a stealthy pace.
Although Leon had never seen the creature before, he had read about it,
and had also seen pictures of it. He knew it, therefore, at a glance.
That proboscis-looking snout was not to be mistaken. It could belong to
no other creature than the _tamanoir_, or _great ant-eater_, by the
people of South America called the _ant-bear_. It was, in fact, that
very thing; but to Leon's astonishment, as soon as it got fairly out of
the bushes, he noticed a singular-looking hunch upon its back, just over
the shoulder. At first he could not make out what this was, as he had
never heard of such a protuberance, besides, the tail half hid it from
his view. All of a sudden the animal turned its head backwards, touched
the hunch with its snout, gave itself a shake, and then the odd
excrescence fell to the ground, and proved to be a young ant-eater, with
bushy tail and long snout, the "very image of its mother." The large one
was thus seen to be a female that had been carrying her infant upon her
shoulders.
It was close to one of the ant-hills where the old tamanoir placed her
young upon the ground, and turning away from it, she approached the
great cone. Erecting herself upon her hind-feet, she stood with the fore
ones resting against the hill, apparently examining it, and considering
in what part of it the shell or roof was thinnest and weakest. These
cones, composed of agglutinated sand and earth, are frequently so
stoutly put together that it requires a pick-axe or crowbar to break
them open.
But the ant-eater knew well that her fore-feet were armed with an
implement equal to either pick or crow, and she would certainly have
made a hole there and then, had she not noticed, on looking around to
the other side, that the inhabitants of the hill were all abroad upon
one of their forays. This seemed to bring about a sudden change in her
determination, and, dropping her fore-feet to the ground, she once more
threw up her great tail, and returned to where she had left her young
one. Partly pushing it before her with her snout, and partly lifting it
between her strong fore-arms, she succeeded in bringing the latter to
the border of the path along which travelled the ants.
Here she squatted down, and placed herself so that the point of her nose
just touched the selvedge of the swarming hosts, having caused the
youngster by her side to do the same. Then throwing out a long worm-like
tongue, which glittered with a viscous coating, she drew it back again
covered with ants. These passed into her mouth, and thence, of course,
into her capacious stomach. The tongue, which was more than a foot in
length, and nearly as thick as a quill, was again thrown out, and again
drawn back, and this operation she continued, the tongue making about
two "hauls" to every second of time! Now and then she stopped eating, in
order to give some instructions to the little one that was seen closely
imitating her, and with its more slender tongue dealing death among the
_termites_.
So very comic was the sight that Leon could not help laughing at it, as
he sat upon his perch.
An end, however, was put to his merriment, by the sudden appearance of
another animal--one of a different character. It was a large cat-like
creature, of a reddish-yellow, or tawny colour, long body and tail,
round head, with whiskers, and bright gleaming eyes. Leon had seen that
sort of animal before. He had seen it led in strings by Indians through
the streets of Cuzco, and he at once recognised it. It was the
_Puma_--the maneless lion of America.
The specimens which Leon had seen with the Indians had been rendered
tame and harmless. He knew that, but he had also been told that the
animal in its wild state is a savage and dangerous beast. This is true
of the puma in some districts, while in others the creature is cowardly,
and will flee at the sight of man. In all cases, however, when the puma
is brought to bay, it makes a desperate fight, and both dogs and men
have been killed in the attack.
Leon had not been frightened at the tamanoir. Even had it been a savage
creature, he knew it could not climb a tree--though there are two
smaller species of ant-bears in South America that can--and he therefore
knew he was quite safe on his perch. But his feelings were very
different when the red body of the puma came in sight. It could run up
the smoothest trunk in the forest with as much ease and agility as a
cat, and there would be no chance of escaping from it if it felt
disposed to attack him. Of this the boy was fully conscious, and no
wonder he was alarmed.
His first thought was to leap down, and make for the cinchona-trees,
where the others were; but the puma had entered the glade from that
side, and it was therefore directly in his way: he would have run right
in its teeth by going toward the cinchona-trees. He next thought of
slipping quietly down, and getting into the woods behind him.
Unfortunately, the tree on which he was stood out in the glade quite
apart from any others, the puma would see him go off, and, of course,
could overtake him in a dozen leaps. These thoughts passed through the
boy's mind in a few seconds of time; and in a few seconds of time he was
convinced that his best course would be to remain where he was, and keep
quiet. Perhaps the puma would not notice him--as yet he had not.
No doubt he would have done so, had there been nothing else on the spot
to take off his attention; but just as he came into the open ground, his
eyes fell upon the ant-eaters, where they lay squatted and licking up
the termites. He had entered the glade in a sort of skulking trot, but
the moment he saw the tamanoirs he halted, drew his body into a
crouching attitude, and remained thus for some moments, while his long
tail oscillated from side to side, as that of a cat when about to spring
upon a mouse or a sparrow.
Just at this moment the tamanoir, having turned round to address some
conversation to her young companion, espied him, and sprang to her feet.
She recognised in the puma--as in others of his race--a deadly enemy.
With one sweep of her fore-arm she flung the young one behind her, until
it rested against the wall of the ant-hill, and then, following in all
haste, threw herself into an erect attitude in front of her young,
covering it with her body.
She was now standing firm upon her hind-feet--her back resting against
the mud wall--but her long snout had entirely disappeared! That was held
close along her breast, and entirely concealed by the shaggy tail, which
for this purpose had been brought up in front. Her defence rested in her
strong fore-arms, which, with the great claws standing at right angles,
were now held out in a threatening manner. The young one, no doubt aware
of some danger, had drawn itself into its smallest bulk, and was clewed
up behind her.
The puma dashed forward, open-mouthed, and began the attack. He looked
as though he would carry everything by the first assault; but a sharp
tear from the tamanoir's claws drew the blood from his cheek, and
although it rendered him more furious, it seemed to increase his
caution. In the two or three successive attempts he kept prudently out
of reach of these terrible weapons. His adversary held her fore-legs
wide open, as though she was desirous of getting the other to rush
between them, that she might clutch him, after the manner of the bears.
This was exactly what she wanted, and in this consists the chief mode of
defence adopted by these animals. The puma, however, seemed to be up to
her trick.
This thrust-and-parry game continued for some minutes, and might have
lasted longer, had it not been for the young tamanoir. This foolish
little creature, who up to that moment was not very sure what the fuss
was all about, had the imprudent curiosity to thrust out its slender
snout. The puma espied it, and making a dart forward, seized the snout
in his great teeth, and jerked the animal from under. It uttered a low
squall, but the next moment its head was "crunched" between the muscular
jaws of the puma.
The old one now appeared to lose all fear and caution. Her tail fell
down. Her long snout was unsheathed from under its protection, and she
seemed undecided what to do. But she was not allowed much time to
reflect. The puma, seeing the snout, the most vulnerable part,
uncovered, launched himself forward like an arrow, and caught hold of it
in his bristling fangs. Then having dragged his victim forward, he flung
her upon her breast, and mounting rapidly on her back, proceeded to
worry her at his pleasure.
Although Leon pitied the poor tamanoir, yet he dared not interfere, and
would have permitted the puma to finish his work, but at that moment a
sharp pain, which he suddenly felt in his ankle, caused him to start
upon his seat, and utter an involuntary scream.