us homo_. Such a creature came suddenly upon my camp one day
just before a serious and well-nigh fatal attack of fever compelled me
to relinquish my intention to proceed farther up the Javary.

"'While my Indian cook was preparing the afternoon meal, out from the
dense jungle strode a bearded, shaggy-haired, painted white man, totally
nude save for a narrow breechclout and a quiver containing several long
hunting arrows. In one hand he carried a strong bow of really excellent
workmanship. This was his only weapon. He wore no ornament, unless
streaks of brilliant red paint be considered ornaments. He was wild and
savage in appearance and manner as any cannibal Indian. Yet he was
indubitably white.

"'To my somewhat startled greeting he made no response. Neither did he
speak at any time during his unceremonious visit. Bolt upright, he stood
beside my crude table until the Indian stolidly brought in my food.
Then, without a by-your-leave, the wild man rapidly wolfed down the
entire meal, feeding himself with one hand and holding his bow ready in
the other. Though I questioned him and sought to draw him into
conversation, he honored me with not so much as a grunt or a gesture.
When the table was bare he stalked out again and vanished into the dim
forest.

"'After he had gone my Indian urged that we leave the place at once. The
man, he said, was "The Raposa"--a word which denotes a species of wild
dog sometimes found on the upper Amazon. He knew nothing of this
"Raposa" except that he apparently belonged to a wild tribe living far
back in the forest, perhaps allied with the cannibal Mayorunas, who were
very fierce; and that he appeared sometimes at Indian settlements,
where, without ever speaking, he would help himself to the best food and
then leave. My man seemed to fear that now some great misfortune would
come to us unless we shifted our base. When the fever came upon me soon
afterward, the superstitious fellow was convinced that the illness was
attributable directly to the visit of the human "wild dog."

"'Aside from the nudity and barbarism of the mysterious stranger,
certain personal peculiarities struck me. One was that his eyes were
green. Another was a streak of snow-white hair above one ear.
Furthermore, the red paint on his body outlined his skeleton. His ribs,
spine, arm- and leg-bones all were portrayed on his tanned skin by those
brilliant red streaks. In this connection my Indian asserted that in the
trib