ough, as Guapo deemed, to entrap the largest tapir.

It now only remained to get the tapir into it, but therein lay the
difficulty. Leon could not understand how this was to be managed. He
knew that at night, as the animal was on its way to the water, it might
step on the covering, and fall in. But Guapo had promised him that he
should see the tapir trapped in an hour's time. Guapo had a plan of his
own for bringing it that way, and he at once proceeded to put his plan
into execution.

They started along the trail going _from_ the water, and towards the
lair of the beast. The hunter knew it would not be very distant--
perhaps a quarter or half a mile, perhaps less. Before starting he
cautioned Leon to keep close behind him, and not to make the least
noise. So little as a whisper or the rustling of the brush, he alleged,
might spoil all his plans. Guapo marched, or rather crouched, along; at
first freely, but after some time his step grew more stealthy and
cautious. He knew that he was getting near to the sleeping victim.
After stopping and repeating his caution to his companion, he proceeded
as before until they had got better than a quarter of a mile from the
water. Here they began to ascend a gentle hill, where the ground was
dry, and strewed with fallen trees. At some places the trail was
difficult to make out, and Leon would soon have lost it had he been left
to himself. But there was no fear of Guapo losing it. A hound could
not have followed it more surely.

Suddenly Guapo stopped--then went on a few steps--then stopped a second
time, and made a sign for Leon to come up. Without speaking, he pointed
to a little thicket of scrubby bushes, through the leaves of which they
could just make out some large brown object perfectly at rest. That was
the tapir himself--sound asleep.

Guapo had already instructed his companion that when they should arrive
near the den of the animal, they were to make a wide circuit around--
Leon going one way, while he himself took the other. Both now drew back
a little, and then parted--the hunter going to one side, and Leon in the
opposite direction. After making their circuit, they met at some
distance beyond the back of the den; and then Guapo, telling the other
to follow him, and, without observing any further caution, walked
straight towards where the tapir lay. The Indian knew by experience
that the latter, when roused, would make directly along its accustomed
tr