ns of a dull sound; but I ultimately attributed
these noises to my over-excited imagination. Suddenly a terrible roar
re-echoed through the forest and woke up Lucien.

"What is the matter? Is it Chema?"

"No, my boy; it is a jaguar."

"Will it come near us?"

"I hope not, but go on with its nocturnal hunting; anyhow, behind the
fire we have nothing to fear."

I put Lucien back against the tree and cocked my gun, when the head and
bright eyes of a superb jaguar appeared about fifty paces from us.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXIX.

A NOCTURNAL VISITOR.--THE FALL OF A TREE.--A
FEARFUL NIGHT.--THE MONKEYS.--MASTER JOB.--ALL
RIGHT AT LAST.

After looking at us for a moment, the animal crept cunningly round us,
alternately appearing and disappearing behind the trees. I hastened to
make up the fire, and then sat down near Lucien, who, gun in hand, was
bravely watching the enemy.

"Whatever you do, don't fire," I said.

"If I did, would the animal spring upon us?"

"He would far more likely retreat; but we shall want our ammunition
to-morrow."

For an hour the animal kept prowling round, every now and then bounding
off. At last it came and sat down about twenty paces from the fire, then
stretched itself on the ground and rolled about as if in play; but if we
made the slightest movement it immediately got up, and, laying back its
ears, showed its formidable teeth. Suddenly a noise as if of breaking
branches was heard, followed by reports like those of guns; then came a
horrible roar. Lucien, frightened, rushed into my arms.

"What!" said I to him; "don't you remember the noise made by the fall of
a tree?"

"Oh papa! I have heard nothing like it since the day of the
hurricane."

[Illustration: "We now came upon some creeping plants."]

"That is quite true; but it is an incident to which you will soon be
accustomed, for the first storm will probably overthrow many of these
formidable giants. The tiger is frightened too, for he has made off, you
see. Try and go to sleep, my dear boy, for to-morrow we may perhaps have
to walk a long way."

I leaned my head against that of the child, who soon dropped asleep. The
forest had resumed its majestic silence, which was only disturbed by the
distant fall of another and another colossus.

My anxiety was extreme, and though I knew our friends would range every
way in quest of us, we might so readily wander in opposi