r, and, abandoning their prey, stood
around in evident concern. A new guest had made its appearance in the
sky, and soared round and round above us. It settled down heavily, and
folded its black and white wings; the new-comer was the _Sarcoramphus
papa_ of the _savants_--a bird akin to the condor.

This king of the vultures, as the Indians call it, had a black tail, and
white plumage on its back. Its neck was adorned with a ruff of
pearl-gray feathers, and the top of its head was streaked in symmetrical
lines with a dark down; on its yellow beak there was a fleshy
protuberance, the utility of which ornithologists seek in vain to
explain. The magnificent bird darted round it a domineering look, and,
advancing towards the prey, began to feed. New guests were incessantly
arriving, but they all kept their distance.

At last the _sarcoramphus_ flew away, and immediately the vultures
rushed _en masse_ on the carcass, which soon disappeared under the crowd
of beaks.

We now made for the raft, but the distance was greater than we had
calculated; and, before going on board, it was highly necessary to free
ourselves of the hundreds of _ticks_ which we had collected in the
savannah. These insects are black, and as small as fleas, and gather in
masses at the extremities of plants, ready to attach themselves to any
animal that brushes against them. They then bury their claws in the
flesh, and greedily suck the blood. It is a tedious job to pick off one
by one these troublesome parasites, which cause an almost unbearable
itching.

About five o'clock in the evening, the raft came to shore in a bay
shaded by palm-trees. L'Encuerado hastened to stretch out his tigers'
skins, and, as night was at hand, we contented ourselves with the
remains of a tortoise. The Indian, who had walked but little, cocked his
gun and strolled along the edge of the river. In about a quarter of an
hour he returned, looking pale and excited.

"Have you been bitten by a serpent?" I cried.

"No, Tatita," he replied, quite out of breath; "something worse than
that! I have seen _it_!"

"What?" I exclaimed.

"A ghost!" said the Indian in a low tone, crossing himself.

"Pluck up your spirits," said I to the Indian; "if you have, we'll kill
it to-morrow."

"You can't kill it, Tatita."

"With ordinary bullets, no; but those which Sumichrast knows how to
prepare will soon settle him."

My curiosity was raised; for this ghost was an animal called a tapir,