time he
fired. And as he was perfectly calm at the time, it stood to reason that
his bullet went direct to the mark he meant it should.

He saw a yellow object threshing about under the dense growth, and
realized that he had given the adventurous jaguar something that was apt
to wind up his career as a terror to the monkey hosts of the forest.

But this was not all Frank saw. Another figure had appeared just ten
paces farther along, and he realized that a second jaguar had crept out
of the copse, evidently bent on charging the camp.

"There's two more, Frank! Oh! my, it's a dozen I guess!" whooped Andy,
who had found a better opportunity to see in other quarters.

"Grab a firebrand, quick!" shouted Frank, trying to get a bead on the
second slinking figure; and yet hesitating about firing, because of the
great risk that must ensue should he only wound the fierce monster.

He saw out of the corner of his eye that Andy made a plunge toward the
fire and was snatching a brand out in each hand.

"Wave them around your head, and shout like thunder!" he cried, at the
same time starting in to do this latter himself.

Perhaps it was a comical thing in some respects. Andy often laughed over
it afterwards; but just then it seemed serious enough. The way both of
them let loose with their strong young voices would have made a football
cheer captain turn green with envy. They fairly awoke the echoes
slumbering in the depths of the forest.

And Andy waved those two torches like a good fellow, back and forth, in
and out, weaving them as an expert Indian club athlete might do with his
heavy weights, until the rushing flames roared again and again because
of their rapid passage through the air.

"They're licked already, Frank!" whooped Andy, as he daringly began to
advance with his flaming beacons swinging around and around. "Look at
the coward moving back, would you? Talk to me about your guns, they
ain't in it with these things, when it comes to scaring off a pack of
wild beasts. Scat! you terror, or I'll just swat you one alongside your
jaw. Growl at me, will you? There, take that, hang you!"

To the astonishment of Frank, Andy, who had rushed straight at one of
the retreating animals, suddenly hurled a blazing brand straight at the
jaguar. In his palmy baseball days Andy had never amounted to a great
deal as a pitcher; but all the same he made a beautiful throw right then
and there.

The whirling, blazing fagot of wood st