with a force
which broke down the shrubs opposing its progress. We had great
difficulty in getting back our brave little dogs. They returned at
length, panting with their exertions. Fortunately the tapir was
frightened, or they would have found him more than a match for them.
Our friend told us that it has four toes on its front feet, and three on
the hinder ones, cased with horn. It manages with its flexible upper
lip to tear away the leaves and to pick up the water-melons and gourds
which it finds when it goes forth at night in search of food. However,
it is in no way particular, being almost as omnivorous as the hog. Its
senses of smell and hearing are very acute. Its eyes, though, are small
and its ears short. Its voice is a shrill kind of whistle, such as one
would not expect to proceed from an animal of such massive bulk. It is
extremely fond of the water, and delights in floundering about in the
mud. It can swim and dive also admirably, and will often remain
underneath the surface for many minutes together, and then rising for a
fresh supply of air, plunge down again. It indeed appears to be almost
as amphibious as the hippopotamus, and has consequently been called
_Hippopotamus terrestris_.

We all laughed at Houlston's ill success. It was the first attempt, I
believe, he had ever made at shooting.

"The aim was not bad though," observed Tony, "and if the hide had been
soft, the shot would have gone into it."

"It was a good large object, however, to aim at," said John. "A bullet
would have been more effectual in bringing the creature to the ground."

"I am not quite so certain of that," observed our friend, "for its tough
hide is almost bullet-proof."

Houlston stood our bantering very good-naturedly, and managed in the
course of the day to bring down a couple of birds. "You see, I improve
by practice," he observed; "and one of these days I may turn out a
dead-shot."

I have described the tapir here as it was the first I met, but I
afterwards had better opportunities of observing the animal. As soon as
our mules had rested we commenced our return, as our friend could not be
long absent from Rio. We were at length once more on board the _Inca_.

Tony and Houlston expected to start with the Portuguese mate for the
north in the course of two or three days, and they promised to send me
an account of their adventures as soon as possible on their arrival at
Para. The _Inca_ appeared once more