t, before I could
bring it to bear upon his body, he had passed up the tree like a flash;
and lay crouching not twenty feet above our heads, and glaring down at
us! So close had he been in passing, that his claws brushed my arm, and
I could feel his warm breath upon my face! The peccaries had followed
to the foot of the tree, and there stopped--being unable to climb it.
Some of them ran around, gazing upward. Others tore the bark with their
teeth; and all of them uttered their shrill screams of fury and
disappointment.

"For some moments, Frank and I stood terror struck. We knew not what
was best to be done. There, above, was the terrible cougar, his eyes
glaring like balls of fire at ourselves, who were within reach of a
single spring! We knew not the moment he might leap down upon us.
Below, again, was an enemy, equally terrible, in the peccaries. They
would have torn us to pieces in an instant, had we attempted to descend
to the ground. No wonder, then, we were terrified at the dilemma in
which we were so suddenly placed. No wonder it was some moments before
I could gather resolution enough to act.

"At length, however, I bethought myself that of the two enemies the
cougar was certainly the worse. We were safe from the peccaries so long
as we remained upon the tree, while we were at the mercy of the other,
go where we would. I resolved, therefore, to direct my energies toward
the destruction of the latter.

"All this time, the cougar had remained where he had first perched
himself in an upper fork of the tree. He would, no doubt, have attacked
us sooner had he not dreaded the peccaries below; but he feared that by
springing at us he might precipitate himself amongst them; and this kept
him for the moment quiet. I knew very well, however, that as soon as
the animals at the foot of the tree should take their departure, our
fate would be sealed.

"My companion was unarmed. He had brought with him only his bow and
arrows. These had been left at the foot of the tree, and were already
crunched in pieces by the peccaries. I put him behind me, therefore--so
that he should be out of the way of the cougar in case I should only
succeed in wounding the latter, and it might spring upon us. All this
was done in silence, and as gently as possible, so as not to startle the
monster that lay above us, glaring and growling.

"As soon as I was ready, I brought up my rifle slowly and with great
caution. I steadied