66 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE.

hanging inside. “The gable end of this house was not
boarded up as high as the roof, but a large aperture was
left for light and air. By taking an enormous leap, a hungry
jaguar, attracted by the smell of the venison, had entered
the hut and devoured part of it. He was disturbed by the
return of the owners, and took his departure. The venison
was removed. The husband went away the night after to a
distance, and left his wife alone in the hut. She had not
been long in bed before she heard the jaguar leap in at the
open gable. There was no door between her room and
that in which he had entered, and she knew not how to
protect herself. She, however, screamed as loudly as she
could, and made all the violent noises she could think of,
which served to frighten him away at that time; but she
knew he would come again, and she must be prepared for
him. She tried to make a large fire, but the wood was
expended. She thought of rolling herself up in the bed-
clothes, but these would be torn off. The idea of getting
under the low bedstead suggested itself, but she felt sure
a paw would be stretched forth which would drag her out.
Her husband had taken all their firearms. At last, as she
heard the jaguar scrambling up the end of the house, in
despair she got into a large store chest, the lid of which
closed with a spring. Scarcely was she within it, and had
dragged the lid down, inserting her fingers between it and
the side of the chest, when the jaguar discovered where she
was. He smelt round the chest, tried to get his head in
. through the crack, but fortunately he could not raise the lid.
He found her fingers and began to lick them; she felt
them bleed, but did not dare.to move them for fear she
should be suffocated. At length the jaguar leaped on to the
lid, and his weight pressing down the lid, fractured her
fingers. Still she could not move. He smelt round again,
he pulled, he leaped on and off, till at last getting tired of
his vain efforts, he went away. The poor woman lay there