The armadillo was limping away on three legs, for the ocelot had bitten it severely through the hind quarters. But before it could get very far, Darry and Sam went after it and brought it low. Then they dragged it back by its tail and laid it beside the larger beast.
The ocelot was a beautiful specimen, measuring four feet from nose to tip of tail. It was of a greyish fawn color, with stripes and patches of black. The eyes were yellowish brown, full and round. The boys could well imagine how they might glitter in the darkness of night.
“This creature belongs to the leopard family,” said the professor, while reloading his rifle. “They are very powerful, and frequently attack animals twice their size. There are a number of varieties, and some go by the common name of tiger cats. The skins are very valuable for rugs and other purposes.”
“What about the meat?” questioned Darry.
“The natives eat the meat of almost every wild beast. Personally I have never tried ocelot steaks, although I have been told they are fairly good eating.”
CHAPTER XXVIII
MONKEYS AND A CANOE
After the bringing down of the ocelot several days passed without anything unusual happening. The boys went hunting and fishing to their heart’s content and brought down many small animals, but nothing of great importance outside of a pair of peccaries, which were found in a hollow tree by Sam and brought down by him and Darry. The peccary proved to be sweet eating, and Cubara was particularly pleased to get the meat.
“Werry nice him,” he said. “Love him werry much. Eat him ev’ry day fo’ many, many moons.”
“Perhaps you could,” answered Darry. “But I’d get mighty sick of it in a couple of days.”
Frank and Mark had been planning to go hunting on their own account, further up the river, and at last obtained the professor’s permission to use the canoe for that purpose.