"Do jaquaretes ever attack men?"
"No; but, still, if we had tried to touch her young ones, the mother would perhaps have flown at us."
"To eat us?" asked Lucien, opening his eyes very widely.
"She would bite and tear us with her claws, or otherwise injure us. But seriously, as a general rule, wild beasts, or carnivora, as the savants call them, are always formidable, and, whatever may be their size, it is unsafe to provoke them. If one of us, unarmed, had to fight hand to hand with a wild-cat, it is probable that he would receive more injury from the contest than the animal."
Night was now falling fast; but, fortunately, our fire guided us to our resting-place. When we were yet some distance off, we were amused at seeing the Indian prowling round, or gravely sitting down face to face with the dog, with whom, no doubt, he was chatting. Suddenly the dog jumped up, pricking up his ears, and ran out to meet us, while l'Encuerado raised over his head a burning branch to throw a light upon our path.
At day-break we were awakened by the voice of the Indian. The gloomy appearance of the weather threatened us with one of those fine rains which appear to last forever. Sumichrast went off to cut some long switches covered with leaves, one of which light boughs he handed to each of us before he would allow us to enter the cave.
"What are these switches for?" asked Lucien, in surprise.
"M. Sumichrast wants to catch some bats, Chanito."
"Does he intend to eat them?"
"Oh no; though I have no doubt they would be very good."