The trigger tensed: the cartridge exploded.
Crouched with muscles like steel springs, the panther never launched his body into the air. The bullet struck his eye and thence penetrated his skull. He rolled over, threshing his great paws, snarling and biting at his own flesh in his impotent helplessness.
Swiftly the Indian recovered himself, and, selecting an arrow from his quiver he watched his chance and managed to get to a point where, in an instant of comparative quiet, he drove the arrow like a lance, burying its point deep in the animal’s throat. There was renewed turmoil in that jungle path, but it was short. The jaguar, or panther, according to the natural history you choose to believe about the black species of Central America, lay still.
The Indian turned from watching the beast and regarded the youths with stolid, but awakened interest. His manner was not hostile. He seemed to be wondering what course to take.
“I think he saw our fire last night and has been watching us ever since,” Nicky said, his first remark since the exciting adventure, for Nicky, without a weapon, felt just a trifle ashamed because he had thought of his own safety first and had leaped aside to let Tom try to recover the rifle.
“In a way we saved his life,” Cliff said. “Or—Tom did. He ought to be grateful. Let’s try him with what Spanish we know.”
But the Indian did not respond either to English or to Spanish.
He said no word but turning he beckoned to them to follow him—they sidled past the beast, giving it as wide a berth as possible in case it still retained life enough to thresh out with those claws, curved like scimitars, sharp as steel grapples. The Indian led them up the trail for a short distance and then turned off with the trio following.
After an hour on the narrower, almost impenetrable way, where sharp branches caught at them, and poisonous scorpions stood their ground and dared intrusion with their stings all ready to back up their dare, Tom and his comrades saw that they had been brought to a small jungle village.
Slatternly, stout, worn old women, and sickly looking younger girls, cleanly athletic young fellows and old men came out to stare and to listen to the very few words with which the Indian explained.