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Updated: May 24, 2025
The leaves of this beautiful tree, when pressed, emit a strong aromatic smell; and a very curious property ascribed to it by the more ignorant people of the mountains will be illustrated by the dialogue which follows: "Let us pass the night here," said Don Pablo, halting, and addressing himself to Guapo. "This level spot will serve us to encamp. We can sleep under the shade of the bushes."
Before he could recover himself, or Guapo climb out of the pit, a loud plunge in the water announced that the animal had escaped to an element where it might defy their pursuit. Both were quite crest-fallen and disappointed, but Guapo especially so. He had prided himself very much on his skill as a tapir-hunter, and his pride was mortified at the result.
Don Pablo, before braving the dangers of the vast journey he had projected, had still a lingering hope that something might have happened some change in the government of Peru perhaps a new Viceroy that might enable him to return with safety to his native land. To ascertain if such had taken place, Guapo had made his journey to the mountains.
"The poison-trees, master," answered Guapo. The answer seemed to impress Don Pablo. He made a violent effort, and rose to his feet. When up he could scarcely stand. He felt as though he had swallowed a powerful opiate. "It must be so, good Guapo. Perhaps there is some truth in what you have said. O, heavens!" exclaimed he, suddenly recollecting himself, "the others my wife and children!"
Would it not glance from the shell even should he succeed in hitting it under water? Surely it would! As they stood whispering their conjectures to one another, they observed Guapo, to their great astonishment, pointing his arrow upward, and making as if he was going to discharge it in the air!
The latter had been but loosely put on, so that the pressure of the water, as the turtle dived, should separate it from the shaft, leaving the shaft with its cord to act as a buoy, and discover the situation of the turtle. Guapo, in his swift canoe, soon laid hold of the shaft, and after a little careful manoeuvring, succeeded in landing his turtle high and dry upon the bank.
With large open mouths they had followed their victim to the very surface, and now that he was lifted out of their reach, they shot forward and attacked the legs of his rescuers, causing Don Pablo and Guapo to dance up in the water, and make with all haste for the bank. As soon as they had reached it, they turned round and looked into the water.
Not a bit of carcass was there; there were bones clean bones and dry hard skin, but no flesh, not an atom of flesh! "Tatou-poyou!" quietly remarked Guapo. "What!" said Don Pablo, "an armadillo, you think?" recognising, in Guapo's words, the Indian name for one of the large species of armadillos. "Yes," replied Guapo. "All eaten by the tatou-poyou. See! there's his hole."
He rubbed his eyes, and rose up, and approached the bank, and dipped his hands in the water, and came back to his former place, and sat down again. Spite of all his efforts, however, he felt very heavy. Oh! when would the two hours pass that he might rouse Guapo? "Car-r-ambo! I nev-er was so s-s-sleepy. Vamos! Leon! you mustn't give in!"
The vaquero was now joined by Guapo; and, after some sharp manoeuvring, they succeeded between them in passing the string through the nostrils of the condor, by which means it was quietly conducted to the hut, and staked on the ground in the rear to be disposed of whenever its captor should think fit.
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