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Updated: May 24, 2025
Several times the wolves, coyotes and pumas became so troublesome that a number were killed. Bison were so plentiful that hardly a day passed without sight of them. In some instances the droves contained tens of thousands. George and Victor Shelton soon found themselves climbing among the foothills.
The American “lion” is only a small species of pumas and not formidable enough to terrify a Nantucket youth. The navigation of the Halbrane went on prosperously with the help of the sea and the wind. In fifteen days, if this state of things lasted, she might reach Tristan d’Acunha.
The officers swaggered in the gayest of uniforms; the men were shoeless, dirty and slovenly. A shooting-trip had been arranged for us: a steam launch on the lake, Indians as carriers, mules, etc. etc., but my friend declined for want of time. Among the fauna of the country are common and black jaguars, tapirs, manatees, peccaries, boas, cougars or pumas, and alligators.
"What were all those frightful noises, Dias? Were they pumas or jaguars?" "They were both, senor. You can easily tell the difference in the sounds they make. The jaguar's is between a roar and a snarl, while the puma's is a sort of a hissing roar." As soon as breakfast was over, the tents were packed up and the mules and llamas laden. Dias had given them a feed all round an hour before.
In the evenings, groups of the pheasant-like Hachahuallpa summoned their distant companions with the cry of Ven aca, ven aca Come here, come here; and owls and bats flew out with noiseless wings to pounce on their unwary prey. Bears and ounces, pumas and tiger-cats crossed our path; and stags started from their thickets, where they had sought shelter from some of those above-named enemies.
"There are pumas in the mountains," he replied. They parted from him upon the ledge where the great fight had occurred, and travelled into the east. Turning many times, they saw him still standing there. At a point where they must lose sight of him, they looked for the last time. He was alone with his solitary hills, leaning on his rifle. They fired two shots into the air.
He chuckled to himself noiselessly, and said in a whisper "Twenty grizzlies, and fifty pumas!" Then he rubbed his hands softly on his knees, and spoke aloud again: "Ici, I was proud of him. We were standing together on a ledge of rock. Gawdor was not far away. Gawdor was a poor hunter, and I knew he was wild at Gordineer's great luck.... A splendid bull-wapiti come out on a rock across the gully.
He was cleaning the cage of the two pumas, and making at the same time desperate efforts to keep his faculties clear and avoid betraying his condition.
The story got started that there was a big puma the king of them all carrying off the little ones, and my brother and I awoke one morning to find every laborer missing. They departed bag and baggage. Afraid of the pumas." "What did you do?" "Well, we organized ourselves and our white helpers into a hunting party and killed a lot of the beasts. There wasn't any big one though."
Let me tell you that settlements have been broken up and deserted on account of the persecution experienced from these little insects! They are the real "wild beasts" of South America, far more to be dreaded than pumas, or crocodiles, or snakes, or even the fierce jaguar himself.
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