Nature, ever provident1, has scattered2 with a bounteous3 hand her gifts in the country of the Orinoco, where the jaguar4 especially abounds6. The savannahs, which are covered with grasses and slender plants, present a surprising luxuriance and diversity of vegetation; piles of granite7 blocks lie here and there, and, at the margins8 of the plains, occur deep valleys and ravines, the humid soil of which is covered with arums, heliconias, llianas. The shelves of primitive9 rocks, scarcely elevated above the plain, are partially10 covered with lichens11 and mosses12, together with succulent plants and tufts of evergreen13 shrubs14 with shining leaves. The horizon is bounded with mountains overgrown with forests of laurels15, among which clusters of palms rise to the height of more than a hundred feet, their slender stems supporting tufts of feathery foliage16. To the east of Atures other mountains appear, the ridge17 of which is composed of pointed18 cliffs, rising like huge pillars above the trees.
When these columnar masses are situated19 near the Orinoco, flamingoes, herons, and other wading20 birds perch21 on their summits, and look like sentinels. In the vicinity of cataracts22, the moisture which is diffused23 in the air, produces a perpetual verdure, and wherever soil has accumulated on the plains, it is adorned24 by the beautiful shrubs of the mountains.
Such is one view of the picture, but it has its dark side also; those flowing waters, which fertilize25 the soil, abound5 with alligators26: those charming shrubs and flourishing plants, are the hiding places of deadly serpents; those laurel forests, the favorite lurking28 spot of the fierce jaguar; while the atmosphere, so clear and lovely, abounds with musquitoes and zancudoes, to such a degree that in the missions of Orinoco, the first questions in the morning when two people meet, are, "How did you find the zancudoes during the night? How are we to-day for the musquitoes?"
It is in the solitude29 of this wilderness30, that the jaguar, stretched out motionless and silent, upon one of the lower branches of the ancient trees, watches for its passing prey31; a deer, urged by thirst, is making its way to the river, and approaches the tree where this enemy lies in wait. The jaguar's eyes dilate32, the ears are thrown down, and the whole frame becomes flattened33 against the branch. The deer, all unconscious of danger, draws near, every limb of the jaguar quivers with excitement every fibre is stiffened34 for the spring; then, with the force of a bow unbent, he darts35 with a terrific yell upon his prey, seizes it by the back of the neck, a blow is given by his powerful paw, and with broken spine36 the deer falls lifeless to the earth. The blood is then sucked, and the prey dragged to some favorite haunt, where it is devoured37 at leisure.
Humboldt surprised a jaguar in his retreat. It was near the Joval, below the mouth of the Cano de la Tigrera, that in the midst of wild and awful scenery, he saw an enormous jaguar stretched beneath the shade of a large mimosa. He had just killed a chiguire, an animal about the size of a pig, which he held with one of his paws, while the vultures were assembled in flocks around. It was curious to observe the mixture of boldness and timidity which these birds exhibited; for although they advanced within two feet of the jaguar, they instantly shrunk back at the least motion he made. In order to observe more clearly their proceedings39, the travellers went into their little boat, when the tyrant40 of the forest withdrew behind the bushes, leaving his victim, upon which the vultures attempted to devour38 it, but were soon put to flight by the jaguar rushing into the midst of them.
The following night, Humboldt and his party were entertained by a jaguar hunter, half-naked, and as brown as a Zambo, who prided himself on being of the European race; and called his wife and daughter, who were as slightly clothed as himself, Donna Isabella and Donna Manuela. As this aspiring41 personage had neither home nor hut, he invited the strangers to swing their hammocks near his own between two trees, but, as ill-luck would have it, a thunder storm came on, which wetted them to the skin; but their troubles did not end here, for Donna Isabella's cat had perched on one of the trees, and frightened by the thunderstorm, jumped down upon one of the travellers in his cot; he naturally supposed that he was attacked by a wild beast, and as smart a battle took place between the two, as that celebrated42 feline43 engagement of Don Quixotte; the cat, who, perhaps had most reason to consider himself an ill-used personage, at length bolted, but the fears of the gentleman had been excited to such degree, that he could hardly be quieted. The following night was not more propitious44 to slumber45. The party finding no tree convenient, had stuck their oars46 in the sand, and suspended their hammocks upon them. About eleven, there arose in the immediately adjoining wood, so terrific a noise, that it was impossible to sleep. The Indians distinguished47 the cries of sapagous, alouates, jaguars48, cougars49, peccaris, sloths50, curassows, paraquas, and other birds, so that there must have been as full a forest chorus as Mr. Hullah himself could desire.
When the jaguars approached the edge of the forest, which they frequently did, a dog belonging to the party began to howl, and seek refuge under their cots. Sometimes, after a long silence, the cry of the jaguars came from the tops of the trees, when it was followed by an outcry among the monkeys. Humboldt supposes the noise thus made by the inhabitants of the forest during the night, to be the effect of some contest that had arisen among them.
On the pampas of Paraguay, great havoc52 is committed among the herds54 of horses by the jaguars, whose strength is quite sufficient to enable them to drag off one of these animals. Azara caused the body of a horse, which had been recently killed by a jaguar, to be drawn55 within musket-shot of a tree, in which he intended to pass the night, anticipating that the jaguar would return in the course of it, to its victim; but while he was gone to prepare for his adventure, behold56 the animal swam across a large and deep river, and having seized the horse with his teeth, dragged it full sixty paces to the river, swam across again with his prey, and then dragged the carcass into a into a neighboring wood: and all this in sight of a person, whom Azara had placed to keep watch. But the jaguars have also an aldermanic gout for turtles, which they gratify in a very systematic57 manner, as related by Humboldt, who was shown large shells of turtles emptied by them.
They follow the turtles toward the beach, where the laying of eggs is to take place, surprise them on the sand, and in order to devour them at their ease, adroitly58 turn them on their backs; and as they turn many more than they can devour in one night, the Indians often profit by their cunning. The jaguar pursues the turtle quite into the water, and when not very deep, digs up the eggs; they, with the alligator27, the heron, and the gallinago vulture ore the most formidable enemies the little turtles have. Humboldt justly remarks, When we reflect on the difficulty that the naturalist59 finds in getting out the body of the turtle, without separating the upper and the under shell, we cannot enough admire the suppleness60 of the jaguar's paw, which empties the double armor of the arraus, as if the adhering parts of the muscles had been cut by a surgical61 instrument.
The rivers of South America swarm62 with alligators, and these wage perpetual war with the jaguars. It is said, that when the jaguar surprises the alligator asleep on the hot sandbank, he attacks him in a vulnerable part under the tail, and often kills him, but let the alligator only get his antagonist63 into the water, and the tables are turned, for the jaguar is held under the water until he is drowned.
The onset64 of the jaguar is always made from behind, partaking of the stealthy treacherous65 character of his tribe; if a herd53 of animals, or a party of men be passing, it is the last that is always the object of his attack. When he has made choice of his victim, he springs upon the neck, and placing one paw upon the back of the head, while he seizes the muzzle66 with the other twists the head round with a sudden jerk which dislocates the spine, and deprives it instantaneously of life: sometimes, especially when satiated with food, he is indolent and cowardly, skulking67 in the gloomiest depths of the forest, and scared by the most trifling68 causes, but when urged by the cravings of hunger, the largest quadrupeds, and man himself, are attacked with fury and success.
Mr. Darwin has given an interesting account of the habits of the jaguar: the wooded banks of the great South American rivers appear to be their favorite haunt, but south of the Plata they frequent the reeds bordering the lakes; wherever they are they seem to require water. They are particularly abundant on the isles69 of the Payana, their common prey being the carpincho, so that it is generally said, that where carpinchos are plentiful70, there is little fear of the jaguar; possibly, however, a jaguar which has tasted human flesh, may afterwards become dainty, and like the lions of South Africa, and the tigers of India, acquire the dreadful character of maneaters, from preferring that food to all others.
It is not many years ago since a very large jaguar found his way into a church in Santa Fe; soon afterward71 a very corpulent padre entering, was at once killed by him: His equally stout72 coadjutor, wondering what had detained the padre, went to look after him, and also fell a victim to the jaguar; a third priest, marveling greatly at the unaccountable absence of the others, sought them, and the jaguar having by this time acquired a strong clerical taste, made at him also, but he, being fortunately of the slender order, dodged73 the animal from pillar to post, and happily made his escape; the beast was destroyed by being shot from a corner of the building, which was unroofed, and thus paid the penalty of his sacrilegious propensities74.
On the Parana, they have even entered vessels75 by night. One dark evening the mate of a vessel76, hearing a heavy but peculiar77 footstep on deck, went up to see what it was, and was immediately met by a jaguar, who had come on board, seeking what he could devour; a severe struggle ensued, assistance arrived, and the brute78 was killed, but the man lost the use of the arm which had been ground between his teeth.
The Gauchos79 say that the jaguar, when wandering about at night, is much tormented80 by the foxes yelping81 as they follow him: this may perhaps serve to alarm his prey, but must be as teasing to him as the attentions of swallows are to an owl51, who happens to be taking a daylight promenade82; and if owls83 ever swear, it is under these circumstances.
Mr. Darwin, when hunting on the banks of the Uruguay, was shown three well-known trees to which the jaguars constantly resort, for the purpose, it is said, of sharpening their claws. Every one must be familiar with the manner in which cats, with out-stretched legs and extended claws, will card the legs of chairs and of men; so with the jaguar; and of these trees the bark was worn quite smooth in front; on each side there were deep grooves84, extending in an oblique85 line nearly a yard in length. The scars were of different ages, arid86 the inhabitants could always tell when a jaguar was in the neighborhood, by his recent autograph on one of these trees.
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1
provident
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| adj.为将来做准备的，有先见之明的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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bounteous
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| adj.丰富的 | |
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jaguar
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| n.美洲虎 | |
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abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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abounds
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的第三人称单数 ) | |
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7
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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margins
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| 边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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lichens
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| n.地衣( lichen的名词复数 ) | |
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mosses
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| n. 藓类, 苔藓植物 名词moss的复数形式 | |
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evergreen
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| n.常青树；adj.四季常青的 | |
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shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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laurels
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| n.桂冠，荣誉 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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cataracts
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| n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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fertilize
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| v.使受精，施肥于，使肥沃 | |
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alligators
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| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
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alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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dilate
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| vt.使膨胀，使扩大 | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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aspiring
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| adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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feline
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| adj.猫科的 | |
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propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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45
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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46
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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jaguars
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| n.（中、南美洲的）美洲虎( jaguar的名词复数 ) | |
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cougars
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| n.美洲狮( cougar的名词复数 ) | |
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50
sloths
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| 懒散( sloth的名词复数 )； 懒惰； 树獭； （经济）停滞。 | |
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51
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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52
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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53
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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54
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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55
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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56
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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57
systematic
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| adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的 | |
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58
adroitly
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| adv.熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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59
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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60
suppleness
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| 柔软； 灵活； 易弯曲； 顺从 | |
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61
surgical
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| adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的 | |
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62
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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66
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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67
skulking
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
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68
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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70
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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71
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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73
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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propensities
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| n.倾向，习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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75
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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76
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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gauchos
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| n.南美牧人( gaucho的名词复数 ) | |
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tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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81
yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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82
promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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84
grooves
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| n.沟( groove的名词复数 )；槽；老一套；（某种）音乐节奏v.沟( groove的第三人称单数 )；槽；老一套；（某种）音乐节奏 | |
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85
oblique
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| adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的 | |
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arid
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| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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