The Perrysburg journal. [volume], March 03, 1855, Page 388, Image 4

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388
THE PERRYSBURG JOURNAL.
Hunting the Tapir.
No one who has turned over the pages of
a picture book ot mammalia, will be likely
to forget the odd-looking animal known as
the tapir. Its long proboscis-like snout, its
stiff-maned neck, and clumsy hog-like bod)',
render the tout-ensemble of this creature so
peculiar, that there is no mistaking it for
any other animal. A minute description of
it may be avoided, but a lew ot its charac
teristics may be interesting to the reader.
When lull grown, the tapir, or anta, as it
is sometimes called, is six feet in length by
nearly four in height its weight being
nearly equal to that of a small bullock. Its
teeth resemble those of a horse ;' but, instead
of hoofs, its feet are toed the fore ones
having four toes, while the hind feet have
have only three each. The eyes are small
and lateral, while the ears are large and
pointed. The skin is thick, somewhat like
the hippopotamus, with a very thin scatter
ing of silky hairs over it; but along the
ridge of the neck, and upon the short tail,
the hairs are longer and more profuse. The
upper jaw protrudes far beyond the under
one. It is, moreover, highly prehensile, and
enables the tapir to seize the roots upon
which it feeds with greater ease. In fact, it
plays the part of the elephant's proboscis, to a
limited degree.
Although the largest quadruped indigenous
to South America, the tapir is not very well
known to naturalists. Its haunts arc far be
yond the borders of civilization. It is,
moreover, a shy and solitary creature, and
ita active life is mostly nocturnal ; hence no
great opportunity is offered for observing its
habits. The chapter of its natural history
is therefore a short one.
The tapir is an inhabitant of the tropical
countries of America, dwelling near the
banks of rivers and marshy lagoons. It is
the American representative of the rhinoceros
and hippopotamus, or more properly, of the
naiba, or Indian Tapir ( Tapirus lndicus) of
Sumatra, which has but lately become known
to naturalists. The latter, in fact, is a near
congener, and very much resembles the tapir
of South America.
It is amphibious that is, it frequents the
water, can swim and dive well, and gener
ally 6eeks its food in the water or the 6oft
marshy sedge ; but when in repose, it is a
land animal, making its haunt in the thick
coverts of the woods, and selecting a dry
6pot for its lair. Here it will remain couch
ed and asleep during the greater part of the
day. At nightfall it steals forth, and fol
lowing an old and well used path, it ap
proaches the bank of some river, and plunges
in, swims off in search of food tho, roots
nd stems of several species of water plants.
In this business it occupies most of the
hours of darkness ; but at daybreak, it swims
back to the place where it entered the water,
and going out, takes the " back track " to its
lair, where it sleeps until sunset again warns
it forth.
Sometimes, during rain, it leaves its den
even at midday. On such occasions it pro
ceeds to the river or the adjacent swamp,
where it delights to wallow in the mud, af
ter the manner of hogs, and often for hours
together. Unlike the hog, however, the tapir
ii a cleanly animal. After wallowing, it
never returns to its den until it has first
plunged into the clear water, and washed its
akin thoroughly. It usually travels at a
trot, but when hard pressed, it can gallop.
Its gallop is peculiar. The fore-legs are
thrown far in advance, and the head is car
tied between them in a very awkward man
ner, somewhat after the fashion of a frolic
some donkey.
The tapir is strictly a vegetable feeder.
It lives upon flags and roots of aquatic
plants. Several kinds of fruits, and young
succulent branches of trees, form a portion
of its food. It is a shy, timid animal, with
out any malice in its character ; and although
possessed of great strength, never uses it ex
cept for defence, and then only in endeavors
to escape. It frequently suffers itself to be
killed without making any defence, although
with its great strength and well furnished
jaws it might do serious hurt to an enemy.
The hunt of the tapir is one of the amuse
' ments or rather employments, of the South
American Indians. Not that the flesh of
this animal is so eagerly desired by them.
Uli the contrary, it w dry and has a disagree
able taste, and there are some tribes who will
not eat of it, preferring the flesh of monkeys,
macaws, and the armadillo. But the part
most prized is the thick, tough skin, which
is employed by the Indians in making shields,
sandals, and various other articles. This is
the more valuable in a country where the
thick-skinned and leather yielding mamma
lia are almost unknown.
Slaying the tapir is no easy matter. The
creatine is shy ; and having the advantage
of the watery element, is often enabled to
dive beyond the reach of pursuit, and thus
escape by concealing itself. Among most
of the native tribes of South America, the
young hunter who has killed a tapir is look
ed upon as having achieved something to bo
proud of. The tapir is hunted by bow and
arrow, or by the gun. Sometimes the " gra
vatana,'' or blow tube is employed, with, its
poisoned darts. In any case, the hunter
either lies in wait for his prey, or with a pack
of dogs drives it out of the underwood, and
takes the chances of a flying shot. When
the trail of a tapir has been discovered, his
capture becomes easy. It is well known to
the hunter that this animal, when proceeding
from his lair to the water and returning, al
ways follows his old track until a beaten
path is made, which is easily discernible.
This path often betrays the tapir, and leads
to his destruction. Sometimes the hunter
accomplishes this by means of a pitfall,
covered with branches and palm leaves; at
other times, he places himself in ambuscade,
either before twilight or early in the morn
ing, and shoots the unsuspecting animal, as
he approaches on his daily round. Some
times, when the whereabouts of a tapir has
been discovered, a whole tribe sally out, and
take part in the hunt. Such a hunt was
witnessed by Martinhez, an intelligent Bra
zilian trader, who gave me the following
description of it :
In the year 18 , I went to trade with the
Jumnas up the Xingu. Their muloccas
(palm hut villages,) lie beyond the falls of
that river. Although classed as wild Indi
ans, the Jumnas arc a mild race, friendly to
the traders, and collect during a season con
siderable qauntities of seringa (India rubber,)
sarsaparilla, as well as rare birds, monkeys
and lirazu nuts the objects ot our trade.
I had loaded my igarite (large masted ca-
uoe.) and was about to start for Para, when
nothing would serve the tuxava, or chief, of
one of the maloccas, but that I should stay
a day or two at his village, and take part in
some festivities, lie promised a tapir hunt.
As I knew that among the Jumnas were
some skilled hunters, and as I was curious to
witness an affair of this kind, I consented.
The hunt was to come off on the second day
ot my stay.
The morning arrived, and the hunters as
sembled, to the number of forty or fifty, in
an open space by the malocca ; and having
got their arms and equipments in readiness,
all repaired to the praya, or narrow beach of
sand, which separated the river from the
thick underwood of the forest. Here some
twenty or thirty ubas, (canoes hollowed out
of tree trunks,) floated on the water ready
to receive the hunters. They were of differ
ent sizes ; some capable of containing half
a dozen, while others were meant to carry
only a single person.
In a few minutes the ubas were freighted
with their living cargoes, consisting not on
ly of the hunters, but most of the women
and boys of the malocca, with a score or
two of dogs. These dogs were curious crea
tures to look at. A stranger, ignorant of the
customs of the Jumnas, would have been at
some loss to account for the peculiarity of
their color, buch dogs I had never seen be
fore. Some were of a bright scarlet, others
were yellow, others blue, and some mottled
with a variety of tints! What could it
mean ? But I knew well enough. The dogs
were dyed. Yes, it is the custom among
many tribes of South American Indians to
dye not only their own bodies, but the hairy
coats of their dogs, with brilliant colors
obtained from vegetable juices, such a3 the
red huitoc, the yellow rocoa, (annoio,) and
the blue of the wild indigo. The light gray,
often white, hair of these animals favor the
staining process; and the effect produced
pleases the eye of their savage masters. On
my eye the effect was strange and fantasti
cal. I could not refrain my laughter when
I first scanned these curs in their fanciful
coats. Picture to yourself a pack of scar
let, and orange, and purple dogs.
Well, we were soon in the ubas, and pad
dling up stream. The tuxava and I occupied
a canoe to ourselves. His only arms were a
light fusil, which I had given lam ns u pres
ent in our barter. It was a good piece, and
lie was proud of it. This was to be its first
trial. I hud a rifle for my own weapon.
The rest were armed variously; some had
guns, others the native bow and arrows;
some carried the sravatana, witli arrows
llippuu ill v;iui iuiouh , cv.miiu nuu nwiuiiip
but machetes, or cutlasses, for c learing the
underwood, in case the game had tube driv-
en from the thickets. j
There was a part of the river, some two j
or three miles above the malocca, where the
channel was wider than usual several miles !
in breadth at this place. Here it was stud-(distinctly
ded with islands, known to be a favorite
resort of the tapirs. This was to bo ihe
scene of our hunt. We approached the;
place in about on hour; but on the way
could not help being struck with the pictur
esaueness ol our party, rso " meet, in ttie
hunting field of civilized countries could have j
equaled us in that respect. The ubas,
strung out in a long irregular line, sprang up!
stream in obedience to the vigorous strokes
of the rowers, and
these sang
in a sort
irregular concert as they plied their paddles.
The songs were improvised : they told the
feats of the hunters already pcrlorm-d, and I
promised others yet to be done. I could
hear the word " tapira," tapir, often repeat
ed. The women lent their shrill voices to
the chorus ; and now and then interrupted
the song with peals of merry laughter. The
strange looking flotilla the bronzul bodies
of the Indians, more than half mule their
their waving black hair their blue bead
belts and red cotton armlets the bright
tangas, aprons of the women their massive
necklaces the macaw feathers adorning the'
heads of the hunters their odd arms
equipments all combined to form a picture
which, even to me, accustomed to such
sights, was full of interest
At length we arrived among the islands,!
and then the noises ceased. The canoes :
paddled as slowly and silently as pos-j
sible. I now began to understand the plan
of the hunt; it was first to discover an
island upon which a tapir was supposed to ;
be, and then encompass it with the hunters
in their canoes, while a party landed with I
the dogs, to arouse the game and drive it j
the water. This plan promised fair
sport. The canoes now separated; and in a ;
short while each of them was seen coursing ,
quietly along the edge ol some islet, one ol-rustled
its occupants leaning inward, and scrutiniz-.
ing the narrow belt of sand that bordered the j
water. In some places no such sand belt
The trees hung over, their branches
even dipping into the current, and forming a :
roofed and dark passage underneath. In
such places a tapir could have hidden him-j
self from the sharpest eyed hunters, and
herein lies the chief difficulty of this kind of
hunt.
It was not long before a low whistle was,
heard from one of the ubas, a sign for the!
otners to come up. lrie traces or a tapir
had been discovered. The chief, with a
stroke or two of his palm wood paddle,
brought our canoe to the spot. There, sure,
enough, was the sign the tracks ot a tapir
in the sand leading to a hole in the thick
underwood, where a beaten path appeared
to continue onward into the interior of the
island, perhaps to the tapir den. The tracks
were fresh had been made that morning in
the wet sand no doubt the creature was in!
its lair.
The island was a small one, with some,
five or six acres of surface. The canoes shot
off in different directions, and in a few min
utes were deployed all around it. At a giv
en signal, several hunters leaped ashore, fol
lowed by their bright-colored assistants the
dogs ; and then the chopping of branches,
the shouts of the men, and the yelping of
their cenine assistants, were all heard ming
ling together.
The island was densely wooded. The
naussu and piriti palms grew so thickly,
that their crowned heads touched each other,
forming a close roof. . Above these, rose the
taller summits of the great forest trees,
cedrelas, zamangs, and the beautiful long
leavud silk cotton (bumbax ;) but beneath, a
perfect net work of sipos or creepers uud
liaues choked up the put!), and the hunter:,
had to clear every step of the way with thir
machetes. Even the dogs, with ull ih-u
eagerness, could make only a slow and torti
ous i advance among the thorny vines of l he.
sm'tlax, and the sharp spines that covered the
trunks of I lie palms.
In the circle of canoes that surrounded
the island, there was perfect silence ; each
had u spot to guard, and ciich hunter
i in uiiiis nan, unit e e.S Keenly HX-'il Oil
the foliage of the underwood, opposite his
'station.
The uba of tin chief had remained to
watch the. path where tin; tracks of tint tapir
had b en observed. We both sat with gun.-,
cocked and ready ; the dogs and hunters were
heard in the bushes approachine,
the centre of the islet. Th: form t gae
tongue at intervals, but their yelping gre v
louder, and was uttered with a li-rcer nc-
llceiit. Several of them barked ut once, and
a rushing was heard towards the. water. It
came in our direction, but not iUl for us
jtill the game was likely to issue at a point
within range of our guns. A stroke of th
paddle brought us into a better position. At
the same time several other cuuo s were seen
oflshooting forward to the spot.
I'll" under-
wood crackled and shook; reddish forms
(appeared among tin leaves, and the next
moment a doz?n animals, resembling a flock
of hogs, tumbled out from the thicket, an I
flung themselves with a splash into the. wa
ter. "No -tapir no capivara," cris.l th
chief; but hi voice was drowned by the
reports of guns and the twanging of bow
string. Half a dozen of the dpi vara were
seen to fall on the sandy margin, while the
rest pluug-d Inward, nud diving beyond the
reach of pursuit, were seen no inor-
This was a splendid b 'ginning of tin day's
nnd;rport: for half a do,11 at a sin"te volh v
was no mean game, even aimmg Indians.
Rut th: nobler b-asf, th tapir, occmred all
lour thoughts ; and leaving the capivaras to
be grub: red in by tin womn, th: hunters
were back at their posts in a few seconds.--were
There was no doubt that a tapir would U
'roused. The island h id all the. appearance
jof being the haunt of one or mop.-of th-su
creatures ; b?sLics, the tracks were ovid -nce
'of their recent presence upon the spot. Tin
beating, therefore, proceeded ns livelv at
ever, and the hunt rs and dogs had penetra
toward 'ted to the centre of the thick-'t.
Again the angry yelping of the latter feli
upon the car; and again the thick cover
and shook.
" Hits time tne tapir, said tin chief to me
in an under tone; adding the next moment
in a louder voice :" Look yonder !' I look
appeared. ed in the direction Pointed out. I con! I
perceive something in motion among th"
i leaves a dark brown body, Fniootli and
rounded, the body of a tapir! I caught only
: a glimpse of it, as it sprang forwardlnto the
opening. It was coming at full gallop, with
its head between its knees. The do woro
close after, and it looked not before if but
towards u? as though
dashed out and ran
tilind. It made tor the water, iust f..w
' feet from tin bow of our canoe. The chief
: and I fired at the same time. I thought mv
bullet took tlf-c t, and so thought the chief
.did his ; but thu tapir, seemin' not to hoed
the shots, plunged into the stream and went
under. The next moment the whole string
of dyed dogs came sweeping out of the thick
et, and leaned forward to whrr il
1 hud disappeared. There was blood upon tlu
water. The tapir is hit, then, thought I ;
and I was about to point out the blood ti
the chief, when on turning I saw the latter
poisii.g himself, knife in hand, near the stem
of the canoe. He was about to spring out
of it. His eye was fixed on some object
under the water. I looked in the same di
rection. The waters of the Xingu are as
clear as crystal ; against the sandy bottom,
I could trace the dark brown body of the
tapir. It was making for the deeper chan
nel of the river, but evidently dragging itself
along with difficulty. One of its legs was
disabled by our shots. I had scarcely time
to get a good view of it before the chief
sprang into the air and dropped head foxe
ruost into the water, I could see a struggle