On The Farther Side Of The River Was A Deserted House, And We Could
Distinctly Trace The Heavy Footprints Of A Tapir Leading Up The Path
And Through The Open Doorway.
We entered with caution.
Was the beast
in then? No. He had gone out by a back way, probably made by himself,
through the wattled wall. We could see the place was frequented very
often by wild pigs, which had left hundreds of footprints in the
three-inch depth of dust on the floor. There we lit a fire to again
dry our clothes, and prepared to pass the night, expecting a visit
from the hogs. Had they appeared when we were ready for them, the
visit would not have been unwelcome. Food was hard to procure, and
animals did not come very often to be shot. Had they found us asleep,
however, the waking would have been terrible indeed, for they will
eat human flesh just as ravenously as roots. After spreading our
saddle-cloths on the dust and filth, Old Stabbed Arm and I were
chatting about the Caingwas and their dirty habits, when Timoteo,
heaving a sigh of relief, said: "Thank God, we are clean at last!" He
was satisfied with the pigpen as he recalled the hoga of the Sun-
Worshippers.
At last the village of Pegwaomi was reached, and, oh, we were not
sorry, for the havoc of the jiggers in our feet was getting terrible!
The keen-eyed inhabitants caught sight of us while we were still
distant, and when we reined up, Timoteo's aged mother tremblingly
said, "Yoape" ("Come here") to him, and she wept as she embraced
her boy.
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